Petroleum Acreage Releases For Work Program Bidding

Australian onshore and offshore areas within 3 nautical miles offered for petroleum work program bidding. The dataset is managed by the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action and includes current and some expired releases, with data last updated in April 2026. It specifically excludes Commonwealth waters data, which is available from a separate source.

Use Cases

• Analyze spatial boundaries of current acreage releases for exploration planning.
• Track historical changes in offered acreage by comparing release years like 2018.
• Assess regulatory jurisdiction by distinguishing between onshore and offshore 3 nautical mile limit areas.

Strengths

• Includes data up to the year 2025, with system updates in 2026.
• Covers both onshore and specific offshore areas under distinct legislative acts.
• Available in multiple geospatial formats including SHP, WFS, and DWG.

Limitations

• Incomplete historical coverage, with a focus on current releases and some expired data like 2018 noted as not complete.
• Geographic scope is limited, excluding all Commonwealth waters data beyond the 3 nautical mile limit.
• Unknown total row count and specific data volume.

Provenance

Source

Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (data_gov_au).

Collection Method

Compiled from areas offered for work program bidding under the Petroleum Act 2005 and the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006.

Time Range

Includes current releases and some expired releases (e.g., 2018).

Freshness

Last updated on 2026-04-08.

Geography

Australian onshore and offshore waters within the 3 nautical mile limit.