THE Federal government has agreed the powers of the National Offshore Petroleum Safety Authority need to be expanded significantly to avert any repeat of major incidents such as the Montara oil spill or Varanus Island gas explosion.

The government will not unveil its response to the Montara commission of inquiry until the end of the year, but revealed its determination to beef up NOPSA when it released its detailed response to three prior inquiries into offshore oil regulation last week.