Commonwealth Consolidated Acts

TORRES STRAIT FISHERIES ACT 1984 - SECT 46B

             (1)  A person commits an offence if:

                     (a)  the person is in charge of a boat; and

                     (b)  the boat is a foreign boat; and

                     (c)  the boat is a boat that is being used for commercial fishing; and

                     (d)  the boat is at a place that is, at the time of the use, in a part of the territorial sea of Australia that is in an area of Australian jurisdiction.

Penalty:  2,500 penalty units or 3 years imprisonment, or both.

          (1A)  Strict liability applies to paragraph (1)(d).

Note:          For strict liability , see section 6.1 of the Criminal Code .

             (2)  The reference to an area of Australian jurisdiction in paragraph (1)(d) does not include a reference to Protected Zone coastal waters of Queensland.

Note:          For what are Protected Zone coastal waters of Queensland, see
section 4.

             (3)  Subsection (1) does not apply if:

                     (a)  a master fisherman's licence is in force authorising the person to be in charge of the boat; or

                     (b)  a Treaty endorsement is in force authorising the use of the boat; or

                     (c)  the use of the boat is for community fishing.

Note:          The defendant bears an evidential burden in relation to the matters in subsection (3). See subsection 13.3(3) of the Criminal Code .