Australian Maritime Boundaries and Jurisdictional Limits

December 2020 data product delineating Australia's domestic and international maritime limits and boundaries. Geoscience Australia developed this GIS dataset in consultation with other Commonwealth agencies, providing a digital representation of zones established under legislation like the Seas and Submerged Lands Act 1973. Coverage includes the mainland, offshore islands, and External Territories, spanning latitudes from 7°S to 70°S and longitudes from 40°E to 175°E.

Use Cases

• Analyze territorial sea baselines and outer limits for maritime zone verification using polygon geometries.
• Determine State and Northern Territory coastal waters under the Coastal Waters Acts using represented jurisdictional limits.
• Map treaty-defined maritime boundaries with neighbouring countries for diplomatic or research purposes.
• Identify scheduled and offshore areas under the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006 for resource planning.

Strengths

• Definitive national coverage for Australia's entire marine jurisdiction, including external territories.
• Coordinates supplied in the standardized GDA94 datum, functionally equivalent to WGS84.
• Developed by the primary national authority (Geoscience Australia) in consultation with key government departments.

Limitations

• Data currency is December 2020, which may not reflect recent legislative or treaty changes.
• The dataset is a digital representation; legal inconsistencies favor the original legislation, not the GIS data.
• Coastline location is constrained by the source material available at the time of production.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia, developed in consultation with the Attorney-General's Department, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the Australian Hydrographic Office.

Collection Method

Digital delineation and representation of limits established under Australian legislation and international treaties.

Time Range

Currency: December 2020.

Freshness

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Geography

Australian marine jurisdiction, including mainland, offshore islands, and External Territories (approx. 7°S to 70°S, 40°E to量与175°E).