Information centre

This gantt chart assists companies wishing to undertake shale and tight gas exploration and development activities in Western Australia. The information particularly assists in scoping government project approvals, including timelines, prior to activities.

In line with our commitment to transparent and equitable regulation of the resources industry, the department has developed a range of online systems, providing the community with easy access to mineral and petroleum information. To access information relating to natural gas from shale and tight rocks please visit:

• Environmental Assessment and Regulatory System
  Petroleum Environment Regulations, introduced in 2012, require industry to provide public access to environment plan summaries and all chemicals proposed for use down a well.
• Western Australian Petroleum and Geothermal Information Management System
  (WAPIMS) contains data on titles, wells, geophysical surveys and other related exploration and production information. The database also contains information on mineral boreholes drilled in the State.
• Petroleum and Geothermal Register (PGR)
  Provides information relating to petroleum and geothermal titles.

Western Australian legislation can also be downloaded from the State Law Publisher and Commonwealth legislation from ComLaw.

Australian Government

• The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999

State Government

• Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Resources Act 1967 (PGER Act);
• Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Resources (Environment) Regulations 2012;
• Petroleum (Submerged Lands) Act 1982 (PSL Act);
• Petroleum (Submerged Lands) (Environment) Regulations 2012;
• Petroleum Pipelines Act 1969 (PP Act);
• Petroleum Pipelines (Environment) Regulations 2012.
• Environmental Protection Act 1986 (and Administrative Procedures 1993)
• Conservation and Land Management Act 1984 (CALM Act)
• Contaminated Sites Act 2003
• Rights in Water and Irrigation Act 1914
• Soil and Land Conservation Act 1945
• Wildlife Conservation Act 1950

Environmental and safety management

The department's Environment Publications and Guidance page provides a range of materials detailing legislative and regulatory requirements that must be followed by companies wishing to undertake exploration and development activities in Western Australia.

Petroleum and geothermal safety helps protect employees in petroleum, pipeline and geothermal operations in Western Australia.

Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) Environmental Protection Bulletin No. 22 – Hydraulic fracturing for onshore natural gas from shale and tight rocks details the EPA’s expectations and defines the circumstances under which proposals that include hydraulic fracturing are assessed.

Office of the Appeals Convenor  provides advice and makes recommendations to the Minister for Environment on environmental appeals made under the Environmental Protection Act 1986.

All appeal decisions are available and can be found by searching the appeals decision database. Appeals numbered 95, 96, 99, 100 and 102 with a decision date of 02/03/2012 are related to natural gas from shale and tight rocks.

The department’s Memorandum of Understanding with the EPA administers referral of mineral and petroleum (onshore and offshore) and geothermal proposals (PDF 333 kb)

The Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACOLA) has released a report that examines the spectrum of issues facing the development of a shale gas industry in Australia. Engineering Energy - Unconventional Gas Production (2013) can be downloaded from the ACOLA website.

Managing and planning for the petroleum industry in Western Australia is a whole-of-government responsibility. Links to State Government agencies is provided below for further information.

• Environmental Protection Authority
• Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Atrractions
• Department of Water and Environmental Regulation
• Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation

The following links provide further reading about the shale and tight gas industry.

Australian Government agencies

• Geoscience Australia
• Department of Industry, Innovation and Science

Inter-State Government agencies

• Department of Industry and Skills (South Australia)
• Department of Primary Industry and Resources (Northern Territory)

Industry

• APPEA
• Shale gas in Australia

International bodies

• Frac Focus
• American Petroleum Institute
• Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers
• International Association of Oil & Gas Producers
• International Energy Agency
• US Energy Information Administration
• US Department of Energy
• United States Environmental Protection Agency

General enquires

Communications Manager
Phone: +61 (08) 9222 3325
Email: media@dmirs.wa.gov.au