About the roadmap
Building a domestic decommissioning industry is part of a Future Made in Australia. Creating this industry will build on Australia’s strengths to support new jobs for our skilled offshore workforce, develop domestic capabilities, and attract investment for Australian businesses across the decommissioning value chain. A domestic decommissioning industry will also play a part in Australia’s transition to net zero.
Decommissioning is the final stage in the offshore oil and gas production lifecycle. It involves the safe and environmentally responsible removal of offshore oil and gas facilities and their associated infrastructure. To help build a domestic decommissioning industry in Australia, we have created a roadmap that focuses on 5 key areas of opportunity:
- Ensuring a regulatory framework that protects the environment and attracts investment
- Partnering with First Nations people and local communities
- Optimising infrastructure opportunities and availability
- Supporting new jobs and investment in recycling and waste management
- Building a skilled, safe and diverse offshore decommissioning workforce.
To support the roadmap, the government formed an Offshore Decommissioning Directorate in December 2024. The directorate will:
- encourage collaboration between all levels of government, international jurisdictions and organisations involved in decommissioning
- improve transparency across the decommissioning pipeline to help businesses plan their investment decisions
- be a trusted partner and advisor on decommissioning policy matters that cut across governments, the industry and the broader supply chain
- further strengthen our regulatory frameworks to give the community confidence that decommissioning will always remain the responsibility of the offshore industry
- ensure that decommissioning industry activities complement the Australian Government’s Future Made in Australia agenda.