Consultation Hub

We are currently proposing several onshore and offshore activities in the Bass Strait and are working with the communities we operate in to find solutions that balance environmental impacts and benefits with the needs of the community and regulatory requirements.

Consultation provides an opportunity for people or organisations who may be affected by petroleum activities to raise concerns, including objections or claims, about the potential impacts of the activity, to seek information about how they may be affected, and how the Esso Australia intends to manage the activity to ensure the associated impacts are as low as reasonably practicable and are acceptable. 
 
Information provided by relevant persons in consultation may also help Esso Australia better understand the values and sensitivities of the environment and inform the evaluation of the potential impacts and risks associated with the activity and how to manage them appropriately.

All offshore petroleum activities must have an Environment Plan (EP) accepted by the respective Commonwealth, State or Territory Regulator before they can take place.

Activities with an onshore component such as Carbon Capture and Storage or State Water Environment Plans may require additional regulatory approvals such as referrals, permits and licenses accepted by relevant regulators.

ExxonMobil must consult with relevant persons about those activities when preparing each regulatory submission.

You may be a relevant person if you or your organisation have functions, interests, or activities that may be affected by an offshore petroleum activity proposed under an environment plan being prepared or already underway under an environment plan being revised.

The terms ‘functions’ ‘interests’ and ‘activities’ should be read broadly. You do not have to have a legal or financial interest that may be affected by an offshore petroleum activity to be a relevant person.

Interests that may be affected can include things like cultural and spiritual connections to the sea or interests in the protection of specific marine species. However, to be a relevant person your interests should be more than a general interest in the environment and/or offshore petroleum activities.

These methods of relevant person identification, verification and assessment are also applied to onshore activities to ensure Esso is approaching its consultation processes in a consistent manner across all its regulatory submissions.