Woomera Prohibited Area Rule 2014 Determination of Exclusion Periods for the Green Zone for 22 October 2022 to 5 November 2022

The instrument uses a small set of legal and technical concepts and links them to the Woomera Prohibited Area Rule 2014. The central concepts, as expressed in the text, are these.

• Determination under the Rule: The instrument is explicitly a determination made by the Director Woomera Prohibited Area Coordination Office as delegate of the Minister for Defence. The power exercised is stated to be that found in subsections 8(1) and 8(4) of the Woomera Prohibited Area Rule 2014. The instrument therefore operates as an administrative act under the Rule rather than as primary legislation.
• Exclusion periods: The phrase "exclusion periods" is the operative temporal concept. The Determination declares specific calendar dates to be the exclusion periods for the described part of the Green Zone. The instrument does not define "exclusion period" within its text; it relies on the Rule for the normative content of what an exclusion period entails.
• Spatial delimitation by coordinates and map: Spatial scope is defined in two complementary ways in the Schedule. Column 2 of Part 1 contains a sequential list of coordinates (latitude south, longitude east) that together describe the boundary of the affected part of the Green Zone. Part 2 supplies a map showing the bounded area. The instrument therefore combines precise geodetic coordinates and a visual map to delimit the affected parcel.
• Zones within the Woomera Prohibited Area: The instrument references that "Zones within the Woomera Prohibited Area are prescribed in section 6 of the Woomera Prohibited Area Rule 2014." The Determination applies only to "that part of the Green Zone" described in the Schedule; the notion of a Green Zone and other named zones is taken as established by the Rule itself.
• Delegated administrative decision-making: The instrument is signed by the Director as a delegate of the Minister for Defence. That confirms the administrative decision-making model: the Minister's power under the Rule has been exercised through a named delegate and recorded in writing.

The instrument is short and technical: it does not contain policy statements, detailed operational rules, or procedural guidance. Its content is functional: list dates, list coordinates, show map, record delegate and date, cite the Rule sections relied upon. Any substantive legal meaning of "exclusion period", or procedural consequences (permit regimes, exemptions, enforcement mechanisms), must be located in the Woomera Prohibited Area Rule 2014 itself because the Determination does not reproduce those provisions.

The Determination identifies a precise place and time; the class of potentially affected persons follows from that spatial-temporal specification and from who administers the Woomera Prohibited Area Rule 2014. The instrument itself does not enumerate classes of persons or activities, but the following categories are implied by its mechanics and by its administrative provenance.

• Persons physically present in, or intending to enter, the part of the Green Zone defined by the listed coordinates during the listed dates. The Determination applies to "that part of the Green Zone" contained within and bounded by the polygon in Part 1 and illustrated in Part 2. Anyone whose activities, travel, property, operations, or presence would place them within that polygon on any of the exclusion dates is within the instrument's spatial-temporal ambit.
• Business operators, contractors and service providers whose operations overlap the polygon during the exclusion dates. The Determination will be relevant to commercial operators that plan fieldwork, surveying, transport, resource exploration, pastoral work, or any other on-ground activity in the area during the dates, because the scheduling change can require alteration to operations.
• Project planners and logistics personnel who schedule work that may be proximate to or intersect the polygon during the affected dates. The instrument sets fixed calendar dates which will interact with planning cycles and logistical arrangements.
• The Woomera Prohibited Area Coordination Office and its staff, as administrators responsible for implementing the Rule and for notifying, coordinating or enforcing exclusion periods created under the Rule. The instrument is made by the Director of that Office and so the Office is the decision-maker recorded.
• Other government agencies, emergency services and local authorities that need to know about temporary prohibitions or restrictions in the area so they can plan or coordinate their own activity. The instrument does not list notification obligations, but those agencies are foreseeable stakeholders.
• Holders of any existing authorisations or permits that cover activity in the area. The Determination does not mention whether existing permits are suspended, varied, or unaffected by the new exclusion periods. Absent text in the Determination, holders of permits or authorisations under the Rule or other instruments must check the Rule and their permit terms to determine how this Determination interacts with any prior consent.

The instrument does not indicate any exemptions or carve-outs, nor does it state who is required to be notified. Nor does it list classes of persons who might be exempt (for example, Defence personnel, contractors, emergency responders). Those matters, if they exist, would be governed by the Woomera Prohibited Area Rule 2014 or by associated administrative instruments; they are not in this Determination text. Practically, the Determination imposes an obligation to identify whether an entity's activity falls within the listed polygon and dates and then to seek further information from the relevant administrative office, because the text itself does not set out compliance routes or exemptions.

This Determination performs an identifying function; it does not itself enumerate statutory duties, rights, permit processes, or penalties. The text anchors those consequences to the Woomera Prohibited Area Rule 2014 by reference to subsections 8(1) and 8(4) and to section 6 for zone definitions. Consequently, the immediate legal obligations and entitlements that flow from an "exclusion period" must be ascertained by consulting the Rule itself. Within the constraints of the Determination text, the practical duties and rights that can be stated are these.

• Duty to observe the temporal-spatial restriction: The Determination declares specific dates to be exclusion periods for the listed polygon. Anyone contemplating presence or operations inside that polygon on those dates will need to treat the area as subject to whatever restrictions the Rule attaches to an exclusion period. The Determination does not itself say "you must not enter", but that is the function of scheduling an exclusion period under the Rule; therefore the Determination creates the trigger for whatever duties the Rule prescribes.
• Duty to identify whether an activity falls within the polygon: The Schedule provides coordinates and a map. Persons with professional responsibilities (for example, surveyors, operators, planners, pilots, transporters) will need to translate those coordinates into their operational maps or GIS systems to determine whether proposed activities intersect the described polygon.
• Right to seek administrative clarification or authorisation under the Rule: The Determination is an administrative act made by the Director as delegate. Although the Determination does not set out a route for applications, it is reasonable to treat the Woomera Prohibited Area Coordination Office as the administrative contact for clarifications or authorisation requests because the Determination is made by that Office's Director. The instrument itself does not create or describe a right of appeal or review; those procedural rights, if any, are within the Rule or general administrative law.
• Duty on administrators to publish and maintain the Schedule and map: The Determination forms part of the public record. It contains a Schedule and a map (Part 2). Under standard administrative practice, those documents must be kept accessible to persons who need to determine whether their activities are affected. The Determination accomplishes that by embedding the schedule and a map in the instrument, but it does not specify further publication obligations or modes of notice.
• Right to rely on the coordinates and map for boundary identification: The schedule provides a precise list of coordinates and includes a map. Those are the operative identifiers for the affected area in this Determination; stakeholders should rely on those elements when making operational decisions during the stated periods.

Because the Determination is limited in scope, it leaves open a number of questions about duties and entitlements: it does not specify who may authorise entry during an exclusion period, whether any classes of persons are exempt, whether temporary authorisations can be issued for the dates, whether pre-existing permits continue to operate, and what procedural avenues exist to challenge or review the Determination. Practitioners needing to advise clients on duties and rights must therefore read the Woomera Prohibited Area Rule 2014 itself (not reproduced here) for the statutory content that an exclusion period will activate.

The Determination does not itself set out penalties, criminal offences, administrative sanctions or detailed enforcement mechanisms. It is a scheduling act that depends on the Woomera Prohibited Area Rule 2014 for legal consequences. The only enforcement-related material in the Determination is its provenance: the Determination is made by the Director Woomera Prohibited Area Coordination Office as a delegate of the Minister for Defence, dated 13 September 2022. From the text we can state the following limited, source-grounded points.

• The Determination creates, for the period and polygon stated, the condition ("exclusion periods") that will activate whatever prohibitions, regulatory constraints or enforcement machinery the Woomera Prohibited Area Rule 2014 attaches to an exclusion period. The Determination does not itself specify what those prohibitions or penalties are; it is a temporal-spatial designation only.
• Administrative responsibility for making this Determination is located in the Woomera Prohibited Area Coordination Office: the Director signed the Determination as delegate of the Minister. That locates the administrative author and therefore indicates which office will be central to implementing or enforcing the Resulting restrictions, but the instrument does not further describe enforcement agencies, personnel, or powers.
• The Determination includes a detailed map and precise coordinates. From an enforcement perspective, those materials are what an enforcing officer or agency would use to identify the area subject to exclusion, so precision and accessibility of the map and coordinates are relevant to practical enforcement. The Determination’s inclusion of both coordinates and a map reduces the risk of spatial ambiguity for enforcement actors.
• The Determination does not state enforcement procedures, notice mechanisms, penalty scales, or whether specified classes (for example, Defence personnel) are exempt. Those are questions to be resolved by reference to the Rule itself and any subordinate instruments or operational orders issued by the Woomera Prohibited Area Coordination Office or the Minister for Defence.

Practitioners advising clients on penalties and enforcement must therefore consult the Woomera Prohibited Area Rule 2014 for the statutory provisions that define offences, sanctions, enforcement powers and procedural protections tied to exclusion periods. The Determination is an enabling administrative act; it does not, on its face, alter criminal or administrative liability provisions beyond triggering the Rule's existing framework for the listed area and dates.

This Determination situates itself wholly within the Woomera Prohibited Area Rule 2014 regime; the text references subsections 8(1) and 8(4) and section 6, thereby indicating that interaction with other legal frameworks is determined by the Rule rather than by the Determination itself. The instrument does not explicitly reference other Commonwealth, State or Territory statutes, nor does it state how it interacts with property law, aviation law, or emergency services legislation. From the text alone, the interaction points that can be stated are confined and procedural.

• Primary legal foundation is the Rule: The Determination is made under the Woomera Prohibited Area Rule 2014. Any interaction with other laws therefore flows from the Rule's content, which the Determination does not reproduce. Practitioners must therefore read the Rule to understand supremacy, conflict, or coordination with other legal regimes.
• Spatial-temporal overlay on other rights and obligations: The Determination imposes a temporal-spatial designation over a specific polygon during particular dates. That overlay may intersect with private property rights, statutory authorisations, licences, leases, native title rights, or contractual obligations. The Determination does not address how those intersecting rights are to be treated; whether they are suspended, varied, or subject to compensation depends on provisions of the Rule and potentially of other statutes, none of which are in the Determination.
• Administrative interface with agency duties: The instrument is signed by a delegate of the Minister for Defence and is administered through the Woomera Prohibited Area Coordination Office. Any coordination required with other government agencies , for example, aviation regulators, emergency services, or land management authorities , is not addressed here. The Determination's inclusion of a map and precise coordinates is the practical input other agencies will need when aligning their operational activities with the exclusion periods.
• No express override clause: The Determination does not assert that it overrides other legislative instruments, nor does it include transitional provisions or savings clauses. Consequently, questions about statutory inconsistency or which instrument prevails are to be resolved by reference to the Woomera Prohibited Area Rule 2014 and general principles about the interaction of subordinate legislation and other legal instruments.
• Notice and public law processes: The Determination itself is a publication of the exclusion periods and the relevant map. It does not set out how notice is to be given to affected landholders or permit-holders, nor does it set out appeal rights or internal review procedures. Those procedural interactions will depend on the Rule or on general administrative law.

In short, the Determination is a narrowly focused scheduling instrument; its interaction with other laws is indirect and mediated by the Rule itself. To understand legal conflicts, exemptions, compensation obligations, or operational coordination with other statutory schemes, the Rule must be examined.

This instrument contains its own date and signature and is a single, self-contained Determination. The text records that it is made for exclusion periods for 22 October 2022 to 5 November 2022 inclusive, and it is dated 13 September 2022. The instrument itself does not record any prior determinations, amendments, revocations, or consolidations. From the document provided, the following points about amendment history can be drawn.

• Single dated act: The Determination is dated 13 September 2022 and signed by Kate Leane, Director Woomera Prohibited Area Coordination Office. No earlier versions, superseding instruments, or amendment notes are appended.
• No express repeal or variation clauses: The Determination does not state that it amends or revokes any previous Determination or instrument. It simply determines the exclusion periods for the specified polygon and dates. If an amendment or prior determination exists, it is not recited in this instrument.
• Schedule-based changes are episodic: The structure of the Determination suggests it is one of potentially many discrete administrative scheduling instruments that specify exclusion periods for particular dates and parts of the Zone. That pattern is common for geographically and temporally delimited administrative regimes. However, the present Determination does not itself chronicle prior episodic determinations.
• Map and coordinate accuracy carry amendment implications: The Schedule’s coordinates and the map in Part 2 are the operative spatial descriptors for the Determination. Any future amendment to the spatial scope would require a fresh Determination or a formal amendment instrument under the Rule; the present text does not provide for delegated correction or updating within the instrument itself.

Because the instrument is silent on any formal amendment history, practitioners who need to know whether later determinations amended these exclusion periods or whether earlier instruments are affected must search the public register of determinations or the Woomera Prohibited Area Coordination Office records. The document here stands alone and does not include an amendment trail.

The Determination does not record any litigation history, and it does not cite any past decisions or judicial interpretation. The text contains no reference to any court cases or disputes, nor does it include any procedural statements indicating ongoing litigation or legal challenges. From the instrument itself the following observations can be made.

• No recorded judicial proceedings: The Determination contains no entries or footnotes referring to litigation, judicial review applications, injunctions, or contested enforcement actions. It is silent on any such matters.
• No declaratory material: The instrument does not include legal reasoning or references to court authorities that might indicate its provisions arose from, or were influenced by, judicial decisions.
• Practical implication for advisers: Because the Determination does not record litigation, practitioners seeking to advise on legal risks of enforcement, the scope of administrative power, or procedural fairness challenges must locate any relevant judicial material separately. The Determination itself provides no litigation context.

If a practitioner requires the legal status of the Determination in the face of a dispute, judicial review, or enforcement action, the absence of any litigation history in the instrument means the next step is to check registries and the Woomera Prohibited Area Coordination Office for records of petitions, notices of motion, or litigation referenced to this Determination. The Determination does not provide that information.

The Determination is straightforward in form but includes multiple practical and textual issues that could create uncertainty or administrative friction. The following are concrete "gotchas" grounded in the instrument's text and presentation.

• Textual/typographical error in the Schedule boundary clause: The last coordinate clause in column 2 ends with "and then to the of commencement and identified in the map in Part 2 of the Schedule." That phrase appears to be truncated or mistranscribed and lacks a coherent grammatical object. It raises a question about whether the sequence of coordinates expressly closes the polygon by returning to the point of commencement, or whether the map in Part 2 is intended to complete the identification. Practitioners should not assume the missing text is immaterial; it can create interpretive risk when maps and coordinates must be reconciled for enforcement or consent decisions.
• Fragmented date presentation could be misread: The Schedule lists three date items in column 1: "22 October 2022 to 28 October 2022 inclusive; 29 October 2022 to 04 November 2022 inclusive; and 05 November 2022." Although those dates amount to the continuous period 22 October to 5 November 2022 inclusive, the segmented presentation may produce interpretive ambiguity about whether there are gaps, especially if the middle range is misread. Advisers should treat the three items as contiguous but verify with the Woomera Prohibited Area Coordination Office where certainty is required.
• Precision of coordinates and GIS implementation: The coordinates are given to multiple decimal places. High-precision coordinates are helpful for GIS overlay but require careful handling: datum assumptions, projection, and the required geodetic datum are not stated in the Determination. Practitioners must confirm the coordinate reference system (for example, WGS84) used by the issuing office before using the coordinates operationally, because different datums can materially shift boundaries on the ground.
• Map versus coordinates reconciliation: The Determination supplies both a list of coordinates and a map. If there is any discrepancy between the two (for example, due to a typographical error in the numeric list or a depiction issue on the map), the instrument does not state which prevails. That ambiguity gives rise to a practical enforcement and compliance risk; users should seek clarification in writing from the Coordination Office rather than relying solely on visual inspection.
• No statement on permits, exemptions or continuations of prior consent: The Determination does not say whether existing permits or authorisations are suspended, varied, or unaffected. For operators who hold prior approvals to be in the area, the lack of guidance is a material operational risk.
• No notice procedures or contact point stated: The document does not set out how affected persons will be informed beyond the publication of the Determination itself. It does not provide a direct contact for enquiries, nor does it specify whether further operational notices (for example, Notices to Mariners or Notices to Airmen) will be issued. That gap may lead to confusion for third parties who receive no separate communication.
• Potential for conflicting third-party schedules: The Determination does not address how it interacts with scheduled events (for example, commercial activity or emergency operations) in adjacent or overlapping areas. Absent specified coordination procedures, stakeholders must independently check the Rule and confirm operational arrangements with the Coordination Office.
• Delegation traceability and review rights not in instrument: The Determination records that it was made by a named delegate, but it does not record the instrument of delegation or the review process for the delegate’s act. Those administrative law issues may matter if a person seeks internal review or legal challenge.

These items are not necessarily defects in authority, but they are practical points where a lack of explicit information in the Determination can produce operational risk or uncertainty. The prudent course where any ambiguity matters is to obtain written clarification from the Woomera Prohibited Area Coordination Office and to seek the operative text of the Woomera Prohibited Area Rule 2014 that gives substantive effect to exclusion periods.

The Determination itself provides the dates and the polygon that must be treated as the subject of exclusion periods. It does not set out permit processes, exemptions, or enforcement details. Compliance therefore requires three concrete, document-grounded steps plus follow-up administrative actions.

1. Map the polygon in your GIS or planning system using the listed coordinates and compare with Part 2 map.

   • Enter the coordinates from column 2 of Part 1 of the Schedule into your GIS or plotting software. The coordinates are provided as decimal degrees with south latitudes and east longitudes. Ensure you confirm the geodetic datum with the Woomera Prohibited Area Coordination Office before relying on the plotted boundary for operational decisions.
   • Use the Part 2 map supplied in the Schedule to visually confirm the polygon you have plotted. If the plotted coordinates and the map do not align, do not proceed on the basis of either alone; seek written clarification from the Coordination Office.

2. Treat the temporal window as exclusionary and avoid operations within the polygon on the listed dates unless you have express authority under the Rule.

   • The Determination lists the affected dates in Part 1: 22 October 2022 to 28 October 2022 inclusive; 29 October 2022 to 04 November 2022 inclusive; and 05 November 2022. Plan to avoid physical presence, overflights, or works inside the polygon during those dates unless you can point to an authorisation under the Woomera Prohibited Area Rule 2014.
   • Because the Determination does not state whether existing permits continue during exclusion periods, holders of prior authorisations should treat the position as uncertain and proactively seek confirmation from the Coordination Office in writing.

3. Contact the Woomera Prohibited Area Coordination Office for authorisation, clarification and operational guidance.

   • The Determination was made by the Director of that Office as delegate of the Minister for Defence. The Office is therefore the natural point of contact for queries about whether authorisations may be issued, whether exemptions apply, and how enforcement will be managed during the exclusion periods.
   • Request written confirmation of whether existing permits are affected, the process for obtaining temporary authorisation if required, any required insurance or indemnity conditions, and whether other agencies (for example, aviation safety regulators) need to be notified.

Additional practical compliance steps stemming from the Determination’s format and omissions:

• Record-keeping: Keep written records of the Determination, your GIS plots, and all communications with the Coordination Office. If you are a contractor or operator, preserve evidence of efforts to obtain clarification or authorisation; that will assist any future administrative or legal review.
• Risk assessment and alternative arrangements: If planned activities fall within the polygon and date range, prepare contingency plans to relocate, reschedule, or suspend operations. The Determination provides fixed dates; it does not itself authorise alternative arrangements.
• Notice to affected stakeholders: If your operations are interdependent with third parties (for example, subcontractors, transporters, or landholders), notify them promptly and provide them with the plotted boundary and the Determination date so they can make decisions.
• Check for additional notices: The Determination does not indicate whether additional operational notices (for example, Notices to Airmen/Notices to Mariners) will be published. Check the standard communication channels used by the Woomera Prohibited Area Coordination Office and relevant regulators to see if supplementary operational notices will follow.
• Legal advice where necessary: If the intersection of the polygon with your proprietary or contractual rights is material (for example, scheduled commercial works, leasehold access, exploration licences), obtain legal advice that considers the Woomera Prohibited Area Rule 2014 in full. The Determination itself does not set out how competing statutory or private rights are to be reconciled.

These steps are strictly based on what the Determination provides: precise dates, a list of coordinates, a map, the named delegate, and cross-reference to subsections 8(1) and 8(4) and section 6 of the Woomera Prohibited Area Rule 2014. The Determination does not provide an authorisation process, exemptions, enforcement regime, or appeal pathways; those matters sit in the Rule and any complementary administrative instruments.