{"id":"meteorites-act-1988","name":"Meteorites Act 1988","slug":"meteorites-act-1988","collection":"act","jurisdiction":"nt","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":30361,"registerId":"nt-meteorites-act-1988-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-01","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Meteorites Act 1988","content":"NORTHERN TERRITORY OF AUSTRALIA\nMETEORITES ACT 1988\nAs in force at 1 July 2014\nTable of provisions\n1 Short title ......................................................................................... 1\n2 Definitions ........................................................................................ 1\n3 Property in and management of meteorites ..................................... 1\n4 Preservation and scientific investigation .......................................... 2\n5 Duties of persons finding meteorites ............................................... 2\n6 Protection and recovery of meteorites ............................................. 2\n7 Reimbursement of expenses ........................................................... 3\n8 Sacred sites and heritage legislation not affected ........................... 3\nENDNOTES\n\nNORTHERN TERRITORY OF AUSTRALIA\n____________________\nAs in force at 1 July 2014\n____________________\nMETEORITES ACT 1988\nAn Act to make provision for the protection of meteorites and tektites\n1 Short title\nThis Act may be cited as the Meteorites Act 1988.\n2 Definitions\nIn this Act, unless the contrary intention appears:\nBoard, see section 3 of the Museum and Art Gallery of the\nNorthern Territory Act 2014.\nmeteorite means a natural mass that has fallen to the earth from\nbeyond the atmosphere and includes a tektite.\n3 Property in and management of meteorites\n(1) Subject to subsection (2), and notwithstanding the degree of their\nattachment to land, all meteorites in the Territory are the property of\nthe Territory and their management and control is vested in the\nBoard.\n(2) A meteorite which had been severed or otherwise removed from\nthe ground in which it was naturally imbedded or on which it\nnaturally lay (whether or not as the result of erosion) and taken into\npossession by a person:\n(a) before the commencement of this Act; or\n(b) outside the Territory,\nis not by virtue of subsection (1) the property of the Territory nor is\nits management and control vested in the Board by virtue of that\nsubsection.\n\nMeteorites Act 1988 2\n(3) The onus of proving that a meteorite had been severed or\notherwise removed from the ground in which it was naturally\nimbedded or on which it naturally lay and taken into possession by\na person:\n(a) before the commencement of this Act; or\n(b) outside the Territory,\nrests on the person asserting that fact.\n(4) Notwithstanding that a meteorite is the property of the Territory,\nneither the Territory nor the Board are liable for any damage or loss\nnaturally resulting from the impact of a meteor or the presence of\nthe meteorite.\n(5) To the extent that subsection (1) effects an acquisition of property\nby the Territory, the Territory shall pay just compensation to the\nperson whose property in a meteorite is so acquired and such\ncompensation is recoverable in a court of competent jurisdiction.\n(6) For the avoidance of doubt, the property in a meteorite does not\npass under or by virtue of a law of the Territory relating to mining.\n4 Preservation and scientific investigation\n(1) Subject to subsection (2), the Board shall take such steps as it\nthinks fit to preserve a meteorite in situ or at such other place as it\nthinks fit.\n(2) The Board may allow or make arrangements for scientific or other\ninvestigation of a meteorite.\n5 Duties of persons finding meteorites\nA person who finds a meteorite the property of the Territory shall,\nas soon as practicable after the finding, give notice of it to the\nBoard.\n6 Protection and recovery of meteorites\nNotwithstanding any other law of the Territory, no person shall:\n(a) except with the permission of the Board, wilfully damage or\ndestroy a meteorite the property of the Territory or the Board;\nor\n\nMeteorites Act 1988 3\n(b) except for the purpose of recovering it and delivering it to the\nBoard, remove or be in possession of a meteorite the property\nof the Territory.\nMaximum penalty: 8 penalty units.\n7 Reimbursement of expenses\n(1) The Board may, in its discretion, refund the reasonable expenses\nincurred by a person, in:\n(a) notifying the Board of the finding of a meteorite;\n(b) furnishing information to the Board which results in the finding\nof a meteorite; or\n(c) recovering and delivering a meteorite to the Board.\n(2) Notwithstanding subsection (1), the Board may offer and pay a\nreward in a case referred to in that subsection.\n(3) Where damage is occasioned to land in the course of the recovery\nof a meteorite by or on the authority of the Board, the Board shall\ncompensate the owner of the land for that damage and such\ncompensation is recoverable in a court of competent jurisdiction.\n8 Sacred sites and heritage legislation not affected\nNothing in this Act derogates from the Northern Territory Aboriginal\nSacred Sites Act 1989 or Heritage Act 2011.\n\nENDNOTES\nMeteorites Act 1988 4\nENDNOTES\n1 KEY\nKey to abbreviations\namd = amended od = order\napp = appendix om = omitted\nbl = by-law pt = Part\nch = Chapter r = regulation/rule\ncl = clause rem = remainder\ndiv = Division renum = renumbered\nexp = expires/expired rep = repealed\nf = forms s = section\nGaz = Gazette sch = Schedule\nhdg = heading sdiv = Subdivision\nins = inserted SL = Subordinate Legislation\nlt = long title sub = substituted\nnc = not commenced\n2 LIST OF LEGISLATION\nMeteorites Act 1988 (Act No. 18, 1988)\nAssent date 15 June 1988\nCommenced 15 June 1988\nStatute Law Revision Act 2000 (Act No. 19, 2000)\nAssent date 6 June 2000\nCommenced s 6: 4 December 1999; rem: 12 July 2000 (s 2 and Gaz G27,\n12 July 2000, p 2)\nHeritage Act 2011 (Act No. 34, 2011)\nAssent date 15 November 2011\nCommenced 1 October 2012 (Gaz S43, 31 July 2012)\nPenalties Amendment (Miscellaneous) Act 2013 (Act No. 23, 2013)\nAssent date 12 July 2013\nCommenced 28 August 2013 (Gaz G35, 28 August 2013, p 2)\nMuseum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory Act 2014 (Act No. 6, 2014)\nAssent date 20 March 2014\nCommenced 1 July 2014 (s 2)\n3 GENERAL AMENDMENTS\nGeneral amendments of a formal nature (which are not referred to in the table\nof amendments to this reprint) are made by the Interpretation Legislation\nAmendment Act 2018 (Act No. 22, 2018) to: ss 1, 2 and 8.\n4 LIST OF AMENDMENTS\ns 2 amd No. 19, 2000, s 9; No. 6, 2014, s 43\ns 6 amd No. 23, 2013, s 19\ns 8 amd No. 34, 2011, s 170","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"Partially changed: amendments updated cross‑references, definitions and penalty mechanics and added an express non‑derogation for sacred‑sites and heritage legislation (see the list of amendments to ss 2, 6 and 8 in the endnotes). The core substantive rule—Territory ownership and Board management of meteorites—remains as enacted (s 3), while procedural and interfacing provisions were adjusted."},"complexity_factors":["Vesting of ownership in the Territory with narrow exceptions and an evidential onus on claimants (s 3(1)–(3)).","Interaction with external legislation and institutional definitions: the Board is defined by reference to the Museum and Art Gallery Act and the Act expressly preserves operation of Aboriginal sacred‑sites and heritage laws (s 2; s 8).","Mixed remedial regime combining compulsory notice duties, criminal penalties for unauthorised conduct, discretionary refunds/rewards and civil compensation for acquisition or land damage (ss 5–7; s 3(5)).","Explicit carve‑outs from mining law and limits on territorial liability create potential property‑law and administrative disputes (s 3(6); s 3(4)).","Short text but practical complexity arises from evidentiary burdens, inter‑agency coordination, and discretionary Board decisions over permits, reimbursements and scientific access (ss 3,4,7)."],"plain_english_summary":"This Act makes meteorites and tektites found in the Northern Territory the property of the Territory and vests their management in the Museum Board. It requires finders to notify the Board, forbids unauthorised damage or removal, allows the Board to permit scientific investigation, and provides for compensation, reimbursement or rewards and for land‑damage compensation."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The legislation remains tightly focused on its original purpose: establishing Crown ownership of meteorites, creating a duty to report finds, and protecting them for scientific purposes. The amendments shown in the endnotes are purely technical updates (updating penalty units, changing the Museum Act reference, updating heritage legislation citations) without expanding the substantive scope."},"complexity_factors":["Only 8 sections total, spanning 4 pages","Minimal defined terms (only 2: 'Board' and 'meteorite')","Simple conditional structure with clear exceptions in section 3(2)","No cross-references to other legislation except for definitions and savings clauses","Straightforward offence provision with single penalty (section 6)","No delegated legislation or regulation-making powers","Clear onus of proof provision (section 3(3)) without nested conditions"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this law does:**\n\nThis law makes all meteorites found in the Northern Territory the property of the Territory government, managed by the Board of the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory. It creates a system to protect these space rocks for scientific study.\n\n**Key rules:**\n\n- **Ownership:** Any meteorite that lands in the NT belongs to the Territory automatically, regardless of whether it's stuck in the ground or lying on the surface. The Museum Board controls what happens to it.\n- **Exceptions:** If someone already dug up and kept a meteorite *before* this law started in 1988, or found it outside the NT, they get to keep it. But they have to prove this if challenged.\n- **Finder's duties:** If you find a meteorite, you must tell the Museum Board as soon as practical.\n- **Protection:** You can't damage, destroy, or take a Territory-owned meteorite without permission. Doing so can get you fined (up to 8 penalty units).\n- **Compensation:** If the Territory takes ownership of your meteorite, they must pay you fair compensation. If the Museum damages your land while recovering a meteorite, they must pay for repairs.\n- **Rewards:** The Museum can refund your expenses or pay rewards for finding and handing over meteorites.\n- **No liability:** The government isn't responsible for damage caused by meteors hitting things.\n- **Mining laws don't apply:** Meteorites don't count as minerals under mining laws.\n- **Aboriginal protection:** This law doesn't override sacred site laws or heritage protection laws.\n\n**Who it affects:** Anyone in the NT who finds, owns, or wants to study meteorites; landowners where meteorites fall; scientists; and the Museum.\n\n**Why it matters:** Meteorites are scientifically valuable (they tell us about the solar system's history). This law stops people from selling them privately or destroying them, ensuring they stay available for research. It balances public ownership with fair compensation for finders."},"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"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/meteorites-act-1988","history":"/api/acts/meteorites-act-1988/history","analysis":"/api/acts/meteorites-act-1988/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/meteorites-act-1988/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/meteorites-act-1988/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/meteorites-act-1988/documents"}}