Goldstein was a chemistry major at the University of New York and completed an undergraduate degree in geology. He then completed a Masters in Geology at the University of Missouri. Since beginning work in the oil and gas sector with Phillips Petroleum in 1977, Goldstein has made discoveries in the North Sea, in Indonesia, offshore and onshore in Australia, in Papua New Guinea and in South America. Goldstein is a lead author of one of South Australia's key planning documents, the Roadmap for Unconventional Gas Projects in South Australia and has been involved with the subsequent development of the industry. In 2014, Goldstein was awarded the Public Service Medal for his contribution to the development of South Australia's unconventional gas resources, geothermal energy and carbon sequestration potential. As of 2014, Goldstein currently holds the position of Executive Director of Energy Resources for the Government of South Australia's Department of State Development. In December 2017 Barry Goldstein was inducted into the Australian Institute of Energy Hall of Fame.
Unconventional oil and gas in South Australia
Goldstein has encouraged the early engagement of communities unfamiliar with petroleum operations, especially those in proximity to proposed fracking for unconventional oil and gas resources. He considers this to be the best way to minimise "potentially ill-informed perceptions." Goldstein believes that problems encountered in developing coal seam gas resources in neighbouring states of New South Wales and Queensland have been the result of large numbers of wells being established with low gas extraction rates, and often on agricultural land. By comparison, Goldstein has said that South Australia's wells would be deeper and have a smaller footprint. He has described the targets in South Australia as deep shale gas and tight gas at typical depths of 2000–3000 metres below the surface. Goldstein has been critical of prior public engagement efforts during the establishment of the coal seam gas industry in eastern Australia. He has said that "instead of actually having a conversation with potentially affected people and enterprises at the get go, there was a creeping expansion... Playing 'catch-up' on public engagement is just wrong." Goldstein has claimed that in South Australia "no operations are approved unless statements of environmental objectives are established to assure that regulatory requirements equal or exceed community expectations for net outcomes, and operators can demonstrate capabilities to meet or exceed those regulatory requirements." He also believes that fit-for-purpose licence terms are "the most direct way to recognize the more extensive nature of unconventional energy resource plays." He believes that South Australia created "precisely the sort of retention licences industry needs" with bi-partisan support through the passage of the Petroleum & Geothermal Energy Act in September 2000.
