{"id":"F2020L01215","name":"Torres Strait Fisheries (Coral and Live Rock) Management Instrument 2020","slug":"torres-strait-fisheries-coral-and-live-rock-management-instrument-2020","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":440609,"registerId":"F2020L01215-fast-fetch-1775956175908","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-12","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Torres Strait Fisheries (Coral and Live Rock) Management Instrument 2020","content":"---\nmeta-content-style-type: text/css\nmeta-content-type: application/xhtml+xml; charset=utf-8\n---\n\n?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\" standalone=\"no\"?>\n\n![Commonwealth Coat of Arms of Australia](image.001.jpeg)\n\n \n\nTorres Strait Fisheries (Coral and Live Rock) Management Instrument 2020\n\nThe Protected Zone Joint Authority makes this instrument under paragraph 35(1)(a) of the Torres Strait Fisheries Act 1984, in accordance with a decision of its members under section 40 of the Torres Strait Fisheries Act 1984. \n\nDated 27 August 2020   \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nSenator the Hon Jonathon Duniam\n\nMember of the Protected Zone Joint Authority  Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries  Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Forestry and Fisheries\n\nfor and on behalf of the Protected Zone Joint Authority    \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nContents\n\n1  Name\n\n2  Commencement\n\n3  Authority\n\n4  Definitions\n\n5  Schedules\n\n6  Prohibition on taking, processing or carrying coral or live rock\n\nSchedule 1—Repeals\n\n \n\n \n\n1  Name\n\n  This instrument is the Torres Strait Fisheries (Coral and Live Rock) Management Instrument 2020.\n\n2  Commencement\n\n1.     Each provision of this instrument specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect according to its terms.\n\n\n \n\n- Commencement information\n- Column 1 Column 2 Column 3\n- Provisions Commencement Date/Details\n- 1. The whole of this instrument 30 December 2020 30 December 2020\n\n\nNote 1: This table relates only to the provisions of this instrument as originally made. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this instrument.\n\nNote 2: A prohibition contained in this instrument comes into force on the day on which the instrument is published under subsection 16(9) of the Act or on such later day as is specified in the instrument (see subsection 16(4)) of the Act.\n\nNote 3: The requirements of subsection 16(9) of the Act have been met prior to the registration of this instrument. \n\n \n\n1.     Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this instrument. Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it may be edited, in any published version of this instrument.\n\n\n3  Authority\n\n  This instrument is made under section 16 of the Act.\n\nNote: The Authority may exercise the powers of the Minister under section 16 of the Act in respect of a Protected Zone Joint Authority fishery: see paragraph 35(1)(a) of the Act.\n\n4  Definitions\n\n \n\nNote: A number of expressions used in this instrument are defined in section 3 of the Act, including the following:\n\n(a) community fishing;\n\n(b) fish;\n\n(c) traditional inhabitant;\n\n(d) traditional fishing.\n\n  In this instrument:\n\nAct means the Torres Strait Fisheries Act 1984.\n\nCoral means live coral of the class Anthozoa and Hydrozoa.\n\nLive rock means dead coral skeletons or fragments colonised with algae and other organisms.\n\nProtected Zone means the area described in Annex 9 to the Torres Strait Treaty 1985.\n\nPZJA Arrangement means the document titled “Arrangement between the Commonwealth and the State of Queensland under section 31 of the Torres Strait Fisheries Act 1984” dated 17 March 1999 and published on the Federal Register of Legislation, as that document exists at the commencement of this instrument.\n\nNote: The PZJA Arrangement could in 2020 be viewed on the website of the Federal Register of Legislation (<https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2008B00750>).\n\n5  Schedules\n\n  Each instrument that is specified in a Schedule to this instrument is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this instrument has effect according to its terms.\n\n6  Prohibition on taking, processing or carrying coral or live rock\n\n1.     Pursuant to paragraph 16(1)(a) of the Act, the taking, processing or carrying of the coral or live rock, is prohibited in the area of the Protected Zone.   \n\n\nNote: This prohibition does not apply to traditional inhabitants engaged in traditional fishing due to application of the PZJA Arrangement. \n\n\n\n\n \n\nSchedule 1—Repeals\n\n \n\nTorres Strait Fisheries Management Instrument No. 6\n\nF2011L01811\n\n1  The whole of the instrument\n\nRepeal the instrument\n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The instrument maintains its original narrow scope: prohibiting coral and live rock harvesting in the Protected Zone while preserving traditional fishing rights. It is a direct replacement of the 2011 instrument without expansion into new regulatory areas."},"complexity_factors":["Very short instrument (6 substantive sections plus 1 schedule)","Only 4 defined terms in section 4 (Act, Coral, Live rock, Protected Zone, PZJA Arrangement)","Single operative provision (section 6) with straightforward prohibition","One cross-reference to the PZJA Arrangement for the traditional fishing exemption","No nested conditions, exceptions to exceptions, or elaborate compliance mechanisms","Simple repeal schedule replacing one previous instrument"],"plain_english_summary":"This instrument prohibits the collection, processing, or transport of coral and live rock in the Torres Strait Protected Zone, replacing the 2011 rule it supersedes. It bans commercial harvesting while preserving an existing Commonwealth–Queensland arrangement that exempts Indigenous Torres Strait Islanders carrying out traditional fishing. The measure protects vulnerable coral ecosystems in a shared Australia–PNG marine area while maintaining customary rights."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"The instrument expressly repeals Torres Strait Fisheries Management Instrument No. 6 (Schedule 1) and replaces the management approach with a straightforward prohibition on taking, processing or carrying coral and live rock in the Protected Zone (Section 6). The practical scope depends on external definitions and arrangements—definitions in the Act (s3), the geographic limits in Annex 9 to the Torres Strait Treaty, and the PZJA Arrangement which preserves traditional‑inhabitant activity—so applying the ban requires checking those instruments for applicable exceptions and boundaries."},"complexity_factors":["Cross-references to multiple external sources: Torres Strait Fisheries Act 1984 (s16 and definitions in s3), Annex 9 of the Torres Strait Treaty, and the PZJA Arrangement (increases legal mapping effort).","Simple substantive rule: a single clear prohibition on taking, processing or carrying coral or live rock (Section 6) reduces substantive complexity.","Defined technical terms (Coral; Live rock) are narrow but biologically specific, requiring subject-matter interpretation.","Exemption for traditional inhabitants via the PZJA Arrangement creates a parallel regime and conditional carve‑out to be checked in another instrument.","Repeal of an earlier instrument (Schedule 1) requires review of legacy rules and transitional compliance implications.","Delegation of decision‑making and enforcement to the Protected Zone Joint Authority concentrates administrative discretion in that body (Authority noted at Section 3)."],"plain_english_summary":"This instrument bans the taking, processing or carrying of coral (live Anthozoa and Hydrozoa) and live rock throughout the Torres Strait Protected Zone, and repeals an earlier management instrument. It was made under section 16 of the Torres Strait Fisheries Act and commenced on 30 December 2020.\n\nIt affects commercial harvesters, transporters and processors but does not apply to traditional inhabitants acting under the PZJA Arrangement; compliance and enforcement fall to the Protected Zone Joint Authority."},"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"}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/torres-strait-fisheries-coral-and-live-rock-management-instrument-2020","history":"/api/acts/torres-strait-fisheries-coral-and-live-rock-management-instrument-2020/history","analysis":"/api/acts/torres-strait-fisheries-coral-and-live-rock-management-instrument-2020/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/torres-strait-fisheries-coral-and-live-rock-management-instrument-2020/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/torres-strait-fisheries-coral-and-live-rock-management-instrument-2020/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/torres-strait-fisheries-coral-and-live-rock-management-instrument-2020/documents"}}