Commonwealth Consolidated Acts Commonwealth Consolidated Acts(1) For the purposes of this Act, the table has effect:
Item | The offshore area of... | is... |
1 | (a) New South Wales; or (b) Victoria; or (c) South Australia; or (d) Tasmania | so much of the scheduled area for that State as comprises waters of the sea that are: (a) beyond the outer limits of the coastal waters of that State; and (b) within the outer limits of the continental shelf. |
2 | Queensland | both of the following areas: (a) so much of the scheduled area for Queensland as comprises waters of the sea that are: (i) beyond the outer limits of the coastal waters of Queensland; and (ii) within the outer limits of the continental shelf; (b) the Coral Sea area (as defined by subsection (2)). |
3 | Western Australia | so much of the scheduled area for Western Australia as comprises waters of the sea that are: (a) beyond the outer limits of the coastal waters of Western Australia; and (b) within the outer limits of the continental shelf. |
4 | the Northern Territory | both of the following: (a) so much of the scheduled area for the Northern Territory as comprises waters of the sea that are: (i) beyond the outer limits of the coastal waters of the Northern Territory; and (ii) within the outer limits of the continental shelf; |
5 | the Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands | so much of the scheduled area for that Territory as consists of land and water that is within the outer limits of the continental shelf. |
6 | Norfolk Island | the area whose boundaries are: (a) the coastline at mean low water of Norfolk Island; and (b) the outer limit of the superjacent waters of the continental shelf adjacent to the coast of Norfolk Island. |
7 | the Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands | the area whose boundaries are: (a) the coastlines at mean low water of the islands comprising that Territory; and (b) the outer limit of the superjacent waters of the continental shelf adjacent to the coasts of those islands. |
8 | the Territory of Christmas Island | the area whose boundaries are: (a) the coastline at mean low water of Christmas Island; and (b) the outer limit of the superjacent waters of the continental shelf adjacent to the coast of Christmas Island. |
9 | the Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands | both of the following areas: (a) the area whose boundaries are the coastline at mean low water of the north atoll of that Territory (otherwise called North Keeling Island), and the outer limit of the superjacent waters of the continental shelf adjacent to the coast of that Island; (b) the area whose boundaries are the coastlines at mean low water of the remaining islands of that Territory, and the outer limit of the superjacent waters of the continental shelf adjacent to the coasts of those islands. |
Note: The offshore area of a State or Territory corresponds to the adjacent area under the repealed Petroleum (Submerged Lands) Act 1967 .
(2) For the purposes of this section, the Coral Sea area is so much of the area to the east of the area described in paragraph (a) of item 2 of the table in subsection (1) as comprises waters of the sea that are within the outer limits of the continental shelf, other than any part of that area that is:
(a) to the south of the parallel of Latitude 25°S; or
(b) on the landward side of the coastline of any island at mean low water.
Note: For datum, see section 40.
Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands--land taken to be beneath the sea etc.
(3) This Act has effect in relation to so much of the offshore area of the Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands as consists of land as if that land were:
(b) part of the seabed and subsoil of that offshore area.
Areas of the continental shelf over which Australia does not exercise sovereign rights
(a) an item in the table in subsection (1); and
(b) subsection (2);
the continental shelf does not include any area of seabed and subsoil that, as
a result of an agreement in force between Australia and a foreign country, is
not an area over which Australia exercises sovereign rights.