How and why we consult

We are keen to consult on all activities under our environment plans. Meaningful consultation benefits everyone and results in better environmental outcomes. 

By consulting with relevant persons, we better understand their functions, interests and/or activities relative to our own activities. We consider how we can address potential impacts and risks, and include our assessments of matters raised in the environment plan we submit to NOPSEMA.

Environment plans and consultation

We consult with ‘relevant persons’ about our proposed or ongoing activities. 

You are a relevant person if you or your organisation has functions, interests or activities that may be affected by an activity. However, to be a relevant person your interests should be more than a general interest in the environment or petroleum activities. 

Your interest could be legal, financial, cultural, spiritual, or the protection of marine species for example. Relevant persons could include fishers, recreational marine users, local communities, First Nations peoples, as well as agencies and government departments.

We identify relevant persons or you can self-identify.  Relevant persons will be invited to consult on environment plans (EPs) for proposed activities, or revisions of EPs for ongoing activities. 

As a relevant person, you can request that the information you provide not be published.

How we find and consult with relevant persons

To identify relevant persons, we:​

  1. Map the spatial extent of the environmental effects of our activities
  2. List categories of people or organisations that may be affected by our activities
  3. Use the overlap between 1. and 2. to develop a list of individual relevant persons from each group.

To consult with relevant persons we:​

  1. Share sufficient details of our proposed activities so they can determine how their interests may be affected
  2. Provide sufficient time and opportunity to raise concerns, request further information, pose queries and enter into a 2-way dialogue on the proposed activities.
  3. Assess all relevant comments, including objections or claims, and include them in the environment plan, outlining any changes to "measures adopted" in response to consultation.

We continue consulting with relevant interested persons for the life of the project.

The Process

We prepare environment plans for proposed activities, and revise existing EPs for ongoing activities every 5 years. For all offshore activities, we consult broadly while developing these EPs. By consulting with individuals and organisations about our activities, we improve:

  • our understanding of the values and sensitivities of the environment
  • knowledge of how other peoples' functions, interests and/or activities intersect with our activities
  • our evaluation of potential impacts and risks
  • how we manage and mitigate any impacts or risks.

Importantly, through good consultation, we can receive information that we might not have otherwise been aware, potentially resulting in improved environmental outcomes.

Relevant persons must be given enough information and time to assess the possible consequences of our activities on their functions, interests or activities. The consultation period is usually at least 30 days. We include details of any consultations in environment plans, then submit plans to NOPSEMA (the independent industry regulator). The plan must be accepted before any newly proposed activity starts. We continue consulting throughout the project.

Amplitude Energy consultation follows the Environment Regulations. See NOPSEMA guideline - Consultation in the course of preparing an Environment Plan.
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Consultation is carried out under section 25 of the OPGGS(E) Regulations (Cth). You have the right to request that any sensitive information you may provide not be published. 

To further understand your rights and our obligations, NOPSEMA has prepared a community information document:  Consultation on offshore petroleum - information for the community

Environment plans and public comment

In addition to relevant persons consultation, environment plans being developed for exploration projects undergo a period of public comment. The independent regulator, NOPSEMA, manages this. The process provides an opportunity for the broader community to raise issues about environmental management matters that may not yet have been considered. 

Comments received by NOPSEMA are shared with us for consideration in further development of the environment plan. More information about the public comment process can be found on the NOPSEMA "open for comment" page.

Offshore project proposals (OPPs) and public comment

 An OPP is a whole-of-project early assessment of the potential environmental impacts and risks of petroleum activities conducted over the life of an offshore project. Anyone can comment on an offshore project proposal (OPPs).

Members of the public can review the OPP and provide input to the project's environmental management strategies. We consider matters raised before submitting the OPP to the regulator for assessment. This process helps us identify relevant persons to consult when developing environment plans.

If the regulator accepts an OPP, it will form the basis for future activity-specific environment plans.

More information about OPPs can be found on the NOPSEMA "offshore project proposals" page.