NOPSEMA is Australia's regulator for offshore petroleum and greenhouse gas storage activities in Commonwealth and coastal waters. It was established in 2012 following the Montara oil spill in the Timor Sea in 2009 which is considered one of Australia's worst oil spill disasters.

The regulator visited Newcastle because of the level of community concern about Advent's proposal for seismic testing in an area off the coast where it proposes to drill for gas.

NOPSEMA noted complaints of a lack of transparency about what was proposed and concerns about scientific gaps in knowledge about the impact of seismic testing on marine creatures.

The protests continued throughout Advent's first seismic tests and up to 2019. Protesters were ready to show their opposition again for a proposed second round of seismic testing until this week's announcement there would be no more testing, and Advent is looking to start operations and drill.

NOPSEMA is the only thing that stands between Advent and the drilling works.

The regulator must assess Advent's risk management plans, well operations management plans and environment plans to determine how the company will protect the health and safety of offshore workers and the integrity of the wells. The standard accepted by NOPSEMA is that a company can take no further practical measures that could reasonably reduce risks further.

Advent is confident of its ability to meet the regulator's requirements. Protest group Save Our Coast is pleased there will be no further seismic testing, which involves shooting acoustic pulses into the ocean floor to create a profile of what lies beneath.

But the group remains concerned about the start of a new gas project as Australia continues a political struggle over how it is going to respond to growing global calls for stronger climate change action.

The one undeniable fact is that the Hunter remains at the centre of a national, and international, debate about climate change and future energy sources.

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