The legal framework for ocean and coastal management in Australia

The legal framework for ocean and coastal management in Australia is created by both international law and Australian constitutional law. In 1994 the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea entered into force, thereby giving legitimacy to a wide range of maritime claims. Australia ratified the Convention in 1994 and at the same time declared for the first time a contiguous zone and exclusive economic zone. When combined with its existing claims to a territorial sea and continental shelf, Australia now claims four maritime zones. Australiaʹs management of these offshore zones and the coastal area also depends on Australiaʹs federal system where powers are divided between the Commonwealth and States. The Offshore Constitutional Settlement has also created a further constitutional law framework within which these areas are managed. The international and constitutional law framework is reviewed and an analysis is undertaken of Australian ocean and coastal management.