Resolve a dispute: land access agreements

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

If you need to resolve a dispute or report non-compliance of the land access agreement, you can get help.

A party to an agreement can be either a:

• landholder or
• petroleum company seeking access to carry out petroleum activities.

How to resolve a dispute

To resolve a dispute, you can:

• contact Land Access
• request for an authorised officer from the department to conduct:
  • an inspection to investigate an alleged breach
  • a conference to try and resolve the dispute.
• refer the matter to the Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NTCAT).

Read below for more information.

Request an inspection

You must apply to the Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade (DITT) chief executive to request an inspection.

Follow these steps:

Step 1. Fill in the application for an authorised officer to conduct inspection DOCX (64.3 KB).

Step 2. Submit the application to Land Access.

After the inspection

After the inspection, the officer will prepare a non-binding report.

They may include recommendations on how to comply with the terms of the agreement.

A copy will be provided to:

• each party and
• the chief executive.

Request a conference

You must apply to the DITT chief executive to request a conference.

Follow these steps:

Step 1. Fill in the application for an authorised officer to conduct conference DOCX (64.0 KB).

Step 2. Submit the application to Land Access.

After the conference

After the conference, the officer may prepare a non-binding report.

A copy will be provided to:

• each party to the conference and
• the chief executive.

Apply to the NTCAT

You can apply to the NTCAT to help you resolve a dispute if it relates to the following:

• disputes about:
  • the operation or effect of the agreement
  • costs and payment of costs
  • compensation and land value decrease
• alleged breaches of the agreement.

To apply follow these steps:

Step 1. Fill in the initiating application (form 1) on the NTCAT website.

Step 2. Submit the form to agd.ntcat@nt.gov.au.

You will need to pay a fee.

Notify the chief executive

The party that made the application to the NTCAT must notify the DITT chief executive within 7 days by emailing a copy of the application to Land Access.

Contact

For more information, contact Land Access.