The Act creates duties for administrators and rights and regulatory expectations for fishers, licence-holders and traditional inhabitants.
Ministerial duty to consider treaty rights. The Minister must have regard to the rights and obligations conferred on Australia by the Torres Strait Treaty when administering the Act, with particular attention to the traditional way of life and livelihood of traditional inhabitants and their rights in relation to traditional fishing (s 7). That is an administrative standard directing decision-making, not an enumerated right of private parties, although it informs regulatory choices and enforcement.
Deeming of Commonwealth endorsements. If a person holds a licence bearing a current endorsement under s 20 of the Commonwealth Act, that person is deemed to hold a licence of a similar kind under Queensland law for the purposes of this Act and the Fisheries Act 1994 (s 8). This creates a statutory mechanism to recognise Commonwealth endorsements within State administration and reduces the need for duplicate licensing where endorsement exists.
Arrangement mechanics and delegations. The State may enter arrangements with the Commonwealth for management of particular fisheries under s 32 of the Commonwealth Act (s 17). Once an arrangement is in force, licenses, endorsements and regulations may be issued in anticipation but have no effect until it takes effect (s 17(3)). The Joint Authority may delegate its powers to the chief executive, local governments, prescribed entities, public service officers or Commonwealth officers and may permit subdelegation in specified cases (s 14). These provisions allocate decision-making rights and administrative duties.
Joint Authority’s powers and limits. For Protected Zone Joint Authority fisheries managed under State law, the Joint Authority exercises powers otherwise conferred by the Fisheries Act 1994 on the Minister or other persons, such as issuing, renewing, suspending or cancelling authorities (s 20(2)). Authorities issued by the Joint Authority are limited to Joint Authority fisheries (s 20(3)). The Joint Authority may endorse Fisheries Act 1994 authorities to extend their operation to matters where Joint Authority licensing powers are applicable and may suspend or cancel such designations as if they were authorities issued by the Joint Authority (s 20(4)). The Joint Authority is not empowered to issue or act in respect of authorities for foreign boats (s 20(6)).
Licensing and cross‑endorsement. The Treaty schedule requires the Parties to consult and cooperate in issuing and endorsing licences to permit commercial fishing in Protected Zone commercial fisheries and allows the responsible authorities of either Party to issue licences (sch-sec-oc.19(1)). Persons or vessels licensed by one Party may be authorised by the other, if nominated by the first, by endorsement or otherwise to fish in areas under the other Party’s jurisdiction where the fishery is located (sch-sec-oc.19(1)(c)). Crucially, such authorised persons or vessels are exempt from licensing fees, levies and other charges imposed by the other Party (sch-sec-oc.19(2)).
Enforcement duties. The Parties must cooperate in inspection and enforcement, including by exchange of personnel, and consult to maintain consistency between laws and regulations (sch-sec-oc.21(1)-(2)). Each Party must make it an offence under its laws for a person to use a vessel of its nationality to fish in Protected Zone commercial fisheries in areas under the other Party’s jurisdiction without being duly licensed or authorised, or in breach of that other Party’s fisheries laws (sch-sec-oc.21(3)). The Treaty prescribes that corrective action in most cases is taken by the authorities of the Party of the vessel or person involved, rather than by the authorities of the Party in whose waters the alleged offence occurred (sch-sec-oc.21(6)).
Rights of free movement and traditional activities. The Treaty requires both Parties to continue permitting free movement and lawful traditional activities in and in the vicinity of the Protected Zone by traditional inhabitants of the other Party, subject to other Treaty provisions and to limits on expansion of traditional fishing into areas not traditionally fished (sch-sec-oc.9). Immigration, customs, quarantine and health procedures must not prevent or hinder free movement or traditional activities, subject to specified reservations for abuse control and public health (sch-sec-oc.12).
Evidentiary and presumption rules. The Act requires courts and judicial actors to take judicial notice of the signature and membership status of Joint Authority members or deputies (s 12). A statement in an arrangement that specified waters are adjacent to the State is conclusively presumed correct (s 21). A Joint Authority decision record signed by the Commonwealth Minister or deputy is evidence that the decision was duly made (s 15(2)). These provisions ease administrative proof in litigation or enforcement proceedings.
Regulation-making and implementation duties. The Governor in Council may make regulations to implement the Treaty within the Torres Strait area (s 24) and to give effect to Joint Authority decisions (s 22). Where a regulation is expressed to be made under s 22, it is conclusively presumed to have been made for that purpose (s 22(3)). This imposes a duty on executive branches to use their regulation-making powers to operationalise Joint Authority decisions.
Taken together, the Act and its Treaty schedule allocate specific duties to Ministers, the Joint Authority and enforcement authorities, and they create substantive rights and exemptions for licence-holders, traditional inhabitants and persons authorised to fish by one Party in the jurisdiction of the other. The Act leaves many technical specifics to subsidiary arrangements, Commonwealth law and regulations.