{"id":"F2012L00181","name":"Autonomous Sanctions (Sanction Law) Declaration 2012","slug":"autonomous-sanctions-sanction-law-declaration-2012","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":142507,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2012L00181-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-03","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Autonomous Sanctions (Sanction Law) Declaration 2012","content":"![](image.001.png)\n\nAutonomous Sanctions (Sanction Law) Declaration 2012\n\nas amended\n\nmade under section 6 of the\n\nAutonomous Sanctions Act 2011\n\nThis compilation was prepared on 28 August 2012 taking into account amendments up to Autonomous Sanctions (Sanction Law) Amendment Declaration 2012 (No. 1).\n\nPrepared by Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Canberra\n\nContents\n\n1 Name of Instrument\n\n2 Commencement\n\n3 Sanction laws\n\nSchedule 1 Sanction Laws\n\nNotes to the Autonomous Sanctions (Sanction Law) Declaration 2012\n\n1 Name of Instrument \\[see Note 1\\]\n\nThis Instrument is the Autonomous Sanctions (Sanction Law) \nDeclaration 2012.\n\n2 Commencement \\[see Note 1\\]\n\nThis Instrument commences on the day after it is registered.\n\n3 Sanction laws\n\nFor section 6 of the Autonomous Sanctions Act 2011, each provision mentioned in an item in Schedule 1, being a provision of a law of the Commonwealth mentioned in that item, is specified as a sanction law.\n\nSchedule 1 Sanction Laws\n\n(section 3)\n\n| Item | Provision | Law of the Commonwealth |\n| ---- | ------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------- |\n| 1 | Regulations 12, 12A, 13, 13A, 14, 15 and 16 | Autonomous Sanctions Regulations 2011 |\n| 2 | Regulations 11, 11A, 11B and 13E | Customs (Prohibited Exports) Regulations 1958 |\n\n> Notes to the Autonomous Sanctions (Sanction Law) Declaration 2012\n\n> Note 1\n\n> Note: The Autonomous Sanctions (Sanction Law) Declaration 2012 (in force under \n> section 6 of the Autonomous Sanctions Act 2011) as shown in this compilation is amended as indicated in the Tables below.\n\n> Note: > Note: Table of Instruments\n\n| Title | Date of FRLI registration | Date ofcommencement | Application, saving ortransitional provisions |\n| ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------- | ------------------- | --------------------------------------------- |\n| Autonomous Sanctions (Sanction Law) Declaration 2012 | 6 February 2012 (see F2012L00181) | 7 February 2012 | |\n| Autonomous Sanctions (Sanction Law) Amendment Declaration 2012 (No. 1) | 24 August 2012 (see F2012L01766) | 25 August 2012 | — |\n\n> Note: > Note: Table of Amendments\n\n```html\n

ad. = added or inserted am. = amended rep. = repealed rs. = repealed and substituted

Provision affected

How affected

Schedule 1

Schedule 1............

rs. 2012 No. 1

\n```","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"The instrument’s operative list of designated \"sanction law\" provisions was amended after initial registration: Schedule 1 was repealed and substituted by Autonomous Sanctions (Sanction Law) Amendment Declaration 2012 (No. 1) (Table of Amendments). That amendment (registered 24 August 2012, commenced 25 August 2012) changed which specific regulatory provisions are specified under section 6 of the Autonomous Sanctions Act 2011 (see Schedule 1 and Notes)."},"complexity_factors":["Instrument is short and formal: it performs a designation function rather than creating new substantive obligations (section 3).","Cross-references to other instruments and statutes — must read the Autonomous Sanctions Act 2011 (s 6) and the listed regulations in two separate regulation instruments to understand practical effect (Schedule 1).","Precise effect depends on the content of the listed regulations (Autonomous Sanctions Regulations 2011 regs 12–16 and Customs (Prohibited Exports) Regulations 1958 regs 11–13E), so substantive legal impact is indirect.","Commencement timing is simple but specific: starts the day after registration (section 2).","Amendment history replaces Schedule 1 (see Table of Amendments), so one must track the current compilation to know the operative list."],"plain_english_summary":"This Declaration names particular Commonwealth regulatory provisions as \"sanction laws\" for the purposes of the Autonomous Sanctions Act 2011 by listing them in Schedule 1. It commences the day after registration. It matters because it determines which existing regulations (parts of the Autonomous Sanctions Regulations 2011 and certain Customs (Prohibited Exports) Regulations 1958) can be used by authorities when applying Australia’s autonomous sanctions, affecting persons and businesses subject to those instruments."},"summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This declaration remains in force and its Schedule 1 was last updated in August 2012. The legal effect is limited to listing regulation provisions as sanction laws for the purposes of the Act."},"complexity_factors":["Narrow technical legislative instrument that simply cross-references provisions in other regulations","Relies on the reader being familiar with the enforcement structure of the Autonomous Sanctions Act 2011","Schedule 1 was replaced by an amending declaration issued later in the same year"],"plain_english_summary":"This declaration names specific provisions in the Autonomous Sanctions Regulations 2011 and the Customs (Prohibited Exports) Regulations 1958 as “sanction laws” under the Autonomous Sanctions Act 2011. It does not itself impose penalties, but makes the Act’s enforcement, information‑gathering and penalty powers applicable to breaches of those regulation provisions.\n\nIt therefore matters to Australian businesses and advisers involved in international trade, exporters and customs brokers who must comply with sanctions and export prohibitions. The instrument took effect 7 February 2012 and was amended in August 2012."},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"A positive credit balance is required for all requests, including BYOK, so fallback providers remain available. Add credits at https://vercel.com/d?to=%2F%5Bteam%5D%2F%7E%2Fai%3Fmodal%3Dtop-up to continue.","source":"analysis-cron"},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This instrument performs exactly its original intended function: to declare specific regulations as sanction laws under section 6 of the parent Act. The 2012 amendment (No. 1) simply updated Schedule 1 to reflect changes in the target regulations — a technical maintenance amendment rather than scope expansion. The instrument remains a narrow, technical gateway provision."},"complexity_factors":["Extremely short instrument — only 3 operative sections plus a schedule","No defined terms in the instrument itself (relies entirely on external regulations)","Simple tabular structure in Schedule 1 listing only 11 specific regulation numbers across 2 legislative instruments","No conditional logic, exceptions, or nested provisions within this Declaration","Single purpose: creating a legislative pointer from the parent Act to specific regulations","All complexity resides in the *target* regulations being pointed to, not in this instrument itself"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this legislation does**\n\nThis Declaration is a simple but important legal instrument that **designates specific regulations as \"sanction laws\"** under the Autonomous Sanctions Act 2011.\n\nThink of it as a **switchboard** that turns on the criminal penalties in the main Act. The Autonomous Sanctions Act 2011 creates serious criminal offences for breaching sanctions, but only if the specific regulations are formally declared to be \"sanction laws\" first. This Declaration does exactly that.\n\n**Who it affects**\n\nThis directly affects:\n- **Anyone trading with sanctioned countries** — businesses, individuals, exporters, importers\n- **Banks and financial institutions** handling transactions with sanctioned entities\n- **Customs brokers and freight forwarders** involved in exports\n\n**What it covers**\n\nThe Declaration specifies two sets of regulations as sanction laws:\n\n| What | Which regulations |\n|------|-------------------|\n| **Autonomous sanctions** (Australia's own independent sanctions, not UN-mandated) | Regulations 12, 12A, 13, 13A, 14, 15 and 16 of the *Autonomous Sanctions Regulations 2011* |\n| **Export bans** | Regulations 11, 11A, 11B and 13E of the *Customs (Prohibited Exports) Regulations 1958* |\n\n**Why it matters**\n\nWithout this Declaration, breaching those regulations would just be an administrative violation. **With this Declaration, breaches become serious criminal offences** — potentially carrying prison time and heavy fines under the Autonomous Sanctions Act 2011.\n\nThis is how Australia implements its independent foreign policy sanctions (for example, sanctions against Russia, Iran, or Myanmar) with real legal teeth."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/autonomous-sanctions-sanction-law-declaration-2012","history":"/api/acts/autonomous-sanctions-sanction-law-declaration-2012/history","analysis":"/api/acts/autonomous-sanctions-sanction-law-declaration-2012/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/autonomous-sanctions-sanction-law-declaration-2012/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/autonomous-sanctions-sanction-law-declaration-2012/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/autonomous-sanctions-sanction-law-declaration-2012/documents"}}