(English version) Agreement between Australia and Timor-Leste relating to the Unitization of the Sunrise and Troubadour fields Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, 6 March 2003

  • Summary

This legal document contains the Agreement between Australia and Timor-Leste relating to the Unitization of the Sunrise and Troubadour fields, signed on 6 March 2003.

The delineation of Unit Area and Unit Reservoirs is clarified in Annex I of the Agreement.

Notably, 20.1% of Greater Sunrise lies within the JPDA established in the Timor Sea Treaty between the two countries in 2002, and thus that 20.1% is attributed to the JPDA, and the remaining 79.9% is attributed to Australia.

For the administration of the Unit Area, a Sunrise Commission whose three-member are nominated by Australia (2) and Timor Leste (1).

by Tran Nguyen Quan

(English version) MoU between the Government of the Democratic Republic of East Timor and the Government of Australia concerning an International Unitization Agreement for the Greater Sunrise field, 20 May 2002

  • Summary

This legal document contains the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Government of the Democratic Republic of East Timor and the Government of Australia concerning an International Unitization Agreement for the Greater Sunrise field, signed on  20 May 2002.

by Tran Nguyen Quan

(English version) Timor Sea Treaty between Australia and Timor-Leste 20 May 2002

  • Summary

This legal document contains the Timor Sea Treaty between Australia and Timor-Leste, signed on 20 May 2002.

This Treaty provides definitions, regulations, and other legal provisions regarding the exploration, exploitation, and management of petroleum resources in an area of seabed between Australia and East Timor.

The Treaty also establishes the Australia-East Timor Joint Commission to monitor the mentioned petroleum resources-related activities in a Joint Petroleum Development Area (JPDA). The JPDA is located in the Timor Sea, whose specific coordinates are listed in Annex A of the Treaty.

The specific provisions regarding the Dispute resolution procedure are stated in Annex B of the Treaty.

The Treaty shall be valid for 30 years or until Australia and Timor Leste conclude a Treaty delimiting their Continental Shelf boundary (whichever comes first).  Petroleum activities of corporations and entities under the term of this Treaty shall continue "even if the Treaty is no longer in force under conditions equivalent to those in place under the Treaty."

by Tran Nguyen Quan

(English version) Exchange of Notes constituting an Agreement between Australia and Timor-Leste concerning Arrangements for Exploration and Exploitation of Petroleum in an Area of the Timor Sea between Australia And East Timor, 20 May 2002

  • Summary

This legal document contains the Exchange of Notes constituting an Agreement between Australia and Timor-Leste concerning Arrangements for Exploration and Exploitation of Petroleum in an Area of the Timor Sea between Australia And East Timor, signed on 20 May 2002.

This is the exchange of notes, the Treaty regarding the Exploration and Exploitation of Petroleum in an Area in the Timor Sea (Timor Sea Treaty of 2002) between Australia and Timor Leste can be accessed here.

by Tran Nguyen Quan

(English version) Australia Seas and Submerged Lands (Territorial Sea Baseline) Proclamation 2016

  • Summary

This legal document contains Australia's Seas and Submerged Lands (Territorial Sea Baseline) Proclamation of 10 March 2016.

This Proclamation provides the definition, legal basis, and coordinates constituting the territorial sea straight baselines for the mainland of Australia, the mainland of Tasmania, islands off the coast of the States or the Northern Territory, and the four historic bays (Anxious, Encounter, Lacepede, Rivoli) as provided under Article 7 of UNCLOS.

This Proclamation excludes certain islands comprised within the State of Queensland, which were provided in Australia's Proclamation of Outer Limits 1983

by Tran Nguyen Quan

(English version) Australia Seas and Submerged Lands (Historic Bays) Proclamation of 10 March 2016

  • Summary

This legal document contains Australia's Seas and Submerged Lands (Historic Bays) Proclamation of 10 March 2016.

In this Proclamation, Australia declares that there are four bays that are categorized as historic bay. They are Anxious Bay, Encounter Bay, Lacepede Bay, and Rivoli Bay. The specific coordinates constituting the straight lines (group of straight lines) that make the "sea-ward limits" (straight baseline enclosing the bays) of each bay are listed in Sections 7, 8, 9, and 10 respectively.

This Proclamation. is made under paragraph 8(a) of the Seas and Submerged Lands Act 1973. This Proclamation of 2016 also repeals an earlier version of it promulgated in 2006.

The specific basepoints constituting the straight baselines are listed in Part 2 of the Schedule 2 of Australia Seas and Submerged Lands (Territorial Sea Baseline) Proclamation 10 March 2016

by Tran Nguyen Quan

(English version) Australia Seas and Submerged Lands Act 1973, as amended by the Maritime Legislation Amendment Act 1994

  • Summary

This legal document contains Australia's Seas and Submerged Lands Act 1973, as amended by the Maritime Legislation Amendment Act 1994. This amended act provides information mainly related to term definitions, interpretation, and other regulations regarding the sovereignty and/or sovereign rights of Australia as a coastal state in its territorial sea, contiguous zone, EEZ, and continental shelf.

by Tran Nguyen Quan

(English) Australia Proclamation of the inner limits (the baseline), 4 February 1983, pursuant to section 7 of the Seas and Submerged Lands Act 1973

  • Summary

This legal document contains the English version of Australia's Proclamation of the inner limits (the baseline) of 1983, pursuant to section 7 of the Seas and Submerged Lands Act 1973, promulgated on 4 February 1983. The documents include the term definition and regulations regarding the definition of the basepoints, territorial sea baseline, and internal water of Australia, including the mainland of Australia, the State of Tasmania, and islands off the coast of the States and the Northern Territory. Both low-water baseline and straight baseline are used as stated in the document.

Specific coordinates constituting the baseline of the three areas are mentioned above are listed in Tables 1, 2, and 3 respectively.

by Tran Nguyen Quan

(English version) Australia Continental Shelf (Living Natural Resources) Act 1968-1973

  • Summary

This legal document contains Australia’s Continental Shelf (Living Natural Resources) Act 1968-1973. This Act includes laws and provisions mostly regarding the term definitions. regulations, and penalties for violations regarding the matters of natural resources in the continental shelf and water columns there-above of Australia and its external territories (Norfolk Island, the Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Island, and Coral Sea Islands Territory).

by Tran Nguyen Quan

(English version) Solomon Islands Legal Notice No. 41 of 1979: Declaration of Archipelagic Baselines

  • Summary

This legal document contains Solomon Islands’ Legal Notice No. 41 of 1979: Declaration of Archipelagic Baselines (The Delimitation of Marine Waters Act (No. 32 of 1978)), promulgated in 1979.

This Legal Notice provides specific coordinates that constitute the straight baseline that determines the outermost limit of Solomon Islands' archipelagic water and the innermost limits of Solomon Islands' territorial sea of the archipelagos of Solomon Islands mentioned in sections 4(2) of Act No.32 of 1978. There are three areas included in this Legal Notice, which are the main group archipelago, the Ontong Java group archipelago. and the Duff Islands archipelago.

by Tran Nguyen Quan