Oil and gas
Oil and Gas
The petroleum (oil and gas) industry has operated in and off the coast of Victoria since the 1920s.
Victoria is the nation’s largest user of gas, relying on it to heat homes and power industry. As our energy transition continues, including implementation of the Gas Substitution Roadmap, gas remains an important part of our energy mix.
Oil and gas development activities onshore and in state coastal waters are regulated by the Petroleum Act 1998 and Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2010 respectively.
The development of unconventional gas (i.e. fracking and coal seam gas production) is banned in Victoria.
The Victorian Gas Program, undertaken between 2017 and 2020, was a comprehensive suite of work which included geological and environmental studies. It helped inform the government’s decision to restart the onshore conventional gas industry in Victoria.
Commonwealth Waters
The National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) is the regulator for offshore petroleum activities in Australian Commonwealth waters.
These waters are the offshore area beyond coastal waters, between 3 and approximately 200 nautical miles from shore.
The National Offshore Petroleum Titles Administrator (NOPTA) administers titles and data management for petroleum activities in Australian Commonwealth waters.
Page last updated: 24 Apr 2024