(2) Any person claiming
a legal or equitable interest in a petroleum title may apply for registration
of the interest.
(3) An application must be lodged with the Secretary and
must be accompanied by the prescribed fee for registration and by written
evidence (including, but not limited to, documentary evidence) of the legal or
equitable interest concerned.
(4) The Secretary may, if satisfied that the
applicant holds the interest concerned, register the interest or the document
by which the interest is evidenced.
(5) The Secretary may, on application by
the holder of an interest or otherwise, make such amendments to the register
kept under this section as are appropriate to reflect dealings in the
interest.
(6) Without limiting the generality of subsection (5), the
Secretary may cancel the registration of an interest if of the opinion that
the interest has ceased to exist.
(7) The registration of an interest under
this section is not to be taken to be evidence of the existence of the
interest.
(8) For the purposes of any legal proceedings concerning a
petroleum title--
(a) a registered interest has priority over an interest that
is not registered, and
(b) an earlier registered interest has priority over a
later registered interest.
(9) The register must be kept available at the
head office of the Department for inspection, free of charge, by members of
the public during ordinary office hours.
(10) An application under this
section may be withdrawn by means of a notice of withdrawal signed by the
applicant and lodged with the Secretary and ceases to have effect when the
notice is lodged.
(11) The withdrawal of an application under this section is
irrevocable.
