FEDERAL Resources Minister Martin Ferguson says six new offshore oil and gas fields will be opened for exploration, half in areas where no permits have previously been issued.
The sites include three large deepwater areas in the northern Exmouth Plateau, which already contains the major Jansz and Scarborough gas fields.
According to Ferguson, the other three sites are in the central Great Australian Bight off South Australia. Speaking at the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA) conference, Ferguson claimed that that the permits are designed to encourage exploration in the sector by domestic and international companies.
APPEA says Australia's oil and gas producers could create an additional 50,000 jobs domestically and generate $10b in government revenue annually given to develop potential new fields and gas processing plants.
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