business.gov.au

Petroleum lease - Queensland

Description

You can apply for a petroleum lease over an area of your authority to prospect (ATP) if you make a discovery that is currently commercially viable. If the lease is granted, the area is excised from the ATP.

You can also apply for a petroleum lease in response to a call for tenders, in which case a pre-existing ATP is not required.

A petroleum lease gives you the right to:

  • explore for petroleum
  • test for petroleum production
  • produce petroleum
  • use natural underground reservoirs for petroleum storage
  • plug and abandon a bore or well.

Service type

Licence

A licence defines the need to obtain recognition / certification and registration to undertake a certain business activity.

Eligibility requirements

To be eligible for a petroleum lease, you must:

  • hold an authority to prospect
  • have your initial development plan approved
  • have the appropriate environmental authority
  • satisfy any native title requirements
  • have paid the annual rent for the first year of the proposed lease
  • given security for the lease
  • satisfy the Minister that you are capable of carrying out authorised activities for the lease.

An Australian market supply condition may be attached to a petroleum lease. The condition means that the authority holder must only sell gas produced from the lease to customers within Australia. The objective is to increase gas supplies and lower prices for domestic users.

Duration

Up to 30 years

Fees

Fees Details for this service in table format.

Task Type Business Structure Amount Description
Apply Application All $5401.01

Fees for 2026-27
Apply Licence All $183.55

Per square kilometre. Fees for 2026-27

Other resources

Task Business Structure Resources
General All Petroleum lease application guideline - PDF (Opens in new window)

Application process

Apply

Important

Applications can be lodged online using MyMinesOnline or by using hard-copy forms. When applying through a call for tenders, you must follow the instructions in the tender document.

Lodgement process

Apply

You can apply to amalgamate 2 or more petroleum leases into a single lease as long as:

  • all of the holders of the individual leases agree to the proposed amalgamation
  • the holders of the amalgamated lease will be the same as the holders of the individual leases
  • for an individual lease, there are no outstanding amounts (e.g. annual rent, rates and charges payable to local government, royalty related amounts or security).

Transfer process

Transfer

A petroleum lease may be transferred.

Administering agency

Department of Natural Resources and Mines, Manufacturing and Regional and Rural Development

Contact details

Contact Email, Phone and Address Details for this service in simple two column table format, header then data.