2
Commencement
2 Commencement
This Proclamation commences on the day after it is registered.
//
© 2026 Zoe. All rights reserved.
Zoe is a legal information platform. Always consult the Federal Register of Legislation for authoritative text.
Commonwealth legislation
This Proclamation establishes the outer limits of Australia’s continental shelf — setting precise coordinates around mainland Australia, Tasmania and external islands — based on scientific seabed data and international agreements with neighbouring states. By defining those boundaries (and repealing the 2005 Tasman/South Pacific proclamation), it secures Australian sovereignty and resource rights over seabed oil, gas and minerals and ensures compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Want the full deep dive?
Zoe can write the in-depth analysis on top of the summary above: how it works, who it affects and what each part actually does.
Direct links to the current provisions in Seas and Submerged Lands (Limits of Continental Shelf) Proclamation 2012.
2 Commencement
This Proclamation commences on the day after it is registered.
3 Repeal
The Seas and Submerged Lands (Limits of Continental Shelf in the Tasman Sea and South Pacific Ocean) Proclamation 2005 (Federal Register of Legislative Instruments No. F2005L01990) is repealed.
4 Continental shelf—mainland Australia (including Tasmania, other than Macquarie Island), Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island
The outer limit of certain parts of Australia’s continental shelf adjacent to the coast of the mainland of Australia (including Tasmania, other than Macquarie Island) and adjacent to the coasts of Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island is the line specified in Part 1 of Schedule 1.
Note 1 The line is not continuous and is broken in several places as set out in Part 1 of Schedule 1. See the map in Schedule 6 for a general illustration of the line specified in Part 1 of Schedule 1.
Note 2 For information about Part 2 of Schedule 1, see subsection 9 (2).
5 Continental shelf—Macquarie Island
The outer limit of Australia’s continental shelf adjacent to the coast of Macquarie Island is the line specified in Schedule 2.
Note See the map in Schedule 6 for a general illustration of the line specified in Schedule 2.
6 Continental shelf—Heard Island and McDonald Islands
The outer limit of Australia’s continental shelf adjacent to the coasts
of Heard Island and McDonald Islands is the line specified in Part 1 of Schedule 3.
Note 1 See the map in Schedule 6 for a general illustration of the line specified in Part 1 of Schedule 3.
Note 2 For information about Part 2 of Schedule 3, see subsection 9 (2).
7 Continental shelf—Cocos (Keeling) Islands
The outer limit of Australia’s continental shelf adjacent to the coast of Cocos (Keeling) Islands is the line specified in Schedule 4.
Note See the map in Schedule 6 for a general illustration of the line specified in Schedule 4.
8 Continental shelf—Christmas Island
The outer limit of certain parts of Australia’s continental shelf adjacent to the coast of Christmas Island is the line specified in Schedule 5.
Note See the map in Schedule 6 for a general illustration of the line specified in Schedule 5.
9 Operation of Schedules 1 to 5
(1) In Schedules 1 to 5:
(a) lines are specified by reference to points; and
(b) the columns of an item in a table in which a point is specified set out information about the point; and
(c) the information about the point:
(i) includes the point identifier shown in the first column of an item in the table (the point identifier is sometimes used in this Proclamation to refer to the point); and
(ii) may also include a treaty point reference, which is a reference to how the point is referred to in the relevant treaty for a point mentioned in section 10; and
(iii) also includes geographic coordinates for the point (for more about geographic coordinates, see section 11); and
(d) the geographic coordinates for a point determine the location of the point for this Proclamation.
Note For some points mentioned in Schedule 1, the information may include more than one treaty (and more than one treaty point reference).
(2) In Schedules 1 and 3:
(a) the geographic coordinates for a point (and the datum by reference
to which they are determined) shown in Part 1 of each Schedule determine the location of the point for this Proclamation; and
(b) the geographic coordinates shown in Part 2 of each Schedule:
(i) represent the authoritative conversion for some of the points mentioned in Part 1 of each Schedule into the International Terrestrial Reference Frame 2000 (ITRF2000), as defined by the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service at epoch 1 January 2000 in IERS Technical Note No. 31; and
(ii) are included for the information of readers; and
(iii) do not determine the location of those points for this Proclamation; and
(iv) are included to clarify the relationship between certain historical datums and ITRF 2000, so that a connection with future datums can be maintained.
10 Relevant treaties
The relevant treaty for a point is as follows:
(a) for points AUS‑CS‑1 to AUS‑CS‑20 in Schedule 1—Treaty between Australia and the Independent State of Papua New Guinea concerning Sovereignty and Maritime Boundaries in the area between the two Countries, including the area known as Torres Strait, and Related Matters, Australian Treaty Series 1985 No. 4;
(b) for points AUS‑CS‑101 and AUS‑CS‑102 in Schedule 1—Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of Solomon Islands establishing Certain Sea and Seabed Boundaries, Australian Treaty Series 1989 No. 12;
(c) for points AUS‑CS‑102 to AUS‑CS‑123 in Schedule 1 and points HMI‑CS‑1 to HMI‑CS‑7 in Schedule 3—Agreement on Maritime Delimitation between the Government of Australia and the Government of the French Republic, Australian Treaty Series 1983 No. 3;
(d) for points AUS‑CS‑124 to AUS‑CS‑150 in Schedule 1 and points MAC‑CS‑1 to MAC‑CS‑24 in Schedule 2—Treaty between the Government of Australia and the Government of New Zealand establishing Certain Exclusive Economic Zone Boundaries and Continental Shelf Boundaries, Australian Treaty Series 2006 No. 4.
Note 1 For some points mentioned in Schedule 1, more than one treaty is relevant (and more than one treaty point reference is mentioned for the point).
Note 2 No treaty is relevant for Schedule 4 (which relates to Cocos (Keeling) Islands) or Schedule 5 (which relates to Christmas Island).
Note 3 In 2012, the text of a treaty in the Australian Treaty Series was accessible through the Australian Treaties Library on the AustLII website (www.austlii.edu.au).
11 Geographic coordinates
(1) The following table shows the abbreviation used in this Proclamation for each datum mentioned in the table.
| Item | Abbreviation | Datum |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | AGD66 | Australian Geodetic Datum 1966 |
| 2 | ITRF2000 | International Terrestrial Reference Frame 2000, as defined by International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service at epoch 1 January 2000 in IERS Technical Note No. 31 |
| 3 | WGS72 | World Geodetic System 1972 |
| 4 | WGS84 | World Geodetic System 1984 |
(2) For this Proclamation, a geographic coordinate is determined by reference to the datum mentioned in Schedules 1 to 5 for the coordinate.
(3) For this Proclamation, the datums mentioned in subsection (4) are taken to be equivalent.
Note See US National Imagery and Mapping Agency, Technical Report—NIMA TR8350.2 Third Edition (including amendments to 23 June 2004)—Department of Defense World Geodetic System 1984—Its Definition and Relationships with Local Geodetic Systems, in particular Chapters 2.2.1 and 7.
(4) The datums are:
(a) WGS84; and
(b) ITRF2000.
Schedule 1 Outer limit of parts of continental shelf adjacent to coasts of mainland Australia (including Tasmania, other than Macquarie Island), Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island
(section 4)
Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation (legislation.gov.au), CC BY 4.0.
Seas and Submerged Lands (Limits of Continental Shelf) Proclamation 20121
Seas and Submerged Lands Act 1973
I, QUENTIN BRYCE, Governor‑General of the Commonwealth of Australia, acting with the advice of the Federal Executive Council, make the following Proclamation under section 12 of the Seas and Submerged Lands Act 1973.
Signed and sealed with the
Great Seal of Australia
on 24 May 2012
QUENTIN BRYCE
Governor‑General
By Her Excellency’s Command
NICOLA ROXON
Attorney-General
Contents
1 Name of Proclamation 3
2 Commencement 3
3 Repeal 3
4 Continental shelf—mainland Australia (including Tasmania, other than Macquarie Island), Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island 3
5 Continental shelf—Macquarie Island 3
6 Continental shelf—Heard Island and McDonald Islands 3
7 Continental shelf—Cocos (Keeling) Islands 4
8 Continental shelf—Christmas Island 4
9 Operation of Schedules 1 to 5 4
10 Relevant treaties 5
11 Geographic coordinates 5
Schedule 1 Outer limit of parts of continental shelf adjacent to coasts of mainland Australia (including Tasmania, other than Macquarie Island), Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island 7
Part 1 References to certain points by geographic coordinates in terms of treaty datum or International Terrestrial Reference Frame 2000 (if points not defined by treaty) 7
Part 2 References to certain points by geographic coordinates in terms of International Terrestrial Reference Frame 2000 238
Schedule 2 Outer limit of continental shelf adjacent to coast of Macquarie Island 240
Schedule 3 Outer limit of continental shelf adjacent to coasts of Heard Island and McDonald Islands 275
Part 1 References to certain points by geographic coordinates in terms of international treaties or International Terrestrial Reference Frame 2000 275
Part 2 References to certain points by geographic coordinates in terms of International Terrestrial Reference Frame 2000 328
Schedule 4 Outer limit of continental shelf adjacent to coast of Cocos (Keeling) Islands 329
Schedule 5 Outer limit of parts of continental shelf adjacent to coast of Christmas Island 372
Schedule 6 Map 395
1 Name of Proclamation
This Proclamation is the Seas and Submerged Lands (Limits of Continental Shelf) Proclamation 2012.
2 Commencement
This Proclamation commences on the day after it is registered.
3 Repeal
The Seas and Submerged Lands (Limits of Continental Shelf in the Tasman Sea and South Pacific Ocean) Proclamation 2005 (Federal Register of Legislative Instruments No. F2005L01990) is repealed.
4 Continental shelf—mainland Australia (including Tasmania, other than Macquarie Island), Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island
The outer limit of certain parts of Australia’s continental shelf adjacent to the coast of the mainland of Australia (including Tasmania, other than Macquarie Island) and adjacent to the coasts of Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island is the line specified in Part 1 of Schedule 1.
Note 1 The line is not continuous and is broken in several places as set out in Part 1 of Schedule 1. See the map in Schedule 6 for a general illustration of the line specified in Part 1 of Schedule 1.
Note 2 For information about Part 2 of Schedule 1, see subsection 9 (2).
5 Continental shelf—Macquarie Island
The outer limit of Australia’s continental shelf adjacent to the coast of Macquarie Island is the line specified in Schedule 2.
Note See the map in Schedule 6 for a general illustration of the line specified in Schedule 2.
6 Continental shelf—Heard Island and McDonald Islands
The outer limit of Australia’s continental shelf adjacent to the coasts
of Heard Island and McDonald Islands is the line specified in Part 1 of Schedule 3.
Note 1 See the map in Schedule 6 for a general illustration of the line specified in Part 1 of Schedule 3.
Note 2 For information about Part 2 of Schedule 3, see subsection 9 (2).
7 Continental shelf—Cocos (Keeling) Islands
The outer limit of Australia’s continental shelf adjacent to the coast of Cocos (Keeling) Islands is the line specified in Schedule 4.
Note See the map in Schedule 6 for a general illustration of the line specified in Schedule 4.
8 Continental shelf—Christmas Island
The outer limit of certain parts of Australia’s continental shelf adjacent to the coast of Christmas Island is the line specified in Schedule 5.
Note See the map in Schedule 6 for a general illustration of the line specified in Schedule 5.
9 Operation of Schedules 1 to 5
(1) In Schedules 1 to 5:
(a) lines are specified by reference to points; and
(b) the columns of an item in a table in which a point is specified set out information about the point; and
(c) the information about the point:
(i) includes the point identifier shown in the first column of an item in the table (the point identifier is sometimes used in this Proclamation to refer to the point); and
(ii) may also include a treaty point reference, which is a reference to how the point is referred to in the relevant treaty for a point mentioned in section 10; and
(iii) also includes geographic coordinates for the point (for more about geographic coordinates, see section 11); and
(d) the geographic coordinates for a point determine the location of the point for this Proclamation.
Note For some points mentioned in Schedule 1, the information may include more than one treaty (and more than one treaty point reference).
(2) In Schedules 1 and 3:
(a) the geographic coordinates for a point (and the datum by reference
to which they are determined) shown in Part 1 of each Schedule determine the location of the point for this Proclamation; and
(b) the geographic coordinates shown in Part 2 of each Schedule:
(i) represent the authoritative conversion for some of the points mentioned in Part 1 of each Schedule into the International Terrestrial Reference Frame 2000 (ITRF2000), as defined by the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service at epoch 1 January 2000 in IERS Technical Note No. 31; and
(ii) are included for the information of readers; and
(iii) do not determine the location of those points for this Proclamation; and
(iv) are included to clarify the relationship between certain historical datums and ITRF 2000, so that a connection with future datums can be maintained.
10 Relevant treaties
The relevant treaty for a point is as follows:
(a) for points AUS‑CS‑1 to AUS‑CS‑20 in Schedule 1—Treaty between Australia and the Independent State of Papua New Guinea concerning Sovereignty and Maritime Boundaries in the area between the two Countries, including the area known as Torres Strait, and Related Matters, Australian Treaty Series 1985 No. 4;
(b) for points AUS‑CS‑101 and AUS‑CS‑102 in Schedule 1—Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of Solomon Islands establishing Certain Sea and Seabed Boundaries, Australian Treaty Series 1989 No. 12;
(c) for points AUS‑CS‑102 to AUS‑CS‑123 in Schedule 1 and points HMI‑CS‑1 to HMI‑CS‑7 in Schedule 3—Agreement on Maritime Delimitation between the Government of Australia and the Government of the French Republic, Australian Treaty Series 1983 No. 3;
(d) for points AUS‑CS‑124 to AUS‑CS‑150 in Schedule 1 and points MAC‑CS‑1 to MAC‑CS‑24 in Schedule 2—Treaty between the Government of Australia and the Government of New Zealand establishing Certain Exclusive Economic Zone Boundaries and Continental Shelf Boundaries, Australian Treaty Series 2006 No. 4.
Note 1 For some points mentioned in Schedule 1, more than one treaty is relevant (and more than one treaty point reference is mentioned for the point).
Note 2 No treaty is relevant for Schedule 4 (which relates to Cocos (Keeling) Islands) or Schedule 5 (which relates to Christmas Island).
Note 3 In 2012, the text of a treaty in the Australian Treaty Series was accessible through the Australian Treaties Library on the AustLII website (www.austlii.edu.au).
11 Geographic coordinates
(1) The following table shows the abbreviation used in this Proclamation for each datum mentioned in the table.
| Item | Abbreviation | Datum |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | AGD66 | Australian Geodetic Datum 1966 |
| 2 | ITRF2000 | International Terrestrial Reference Frame 2000, as defined by International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service at epoch 1 January 2000 in IERS Technical Note No. 31 |
| 3 | WGS72 | World Geodetic System 1972 |
| 4 | WGS84 | World Geodetic System 1984 |
(2) For this Proclamation, a geographic coordinate is determined by reference to the datum mentioned in Schedules 1 to 5 for the coordinate.
(3) For this Proclamation, the datums mentioned in subsection (4) are taken to be equivalent.
Note See US National Imagery and Mapping Agency, Technical Report—NIMA TR8350.2 Third Edition (including amendments to 23 June 2004)—Department of Defense World Geodetic System 1984—Its Definition and Relationships with Local Geodetic Systems, in particular Chapters 2.2.1 and 7.
(4) The datums are:
(a) WGS84; and
(b) ITRF2000.
Schedule 1 Outer limit of parts of continental shelf adjacent to coasts of mainland Australia (including Tasmania, other than Macquarie Island), Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island
(section 4)
Part 1 References to certain points by geographic coordinates in terms of treaty datum or International Terrestrial Reference Frame 2000 (if points not defined by treaty)
The line:
(a) commencing at point AUS‑CS‑1 in the following table and running along the geodesics sequentially connecting each point in the table and ending at the last point mentioned (AUS‑CS‑123):
| Point identifier | Latitude | Longitude | Treaty point reference(s) | Datum |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS‑CS‑1 | 10°5000.0000S | 139°1200.0000E | (a) | AGD66 |
| AUS‑CS‑2 | 11°0900.0000S | 139°2300.0000E | (b) | AGD66 |
| AUS‑CS‑3 | 10°5900.0000S | 140°0000.0000E | (c) | AGD66 |
| AUS‑CS‑4 | 09°4600.0000S | 142°0000.0000E | (d) | AGD66 |
| AUS‑CS‑5 | 09°4524.0000S | 142°0330.0000E | (e) | AGD66 |
| AUS‑CS‑6 | 09°4200.0000S | 142°2300.0000E | (f) | AGD66 |
| AUS‑CS‑7 | 09°4030.0000S | 142°5100.0000E | (g) | AGD66 |
| AUS‑CS‑8 | 09°4000.0000S | 143°0000.0000E | (h) | AGD66 |
| AUS‑CS‑9 | 09°3300.0000S | 143°0500.0000E | (i) | AGD66 |
| AUS‑CS‑10 | 09°3300.0000S | 143°2000.0000E | (j) | AGD66 |
| AUS‑CS‑11 | 09°2400.0000S | 143°3000.0000E | (k) | AGD66 |
| AUS‑CS‑12 | 09°2200.0000S | 143°4800.0000E | (l) | AGD66 |
| AUS‑CS‑13 | 09°3000.0000S | 144°1500.0000E | (m) | AGD66 |
| AUS‑CS‑14 | 09°5100.0000S | 144°4400.0000E | (n) | AGD66 |
| AUS‑CS‑15 | 12°2000.0000S | 146°3000.0000E | (o) | AGD66 |
| AUS‑CS‑16 | 12°3830.0000S | 147°0830.0000E | (p) | AGD66 |
| AUS‑CS‑17 | 13°1030.0000S | 148°0500.0000E | (q) | AGD66 |
| AUS‑CS‑18 | 14°3800.0000S | 152°0700.0000E | (r) | AGD66 |
| AUS‑CS‑19 | 14°4500.0000S | 154°1500.0000E | (s) | AGD66 |
| AUS‑CS‑20 | 14°0500.0000S | 156°3700.0000E | (t) | AGD66 |
| AUS-CS-21 | 14°0453.8310S | 156°3717.0341E | ITRF2000 | |
| AUS-CS-22 | 14°0455.9033S | 156°3726.4128E | ITRF2000 | |
| AUS-CS-23 | 14°0502.6238S | 156°3756.4852E | ITRF2000 | |
| AUS-CS-24 | 14°0509.4168S | 156°3826.5411E | ITRF2000 | |
| AUS-CS-25 | 14°0516.2817S | 156°3856.5798E | ITRF2000 | |
| AUS-CS-26 | 14°0523.2188S | 156°3926.6014E | ITRF2000 | |
| AUS-CS-27 | 14°0530.2279S | 156°3956.6058E | ITRF2000 | |
| AUS-CS-28 | 14°0537.3091S | 156°4026.5925E | ITRF2000 | |
| AUS-CS-29 | 14°0544.4623S | 156°4056.5617E | ITRF2000 | |
| AUS-CS-30 | 14°0551.6874S | 156°4126.5128E | ITRF2000 | |
| AUS-CS-31 | 14°0558.9844S | 156°4156.4461E | ITRF2000 | |
| AUS-CS-32 | 14°0606.3532S | 156°4226.3609E | ITRF2000 | |
| AUS-CS-33 | 14°0613.7940S | 156°4256.2577E | ITRF2000 | |
| AUS-CS-34 | 14°0621.3064S | 156°4326.1357E | ITRF2000 | |
| AUS-CS-35 | 14°0628.8906S | 156°4355.9946E | ITRF2000 | |
| AUS-CS-36 | 14°0636.5464S | 156°4425.8351E | ITRF2000 | |
| AUS-CS-37 | 14°0644.2738S | 156°4455.6562E | ITRF2000 | |
| AUS-CS-38 | 14°0652.0728S | 156°4525.4582E | ITRF2000 | |
| AUS-CS-39 | 14°0659.9437S | 156°4555.2405E | ITRF2000 | |
| AUS-CS-40 | 14°0707.8858S | 156°4625.0034E | ITRF2000 | |
| AUS-CS-41 | 14°0715.8991S | 156°4654.7465E | ITRF2000 | |
| AUS-CS-42 | 14°0723.9843S | 156°4724.4693E | ITRF2000 | |
| AUS-CS-43 | 14°0732.1405S | 156°4754.1720E | ITRF2000 | |
| AUS-CS-44 | 14°0740.3682S | 156°4823.8544E | ITRF2000 | |
| AUS-CS-45 | 14°0748.6669S | 156°4853.5163E | ITRF2000 | |
| AUS-CS-46 | 14°0757.0371S | 156°4923.1576E | ITRF2000 | |
| AUS-CS-47 | 14°0805.4782S | 156°4952.7779E | ITRF2000 | |
| AUS-CS-48 | 14°0813.9906S | 156°5022.3771E | ITRF2000 | |
| AUS-CS-49 | 14°0822.5738S | 156°5051.9550E | ITRF2000 | |
| AUS-CS-50 | 14°0831.2283S | 156°5121.5115E | ITRF2000 | |
| AUS-CS-51 | 14°0839.9538S | 156°5151.0464E | ITRF2000 | |
| AUS-CS-52 | 14°0848.7498S | 156°5220.5596E | ITRF2000 | |
| AUS-CS-53 | 14°0857.6170S | 156°5250.0505E | ITRF2000 | |
| AUS-CS-54 | 14°0906.5548S | 156°5319.5198E |
This is an opening excerpt, not the complete document.