THE OFFSHORE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY IS AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA’S ECONOMY AND A SIGNIFICANT PLAYER IN THE SHARED MARINE ENVIRONMENT.

Activities such as seismic surveys, drilling, exploration, construction and installation of subsea infrastructure, and decommissioning are all oil and gas industry requirements. Many of these activities occur in the same place as fishing and have the potential to affect commercially important aquatic organisms, their prey and habitats, the business activities of commercial fishers, and food security for the broader community.  WAFIC works closely with offshore operators to ensure impacts from oil and gas activities on commercial fishing is minimised.

WAFIC also continues to work closely with the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) for offshore activities in Commonwealth waters, the Department of Mines, Industry, Regulations and Safety (DMIRS) for offshore activities in State waters and engages with the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA) – the offshore oil and gas sector peak body.

Guidance framework for effective consultation with the commercial fishing industry

WAFIC has developed a guidance framework to support offshore oil and gas consultation requirements and deliver conducive outcomes for the commercial fishing industry. The framework aims to provide best practice consultation principles and guidelines for oil and gas titleholders and should be read before consulting with the commercial fishing industry.

CONSULTATION GUIDELINES

Preferred approach for undertaking consultation for unplanned events

In response to the appeal decision made by the Federal Court of Australia Santos NA Barossa Pty Ltd v Tipakalippa [2022] FCAFC 193 (appeal decision) on 2 December 2022, WAFIC would like to communicate the PREFERRED APPROACH in undertaking consultation with commercial fishing licence holders that will only be affected by a significant unplanned event (emergency scenario).

Further Information

WAFIC offers fee-for-service to assist titleholders in consultation with the fishing industry. Fee-for-service details are available on request.

For further information please contact Carli Telfer via email: [email protected] or Tessa Ramshaw via email: [email protected].