Apply to the NT Civil and Administrative Tribunal

On 1 January 2021, the Petroleum Regulations 2020 came into effect.

This information is for petroleum companies that want to carry out authorised activities in the Northern Territory (NT).

You must have a land access agreement in place with the landholder before you start regulated petroleum operations.

If you can’t negotiate a land access agreement with the landholder, you may apply to the Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NTCAT).

If you apply to the NTCAT, you must pay the reasonable costs of the landholder to take part in the proceedings.

You are not responsible for costs if the NTCAT:

feels the landholder has acted unreasonably or
considers it inappropriate or unfair.

When you can apply

You can only apply to the NTCAT if you have already:

tried to negotiate directly with the landholder in good faith for at least 60 days
taken part in an alternative dispute resolution process without reaching an agreement.

How to apply

To apply, follow these steps.

Step 1. Go to the NTCAT website to submit an online application.

You must also pay a fee.

Step 2. Notify the Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade chief executive officer within 7 days of applying.

You can do this by filling in the notice to chief executive officer DOCX (65.6 KB) and submitting it to Land Access.

After you apply

The NTCAT will make a decision and set out a land access agreement between you and the landholder.

You must then register the agreement with the Minister for Mining and Industry within 28 days of it being made by the NTCAT.