SEAS AND SUBMERGED LANDS ACT 1973

This compilation was prepared on 11 July 2008
taking into account amendments up to Act No. 73 of 2008

The text of any of those amendments not in force
on that date is appended in the Notes section

The operation of amendments that have been incorporated may be affected by application provisions that are set out in the Notes section

Prepared by the Office of Legislative Drafting and Publishing,
Attorney‑General's Department, Canberra

Contents

Part I--Preliminary 2

1............ Short title [see Note 1] ....................................................................... 2

2............ Commencement [see Note 1] .............................................................. 2

3............ Interpretation ...................................................................................... 2

4............ Extension to Territories ...................................................................... 3

Part II--Sovereignty, sovereign rights and rights of control 4

Division 1--The territorial sea 4

5............ Interpretation ...................................................................................... 4

6............ Sovereignty in respect of territorial sea .............................................. 4

7............ Limits of territorial sea [see Note 2] ................................................... 4

8............ Declaration of historic bays and historic waters ................................ 4

9............ Charts of limits of territorial sea ......................................................... 5

10.......... Sovereignty in respect of internal waters ........................................... 5

Division 1A--The exclusive economic zone 6

10A....... Sovereign rights in respect of exclusive economic zone ...................... 6

10B....... Limits of exclusive economic zone ..................................................... 6

10C....... Charts of limits of exclusive economic zone ....................................... 6

Division 2--The continental shelf 7

11.......... Sovereign rights in respect of continental shelf .................................. 7

12.......... Limits of continental shelf .................................................................. 7

13.......... Charts of limits of continental shelf ................................................... 7

Division 2A--The contiguous zone 8

13A....... Rights of control in respect of contiguous zone ................................. 8

13B....... Limits of contiguous zone .................................................................. 8

13C....... Charts of limits of contiguous zone .................................................... 8

Division 3--Savings 9

14.......... Part II does not affect waters etc. within State limits ........................ 9

15.......... Certain property not vested in Commonwealth ................................. 9

16.......... Saving of other laws ............................................................................ 9

Schedule--Parts II, V and VI of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 11

Notes 41

An Act relating to Sovereignty in respect of certain Waters of the Sea and in respect of the Airspace over, and the Sea‑bed and Subsoil beneath, those Waters and to Sovereign Rights in respect of the Continental Shelf and the Exclusive Economic Zone and to certain rights of control in respect of the Contiguous Zone

Preamble

WHEREAS a belt of sea adjacent to the coast of Australia, known as the territorial sea, and the airspace over the territorial sea and the bed and subsoil of the territorial sea, are within the sovereignty of Australia:

AND WHEREAS Australia as a coastal state has:

(a) sovereign rights in respect of the waters, the sea‑bed and the subsoil that constitute the exclusive economic zone of Australia for the purposes of:

(i) exploring the zone; and

(ii) exploiting, conserving and managing the natural resources of the zone; and

(b) sovereign rights with regard to other activities for the economic exploitation and exploration of the exclusive economic zone of Australia, such as the production of energy from water, currents and winds; and

(i) the establishment and use of artificial islands, installations and structures in the exclusive economic zone; and

(ii) marine scientific research in the exclusive economic zone; and

(iii) the protection and preservation of the marine environment in the exclusive economic zone; and

(d) other rights and duties in relation to the exclusive economic zone provided for in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea:

AND WHEREAS Australia as a coastal state has sovereign rights in respect of the continental shelf (that is to say, the sea‑bed and subsoil of certain submarine areas adjacent to its coast but outside the area of the territorial sea) for the purpose of exploring it and exploiting its natural resources:

AND WHEREAS Australia as a coastal state has the right under international law to exercise control within a contiguous zone to:

(a) prevent infringements of customs, fiscal, immigration or sanitary laws within Australia or the territorial sea of Australia;

(b) to punish infringements of those laws:

BE IT THEREFORE ENACTED by the Queen, the Senate and the House of Representatives of Australia, as follows:

Notes to the Seas and Submerged Lands Act 1973

Note 1

The Seas and Submerged Lands Act 1973 as shown in this compilation comprises Act No. 161, 1973 amended as indicated in the tables below.

Table of Acts

Act	Number and year	Date of Assent	Date of commencement	Application, saving or transitional provisions
Seas and Submerged Lands Act 1973	161, 1973	4 Dec 1973	4 Dec 1973
Seas and Submerged Lands Amendment Act 1980	79, 1980	29 May 1980	1 Jan 1982 (see Gazette 1981, No. G51)	--
Maritime Legislation Amendment Act 1994	20, 1994	15 Feb 1994	1 Aug 1994 (see Gazette 1994, No. S289)	S. 14
Statute Law Revision Act 2008	73, 2008	3 July 2008	Schedule 4 (items 466-469): 4 July 2008	--

Table of Amendments

ad. = added or inserted am. = amended rep. = repealed rs. = repealed and substituted
Provision affected	How affected
Title .....................................	am. No. 20, 1994
Preamble ............................	am. No. 20, 1994
Part I
Ss. 3, 4 ...............................	am. No. 20, 1994
Part II
Heading to Part II ................	rs. No. 20, 1994
Division 1
S. 7 .....................................	am. No. 20, 1994
Ss. 8, 9................................	am. No. 73, 2008
Division 1A
Div. 1A of Part II..................	ad. No. 20, 1994
Ss. 10A-10C ......................	ad. No. 20, 1994
Division 2
S. 12 ...................................	am. No. 20, 1994
S. 13....................................	am. No. 73, 2008
Division 2A
Div. 2A of Part II .................	ad. No. 20, 1994
Ss. 13A-13C ......................	ad. No. 20, 1994
Division 3
S.16 ....................................	am. No. 79, 1980
Schedules 1, 2 ...................	rep. No. 20, 1994
Schedule
Schedule ............................	ad. No. 20, 1994

Note 2

Proclamations made under section 7 of the Seas and Submerged Lands Act 1973 provide as follows:

The territorial sea of Australia is measured from baselines established by Proclamations under section 7 of the Seas and Submerged Lands Act 1973. These Proclamations are found in Gazette No. S 29, Wednesday, 9 February 1983 and Gazette No. S 57, Tuesday, 31 March 1987.

The outer limit of the territorial sea is 12 nautical miles seaward of that baseline (see Proclamation in Gazette No. S 297, Tuesday 13 November 1990).

The outer limit of the exclusive economic zone is 200 nautical miles seaward of that baseline (see Proclamation in Gazette No. S 290, Friday, 29 July 1994).

The outer limit of the contiguous zone is 24 nautical miles seaward of that baseline (see Proclamation in Gazette No. S 148, Wednesday 14 April 1999).

Commonwealth Consolidated Acts

SEAS AND SUBMERGED LANDS ACT 1973 - NOTES