{"id":"BILL-WA-4D4F2DEDB25CF37748258D54000AFB61","name":"Crimes at Sea Amendment Bill 2025","slug":"crimes-at-sea-amendment-bill-2025","collection":"bill","jurisdiction":"wa","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":"2025-12-03","administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":446167,"registerId":"BILL-WA-4D4F2DEDB25CF37748258D54000AFB61:current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2025-12-03","status":"in_force","reasons":null,"registeredAt":"2026-05-08T16:47:39.904Z"},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"retrieval-0001","sectionType":"document_chunk","heading":"Document excerpt 1","content":"# Crimes at Sea Amendment Bill 2025\n\n45—1 page i\nWestern Australia\nCrimes at Sea Amendment Bill 2025\nContents\n1. Short title 2\n2. Commencement 2\n3. Act amended 2\n4. Schedule 1 amended 2\nAppendix 1 — Indicative map\n\npage 1\nWestern Australia\nLEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY\nCrimes at Sea Amendment Bill 2025\nA Bill for\nAn Act to amend the Crimes at Sea Act 2000.\nThe Parliament of Western Australia enacts as follows:\n\nCrimes at Sea Amendment Bill 2025\ns. 1\npage 2\n1. Short title1\nThis is the Crimes at Sea Amendment Act 2025.2\n2. Commencement3\nThis Act comes into operation as follows —4\n(a) sections 1 and 2 — on the day on which this Act5\nreceives the Royal Assent;6\n(b) the rest of the Act — on the day after that day.7\n3. Act amended8\nThis Act amends the Crimes at Sea Act 2000.9\n4. Schedule 1 amended10\n(1) In Schedule 1 clause 1(1) delete the definition of Joint11\nPetroleum Development Area.12\n(2) Delete Schedule 1 clause 10.13\n(3) Delete Schedule 1 clause 14(3) and insert:14\n15\n(3) The adjacent area for Western Australia is —16\n(a) so much of the area described in Schedule 1 to the17\nOffshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage18\nAct 2006 (Commonwealth) in relation to Western19\nAustralia as is within the outer limits of the20\ncontinental shelf; and21\n(b) the space above and below the area described in22\nparagraph (a).23\n24\n(4) Delete Schedule 1 clause 14(4)(a) and insert:25\n26\n(a) so much of the area described in Schedule 1 to the27\nOffshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage28\n\nCrimes at Sea Amendment Bill 2025\ns. 4\npage 3\nAct 2006 (Commonwealth) in relation to the1\nNorthern Territory as is within the outer limits of2\nthe continental shelf; and3\n4\n(5) In Schedule 1 delete Appendix 1 and insert:5\n6\nAppendix 1 — Indicative map7\n8\n9","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":4,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"This amendment changes the geographic scope of where the Crimes at Sea Act 2000 applies by removing the Joint Petroleum Development Area reference and re-defining the \"adjacent area\" for Western Australia and the Northern Territory to be the portion of the area described in Schedule 1 to the Commonwealth Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006 that lies within the outer limits of the continental shelf, including the space above and below that area (Schedule 1, clauses 14(3) and 14(4)(a)). That is a substantive narrowing and re-characterisation of the maritime area covered: the Act’s coverage is now explicitly tied to Commonwealth schedule descriptions and continental-shelf limits rather than the previous wording. The change therefore alters the legislation's practical geographic reach and how jurisdiction will be determined, rather than simply correcting wording."},"complexity_factors":["Short, targeted amendment (few clauses changed) but cross-references to Commonwealth legislation","Deletion of a defined term ('Joint Petroleum Development Area') — requires checking earlier uses elsewhere in the Act","Replacement of geographic definitions that depend on an external instrument (Schedule 1 to the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006)","Reference to the 'outer limits of the continental shelf' — conceptually ties state criminal jurisdiction to international maritime delimitation (can be technically complex)","Replacement of a map with an 'Indicative map' — reduces precision and may increase interpretive disputes","Possible downstream effects on jurisdictional application across multiple statutory and administrative regimes (police, prosecutors, regulatory reporting)"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this Bill changes (mechanically)\n\n- Updates the Crimes at Sea Act 2000 by changing items in Schedule 1. Specifically it:\n  - deletes the defined term \"Joint Petroleum Development Area\" from Schedule 1 clause 1(1);\n  - removes clause 10 from Schedule 1 entirely;\n  - replaces clause 14(3) to redefine the \"adjacent area\" for Western Australia as the portion of the area described in Schedule 1 to the Commonwealth Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006 (the Cwlth Act) that lies within the outer limits of the continental shelf, and expressly includes the space above and below that area;\n  - replaces clause 14(4)(a) so the same type of change applies to the Northern Territory (i.e. it uses the Commonwealth schedule limited to the continental shelf); and\n  - replaces Appendix 1 with a new \"Indicative map\".\n\n- The Bill also contains the usual short title and commencement provisions: sections 1–2 commence on Royal Assent; the remainder starts the day after.\n\nWho this affects\n\n- Law enforcement and prosecutors: changes where Western Australian criminal law for \"crimes at sea\" applies, because the geographic definition of the \"adjacent area\" is altered.\n- Offshore industry operators (petroleum, greenhouse gas storage and related maritime activity): the statutory zone in which WA criminal law applies to people and activity on and under the seabed is changed, which may affect which jurisdiction investigates or prosecutes some incidents.\n- Courts and defence advisers: the locus of offences and jurisdictional arguments will need to use the revised definition.\n- Government agencies and mapping/administrative units: they must update operational maps, guidance and enforcement boundaries to reflect the new wording and the replaced indicative map.\n\nWhy it matters (practical effects and implementation considerations)\n\n- Jurisdictional boundary: the Bill ties WA's \"adjacent area\" to the geographic area described in the Commonwealth Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006 but limited to the outer limits of the continental shelf. That changes (and clarifies) which offshore spaces above, on and under the seabed are treated as WA's \"adjacent area\" for the Crimes at Sea Act. Section references: Schedule 1, clause 14(3) and 14(4)(a) as replaced.\n\n- Source of the authoritative boundary: the Bill relies on the Commonwealth Act's Schedule 1 descriptions and on the continental shelf outer limits. That means WA criminal jurisdiction for these offshore areas is now expressly dependent on Commonwealth-defined descriptions and internationally-determined continental-shelf limits.\n\n- Administrative and compliance consequences: government agencies will need to update maps, enforcement guidance, and inter-jurisdictional arrangements. Offshore operators may face a change in which criminal laws or agencies respond to incidents in certain locations; that can affect investigations, reporting lines, and contractual risk allocation if parties rely on a particular jurisdiction.\n\n- Implementation risks and trade-offs: because the Bill cross-references the Commonwealth Act and uses the technical concept of the \"outer limits of the continental shelf\", the effective geographic coverage depends on external instruments (the Commonwealth Schedule and maritime boundary determinations). That can create draftiness where boundaries are updated or disputed; courts may be asked to interpret which areas fall within the amended wording. The replacement of the Appendix with an \"Indicative map\" suggests the map is illustrative rather than definitive, which reduces clarity if precise legal boundaries are contested.\n\nCosts, incentives and behavioural effects (who pays, who decides, and how behaviour changes)\n\n- Who pays: primarily state agencies incur the administrative cost of updating maps, procedures and training. Offshore businesses may face legal and compliance costs if their operations fall into areas where jurisdiction changes. Taxpayers may indirectly bear costs from any additional inter-governmental coordination.\n- Who decides: Parliament sets the legal text; the Commonwealth Act’s schedule and internationally-determined continental-shelf limits inform the practical boundary; courts and enforcement agencies apply those sources on the ground.\n- Behavioural effects: enforcement agencies will alter where and how they exercise criminal jurisdiction at sea; industry actors may adjust reporting and contract terms to reflect any change in prosecuting authority.\n\nSources in the Bill\n\n- Deletions and replacements are contained in Schedule 1 of the Bill: clause 1(1) (deleting the \"Joint Petroleum Development Area\" term), deletion of clause 10, replacement of clause 14(3) and 14(4)(a), and replacement of Appendix 1 with an \"Indicative map.\" The Bill’s commencement provisions are sections 1–2.\n\nObserved limits of what the text shows\n\n- The Bill is a technical, location-definition amendment; it does not itself create new offences, change penalties, or set operational procedures. It does not state express policy reasons in the text for why the Joint Petroleum Development Area term and clause 10 are removed, so any claim about policy intent (for example, to harmonise with Commonwealth boundaries or to remove obsolete references) should be treated as an interpretation rather than a statutory statement of purpose. The practical legal effect hinges on the Commonwealth schedule and the legal status of continental-shelf limits, which are external to this Bill.\n"}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/crimes-at-sea-amendment-bill-2025","history":"/api/acts/crimes-at-sea-amendment-bill-2025/history","analysis":"/api/acts/crimes-at-sea-amendment-bill-2025/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/crimes-at-sea-amendment-bill-2025/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/crimes-at-sea-amendment-bill-2025/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/crimes-at-sea-amendment-bill-2025/documents"}}