Commonwealth legislation

Navigation Act 1912-1953 - Order under section 7 - Exemption of Trade with Cocos (Keeling) Islands (28/06/1956)

RepealedCTH

This Act has been repealed and is no longer in force. It is retained for historical reference.

Jurisdiction

Commonwealth

Collection

legislative instrument

Plain English Summary

2/10 complexity

This Order creates an exemption to Australia’s domestic shipping rules (the coasting trade) for the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.

What is the coasting trade? Normally, Australian law restricts the transport of passengers and cargo between Australian ports to specially licensed or Australian-registered ships. This protects local shipping companies from foreign competition.

What this Order does: It declares that moving passengers or cargo between the Cocos (Keeling) Islands and mainland Australia (or other Australian Territories) is not considered coasting trade.

Why this matters: This exemption allows any ship—not just Australian-licensed ones—to service routes between the mainland and this remote Indian Ocean Territory. Without this exemption, shipping companies would need special permits to operate these routes, potentially limiting transport options and increasing costs for the isolated island community.

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Current sections

Direct links to the current provisions in Navigation Act 1912-1953 - Order under section 7 - Exemption of Trade with Cocos (Keeling) Islands (28/06/1956).

Navigation Act 1912-1953 - Order under section 7 - Exemption of Trade with Cocos (Keeling) Islands (28/06/1956)

Navigation Act 1912-1953.

ORDER UNDER SECTION 7.

Exemption of Trade with Cocos (Keeling) Islands.

Commonwealth of By His Excellency the Governor-

Australia to wit. General in and over the Commonwealth

W. J. Slim of Australia.

Governor-General.

Whereas by section 7 of the Navigation Act 1912-1953 it is among other things enacted that the Governor-General may by Order declare the carrying of passengers or cargo between ports in any Territory under the authority of the Commonwealth, or between ports in any such Territory and any other Australian ports, or ports in any other such Territory, shall not be deemed engaging in the coasting trade:

And whereas it is desirable that the carrying of passengers or cargo between Cocos (Keeling) Islands, a Territory under the authority of the Commonwealth, and ports in Australia, or ports in any other such Territory, shall not, during the period during which this Order is in force, be deemed engaging in the coasting trade:

Now therefore I, Sir William Joseph Slim, the Governor-General aforesaid, acting with the advice of the Federal Executive Council, do hereby declare that the carrying of passengers and cargo between Cocos (Keeling) Islands and ports in Australia, or ports in any other Territory under the authority of the Commonwealth, shall not, during the period during which this Order is in force, be deemed engaging in the coasting trade.

Given under my Hand and the Great Seal of the Common-
wealth this twenty-eighth day of JUNE in the
(L.S.) year of our Lord One thousand nine hundred and
fifty-six, and in the fifth year of Her Majesty’s reign.

By His Excellency’s Command,

SHANE PALTRIDGE

Minister of State for Shipping and Transport.

GOD SAVE THE QUEEN!

-(Ex. Min. No. 16)

Source text

Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation (legislation.gov.au), CC BY 4.0.

1 Navigation Act 1912-1953 - Order under section 7 - Exemption of Trade with Cocos (Keeling) Islands (28/06/1956)