{"id":"F2024L00734","name":"Defence (Cultana—Defence Area) Declaration 2024","slug":"defence-cultana-defence-area-declaration-2024","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":105260,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2024L00734-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-03","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Defence (Cultana—Defence Area) Declaration 2024","content":"---\nmeta-content-style-type: text/css\nmeta-content-type: application/xhtml+xml; charset=utf-8\n---\n\n![Commonwealth Coat of Arms of Australia](image.001.jpeg)\n\n \n\nDefence (Cultana—Defence Area) Declaration 2024\n\nI, Matt Thistlethwaite, Assistant Minister for Defence, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence, make this declaration under subsection 58(1) of the Defence Regulation 2016 (the Regulation).\n\nDated 20 April 2024\n\n \n\nMatt Thistlethwaite\n\nAssistant Minister for Defence\n\nParliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n\n\n\n1  Name\n\n  This instrument is the Defence (Cultana—Defence Area) Declaration 2024.\n\n2  Commencement\n\n  This instrument commences on the day after it is registered on the Federal Register of Legislation.\n\n3  Declaration of Defence Area\n\n (1) The Cultana Training Area (the Area):\n\n (a) is the area of land depicted and identified as ‘defence land retained’, in the map in the Schedule and the airspace above that land; and\n\n (b) is a declared defence area.\n\n (2) The Area is required for use for the defence purpose of:\n\n (a) carrying out military manoeuvre; and\n\n (b) live firing, including with air weapons and explosive ordnance.\n\n (3) Entry into the Area is prohibited at all times.\n\n\n\n\nSchedule—Map\n\n![Map of declared defence area, Cultana Training Area, in South Australia](image.002.jpeg)\n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This instrument creates a new declaration for the Cultana Training Area. It does not amend, repeal or otherwise alter any existing legislation."},"complexity_factors":["Single-purpose declaration of a defence area","No amending provisions or policy changes"],"plain_english_summary":"The instrument declares the Cultana Training Area (land and the airspace above it) a declared defence area under the Defence Regulation 2016, needed for military manoeuvres and live firing. \n\nEntry is prohibited at all times without lawful authority, making unauthorised access an offence. It took effect the day after registration in April 2024. Local landowners, pastoralists, recreational users and the public should consult the official map and obey signage and fencing."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This instrument performs exactly the function intended by its enabling provision (subsection 58(1) of the Defence Regulation 2016) — declaring a specific area as a defence area for military purposes. There is no scope creep; it is a standard, narrow administrative declaration."},"complexity_factors":["Extremely short instrument — only 3 operative sections plus a schedule","No defined terms section — relies on external definitions in the parent Defence Regulation 2016","Simple conditional structure with no nested exceptions or cross-references beyond the single reference to subsection 58(1) of the Defence Regulation 2016","Single purpose declaration with straightforward prohibitions","Schedule contains only a map reference, not complex tabular or technical data"],"plain_english_summary":"This declaration creates a restricted military zone called the **Cultana Defence Area** in South Australia.\n\n**What it does:**\n- Declares the Cultana Training Area and the airspace above it as a \"defence area\" — a legally protected military zone\n- Bans all public entry to this area at all times\n- Authorises military activities including troop movements, live ammunition firing, and use of explosives\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- The general public — you cannot enter this area without permission\n- Military personnel who use it for training exercises\n- Anyone flying aircraft over the area (the airspace restriction applies too)\n\n**Why it matters:**\nThis creates a legal no-go zone with serious penalties for trespassing. The declaration gives the Defence Force exclusive control over the land and airspace for combat training, including dangerous activities like live firing. It replaces or updates previous arrangements for this training area, ensuring the military has clear legal authority to exclude civilians and conduct high-risk exercises safely."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The instrument does not expand or narrow powers beyond what it states: it confines the declared defence area to the land and airspace identified on the schedule map and limits authorised use to the two listed defence purposes, while imposing a blanket prohibition on entry (s3(1)–(3); sch.)."},"complexity_factors":["Narrow, geographically defined subject matter (single training area shown on a schedule map)","Clear, absolute rule: entry prohibited at all times (s3(3))","Specified permitted uses limited to military manoeuvre and live firing (s3(2))","Made by an authorised Ministerial officer under a single Regulation provision (preamble)","Immediate commencement on registration reduces phased implementation issues","No detailed procedural, exemption or permit framework within the instrument (low statutory complexity but shifts detail to Regulation/enforcement)","Reliance on a map image for boundary definition introduces practical interpretation questions about exact coordinates and airspace limits (sch.)"],"plain_english_summary":"This declaration formally designates the Cultana Training Area land and the airspace above it as a declared defence area, limits its use to military manoeuvre and live firing (including air weapons and explosive ordnance), and prohibits entry at all times (s3(1)–(3)).\n\nMade under the Defence Regulation 2016 by the Assistant Minister, it affects anyone who lives, works or moves in or through the mapped area: those persons must not enter the area and will be subject to the Regulation's enforcement mechanisms (preamble; sch.)."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/defence-cultana-defence-area-declaration-2024","history":"/api/acts/defence-cultana-defence-area-declaration-2024/history","analysis":"/api/acts/defence-cultana-defence-area-declaration-2024/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/defence-cultana-defence-area-declaration-2024/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/defence-cultana-defence-area-declaration-2024/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/defence-cultana-defence-area-declaration-2024/documents"}}