"They will benefit particularly from high quality safety management, a nationally consistent approach and greater operational effectiveness and efficiency," Jones said.
"For the first time, it provides Australia with the capability of having a nationally consistent safety regime applying to all offshore oil and gas operations.
"The capacity to more effectively utilise scarce and costly skills will mean higher quality safety management all around, and best practice safety outcomes. Consistency of administration nationally will mean greater workforce mobility and lower industry compliance costs," said Jones.
Minister Macfarlane and his colleagues on the Ministerial Council on Mineral and Petroleum Resources (chaired at the time by WA Minister Clive Brown) also received a slap on the back with Jones congratulating them on their efforts in delivering the important outcome.
"APPEA also welcomes the commitment all governments have given in the lead up to the passage of this legislation to ensuring the NOPSA is staffed with people of the highest quality who are dedicated to effective safety outcomes," he said.
"The upstream petroleum industry is dedicated to delivering best practice safety outcomes. It is committed to continuous improvement of its safety practices. The only level of safety incidents that is acceptable is zero. This new authority will help us in meeting these goals."
