Martin Ferguson (Batman, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Resources and Energy) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Fremantle for her question. I understand the close attention she has paid to the Montara oil and gas leak. On that note, I am pleased to advise the House that on 3 November PTTEP Australasia, the operator of the Montara oil field, successfully killed the leaking well and the fire that had broken out on the Montara wellhead platform. I extend my appreciation to all those involved for the assistance and hard work they put into killing the well.

Bringing the well under control was a great relief to all those involved and to the Australian community. I am also required to advise the House that there is more work to be done to secure the well and to make the facilities safe. For those reasons, on Friday of last week, I met with PTTEP Australasia in Perth to discuss the work that still needs to be done. Unfortunately, the impact of the fire on both the West Atlas drilling rig and the Montara wellhead platform means that this work will take longer than initially expected. Technical options are still under review and PTTEP Australasia is working with the relevant regulators, particularly the National Offshore Petroleum Safety Authority to ensure that the work is done safely and as soon as possible. All options require access to the Montara wellhead platform and therefore safety case revisions will have to take into account the new hazards introduced following the fire, requiring very careful consideration by PTTEP Australasia and careful assessment by NOPSA.

I also emphasise that, before personnel are able to undertake any activity at either facility, the operator must provide NOPSA with evidence that all risks have been comprehensively assessed and that control measures are in place to reduce the risk to a level that is as low as is reasonably practical. Concurrent with this work, I announced the commencement of the Montara commission of inquiry on 5 November, although I first flagged this on 7 September.

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