The Offshore Infrastructure Regulator is an entity recently established under the Offshore Electricity Infrastructure Act 2021 to oversee the offshore renewables industry. The functions of the OIR are administered by the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Agency which operates under the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006. Both agencies regulate health and safety, infrastructure integrity and environmental management for offshore energy activities. The OIR and NOPSEMA also provide specialist technical advice to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, and the Environment and Water to support the assessment of offshore renewables proposals under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. While it is in Australia’s interest to realise offshore renewable energy projects to achieve emissions reduction goals, there are challenges that the emerging industry will face in ensuring Australia’s marine environment is protected during the construction and operation of offshore renewable energy infrastructure. Having regulated environmental management of the offshore petroleum industry for over ten years, NOPSEMA is able to highlight marine science and impact mitigation needs for offshore renewable energy developments (summarised in our research strategy) in the hope that this will enable early identification of and solution-finding for potential environmental approval bottlenecks.