This Act defines legislative powers of the States in relation to coastal water. The Act consists of 7 sections, i.e.: Short title (1); Commencement (2); Interpretation (3); Extent of territorial sea and coastal waters (4); Legislative powers of States (5); International status of Territorial Sea (6); Savings (7). The limits of the territorial sea shall be the limits existing from time to time, ascertained consistently with the section 4 of the Seas and Submerged Lands Act of 28 February 1983. Section 5 specifies the legislative powers of States with respect to coastal waters and waters beyond coastal waters. The States may make laws with respect to fisheries in Australian waters beyond the outer limits of the coastal waters of the State, being laws applying to or in relation to those fisheries only to the extent to which those fisheries are, under an arrangement to which the Commonwealth and the State are parties, to be managed in accordance with the laws of the State (subsect. 5(c)). Nothing in this Act affects the status of the Territorial Sea of Australia under international law or the rights and duties of the Commonwealth in relation to ensuring the observance of international law (sect. 6).
Australia · 1980-05-29