An independent audit by Australia’s Chief Scientist Dr Alan Finkel has found the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) was applying stringent environmental regulation in considering applications for oil exploration in the Great Australian Bight.
The report commissioned by the federal government to ensure public confidence in NOPSEMA’s processes was released on Friday, finding that the watchdog was a ‘competent regulator’, and had appropriate processes and procedures in place to meets its regulatory requirements under the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas (Environment) Regulations 2009.