{"id":"F2008B00752","name":"Declaration of adjacent coastal area of Australia","slug":"declaration-of-adjacent-coastal-area-of-australia","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":72061,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2008B00752-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-02","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Declaration of adjacent coastal area of Australia","content":"---\nmeta-content-style-type: text/css\nmeta-content-type: application/xhtml+xml; charset=utf-8\nmeta-generator: Aspose.Words for .NET 20.2\ntitle: Torres Strait Fishers Act 1984\n---\n\n?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\" standalone=\"no\"?>\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nTorres Strait Fisheries Act 1984\n\n \n\nADJACENT COASTAL AREA OF AUSTRALIA\n\n \n\n \n\ni, john charles kerin, the Minister of State for Pri-  mary Industry, pursuant to paragraph (3) (a) of section 3 of   the Torres Strait Fisheries Act 1984, hereby declare the area   described in the Schedule to be the adjacent coastal area of   Australia.\n\n \n\n______________________\n\n \n\nSCHEDULE\n\nThe area of Australia adjacent to the Protected Zone and to   the south of the line described in Annex 5 to the Torres Strait   Treaty that is –\n\n (a) to the east of the meridian of Longitude 142° East;\n\n (b) to the north of the parallel of Latitude 11° South;\n\n (c) to the west of the meridian of Longitude 143° East.\n\n \n\nDated this twentieth day of March 1985.\n\n \n\nJOHN KERIN\n\nMinister of State for Primary Industry\n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The instrument does not expand or narrow an existing regulatory regime within its own text; it simply identifies and declares a specific maritime area as the 'adjacent coastal area' by geographic description (see opening declaration and Schedule). There is no indication in this text that the declared scope departs from the Minister’s power under paragraph (3)(a) of section 3 of the Torres Strait Fisheries Act 1984."},"complexity_factors":["Simple declaratory form: the instrument only declares a geographic area rather than setting rules or penalties.","Use of precise coordinates (longitude/latitude) requiring accurate mapping to apply in practice (Schedule).","Cross-reference to an external document (Annex 5 to the Torres Strait Treaty) that must be consulted to interpret part of the boundary (Schedule).","Legal effect depends on other provisions of the Torres Strait Fisheries Act 1984 which are not included here (opening declaration invoking paragraph (3)(a) of s.3).","Ministerial discretion in making the declaration (the decision-making authority is explicit), which concentrates implementation choices in the executive act (see opening declaration)."],"plain_english_summary":"The Minister declared a specific maritime zone the “adjacent coastal area of Australia” under the Torres Strait Fisheries Act 1984, fixing its limits by latitude/longitude and the Treaty line in Annex 5. \n\nThe instrument itself creates only a legal geographic label; it matters because that label determines the spatial scope to which other statutory rules, licensing or enforcement measures under the Act may later apply, affecting fishers, regulators and operators in the area."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This is a straightforward declaratory instrument made under specific statutory authority. It performs exactly the function contemplated by the parent Act—defining a geographic area for fisheries management purposes. There is no evidence of scope creep or expansion beyond the original legislative intent."},"complexity_factors":["Very short instrument (under 200 words)","No defined terms within the instrument itself (relies on external definitions in the parent Act and Treaty)","Simple geographic coordinate system with three clear boundary conditions","Single operative provision with no exceptions, conditions, or nested logic","No cross-references to other legislation beyond the enabling section (s 3(3)(a) of the parent Act)"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this is:** A formal declaration made in 1985 by the Minister for Primary Industry, John Kerin, under the *Torres Strait Fisheries Act 1984*.\n\n**What it does:** It draws a box on the map to define the \"adjacent coastal area of Australia\" for the purposes of that Act. This specific box sits next to the Torres Strait Protected Zone (a special management area shared with Papua New Guinea) and south of a boundary line set out in the Torres Strait Treaty.\n\n**The boundaries are:**\n- **East of** 142° East longitude\n- **North of** 11° South latitude  \n- **West of** 143° East longitude\n\n**Who it affects:** Primarily commercial fishers, Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal traditional fishers, and Australian fisheries officials operating in the Torres Strait region. It matters because the *Torres Strait Fisheries Act* regulates who can fish where in this sensitive border area, and this declaration sets the southern Australian jurisdictional boundary for those rules.\n\n**Why it matters:** The Torres Strait is governed by a complex treaty between Australia and Papua New Guinea. This declaration helps clarify which waters fall under Australian fisheries management versus shared or PNG waters, preventing disputes and ensuring sustainable fishing practices in a culturally and ecologically significant region."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/declaration-of-adjacent-coastal-area-of-australia","history":"/api/acts/declaration-of-adjacent-coastal-area-of-australia/history","analysis":"/api/acts/declaration-of-adjacent-coastal-area-of-australia/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/declaration-of-adjacent-coastal-area-of-australia/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/declaration-of-adjacent-coastal-area-of-australia/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/declaration-of-adjacent-coastal-area-of-australia/documents"}}