Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Legislation Amendment (Safety and Other Measures) Bill 2024

The majority voted against an amendment introduced by Warringah MP Zali Steggall (Independent), which means it failed.

What was the purpose of these amendments?

Ms Steggall explained that:

The amendments I am moving remove part 2, schedule 2 from the bill. Part 2, schedule 2 is completely off topic when it comes to the primary purpose of this bill, which is to improve the conditions of workers in the offshore gas industry. Instead, it is a sneaky attempt by the government to include in an otherwise noncontentious bill significant carve-outs for the gas industry from environmental regulations and the requirements of the offshore petroleum and greenhouse gas storage legislation and regulations themselves. It does this by providing, in part 2, a new clause, 790E, which enables existing projects approved by the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority, NOPSEMA, to undertake additional actions that may be inconsistent with future regulatory changes—a get out of jail free card delivered to the oil and gas industries. This get out of jail free card is being provided to a polluting and environmentally damaging industry in the midst of the government's major reforms to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act outlined in its Nature Positive reforms.

Amendment text

(1) Clause 2, page 2 (table item 4), omit "Parts 2 and 3", substitute "Part 3".

(2) Schedule 2, Part 2, page 61 (line 1) to page 62 (line 36), omit the Part.