{"id":"F2008B00750","name":"Arrangement between the Commonwealth and the State of Queensland under section 31 of the Torres Strait Fisheries Act 1984","slug":"arrangement-between-the-commonwealth-and-the-state-of-queensland-under-section-31-of-the-torres-stra","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":72059,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2008B00750-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-02","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Arrangement between the Commonwealth and the State of Queensland under section 31 of the Torres Strait Fisheries Act 1984","content":"Arrangement between the\n\nCommonwealth and the State of\n\nQueensland under section 31 of the\n\nTorres Strait Fisheries Act 1984\n\nmade under the\n\nTorres Strait Fisheries Act 1984\n\n1 Commencement\n\nThis arrangement commences on 1 April 1999.\n\n2 Definitions\n\nIn this arrangement:\n\nAct means the Torres Strait Fisheries Act 1984.\n\naquaculture has the same meaning as in the Fisheries Act 1994  \nof Queensland.\n\nFisheries Jurisdiction Line means the line mentioned in  \nparagraph (a) of the definition of area of Australia jurisdiction  \nin subsection 3 (1) of the Act.\n\nProtected Zone Joint Authority means the Authority  \nestablished under section 30 of the Act.\n\nSeabed Jurisdiction Line means the line mentioned in  \nsubsection 31 (4) of the Act.\n\n1\n\n  \n\nSection 3\n\n3 Arrangement with Queensland\n\n(1) The Protected Zone Joint Authority is to have the management  \nof the fishery specified in section 4.\n\n(2) The fishery is to be managed in accordance with the law of the Commonwealth.\n\n4 The fishery\n\n(1) The fishery is commercial fishing within an area specified in  \nsubsection 4 (2), of any kind other than:\n\n(a) fishing for sedentary organisms in the area of the  \nProtected Zone bounded by the Fisheries Jurisdiction Line  \nlying north of the Seabed Jurisdiction Line; and\n\n(b) aquaculture; and\n\n(c) fishing in areas within the limits of Queensland.\n\n(2) The areas are:\n\n(a) that part of the Protected Zone south of the Fisheries  \nJurisdiction Line; and\n\n(b) the areas declared under subsection 15 (1) of the Act by  \nthe Proclamation of 7 February 1985; and\n\n(c) the area declared under that subsection by the  \nProclamation of 18 March 1999.\n\n5 Termination of previous arrangement under section 31 of  \nthe Act\n\nThe arrangement made on 30 January 1985 between the  \nCommonwealth and the State of Queensland under section 31  \nof the Torres Strait Fisheries Act 1984 is terminated with effect  \nfrom the end of 31 March 1999.\n\nNote The arrangement was approved by the Governor-General on  \n7 February 1985 and the Governor of Queensland on 24 January 1985 and  \npublished in the Gazette on 14 February 1985.\n\n2\n\n  \n\n\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\n\nI, WILLIAM PATRICK DEANE, Governor-General of the  \nCommonwealth of Australia, acting with the advice of the Federal  \nExecutive Council, approve this instrument.\n\nDated 17th March 1999.\n\n\\[signed\\] William Deane\n\nGovernor-General\n\nBy His Excellency's Command,\n\n\\[signed\\]\n\nMark Vaile\n\nMinister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry\n\nI, THE GOVERNOR OF QUEENSLAND, acting by and with the advice  \nof the Executive Council of that State, approve this instrument.\n\nDated 11 February 1999.\n\n\\[signed\\]\n\nMajor General Peter Arnison\n\nGovernor\n\nBy His Excellency's Command,\n\n\\[signed\\]\n\nHenry Palaszczuk\n\nMinister for Primary Industries\n\n3","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This arrangement appears consistent with the original purpose of section 31 of the Torres Strait Fisheries Act 1984, which was designed to facilitate cooperative arrangements between the Commonwealth and Queensland for managing Torres Strait fisheries. The document explicitly replaces a previous 1985 arrangement with updated boundaries and definitions, suggesting evolutionary refinement rather than scope expansion."},"complexity_factors":["Only 5 defined terms in the interpretation section","Simple conditional structure with clear exclusions in section 4(1)","Heavy reliance on external references (the Torres Strait Fisheries Act 1984, Queensland Fisheries Act 1994, and two historical proclamations) to define the scope","Geographic boundaries defined by reference to abstract 'lines' that require cross-referencing the parent Act to locate","No nested exceptions or complex procedural requirements","Short document (3 pages) with straightforward operative provisions"],"plain_english_summary":"This arrangement makes the Commonwealth and Queensland jointly manage commercial fishing in parts of the Torres Strait Protected Zone, gives the Protected Zone Joint Authority authority to run that fishery, and confirms federal law (not Queensland law) governs its operation.  \n\nIt excludes sedentary-organism harvesting in the northern Protected Zone, aquaculture, and clear Queensland state waters. The deal resolves federal–state overlap and aims to secure sustainable fishing while replacing an outdated 1985 agreement."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"Replaces the 1985 arrangement and reassigns management to the Protected Zone Joint Authority under Commonwealth law for the specified areas, effective 1 April 1999; it explicitly excludes certain activities and incorporates areas declared by proclamations (including one dated 18 March 1999), so the geographic and legal scope differs from the earlier arrangement."},"complexity_factors":["Cross-jurisdictional scope: shifts management between State and Commonwealth bodies and excludes areas within Queensland limits.","Defined-term dependency: relies on terms and lines defined in the Torres Strait Fisheries Act 1984 (Fisheries Jurisdiction Line, Seabed Jurisdiction Line) and on the Queensland Fisheries Act 1994 (aquaculture).","Use of proclamations: incorporates areas declared by proclamations (7 Feb 1985 and 18 Mar 1999), requiring reference to external instruments to determine precise geographic scope.","Operational discretion: vests management authority in the Protected Zone Joint Authority, which will make regulatory and compliance decisions under Commonwealth law.","Transitional element: terminates a prior arrangement with an explicit effective date, creating a discrete cutover and potential transitional compliance issues for operators."],"plain_english_summary":"This arrangement gives the Protected Zone Joint Authority responsibility for managing certain commercial fishing in parts of the Torres Strait under Commonwealth law from 1 April 1999, and ends the earlier 1985 arrangement. It narrows the managed fishery to specified areas (while excluding sedentary-organism harvesting north of the Seabed Jurisdiction Line, aquaculture and fishing inside Queensland limits), so commercial fishers in those zones now face Commonwealth regulation and the Joint Authority’s permitting and compliance requirements."},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"Unauthenticated. Configure AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY or use a provider module. Learn more: https://ai-sdk.dev/unauthenticated-ai-gateway","source":"analysis-cron"}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/arrangement-between-the-commonwealth-and-the-state-of-queensland-under-section-31-of-the-torres-stra","history":"/api/acts/arrangement-between-the-commonwealth-and-the-state-of-queensland-under-section-31-of-the-torres-stra/history","analysis":"/api/acts/arrangement-between-the-commonwealth-and-the-state-of-queensland-under-section-31-of-the-torres-stra/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/arrangement-between-the-commonwealth-and-the-state-of-queensland-under-section-31-of-the-torres-stra/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/arrangement-between-the-commonwealth-and-the-state-of-queensland-under-section-31-of-the-torres-stra/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/arrangement-between-the-commonwealth-and-the-state-of-queensland-under-section-31-of-the-torres-stra/documents"}}