Australian Maritime Boundaries 2020: Territorial Limits and Offshore Zones

Geoscience Australia's 2020 digital representation of Australia's maritime limits and boundaries, established under the Seas and Submerged Lands Act 1973. The data includes territorial baselines, outer limits of maritime zones, and treaty boundaries with neighboring countries, covering waters from 7°S to 70°S latitude and 40°E to 175°E longitude. This version reflects the 2018 Timor Sea Treaty and was published in consultation with other Commonwealth agencies.

Use Cases

• Delineating maritime jurisdiction for legal and administrative purposes based on the defined baselines and zones.
• Analyzing offshore petroleum and greenhouse gas storage areas under the OPGGSA 2006 based on the represented limits.
• Visualizing treaty boundaries with neighboring countries for geopolitical analysis.
• Mapping coastal state powers under the Coastal Waters Acts based on the included limits.

Strengths

• Official data product from Geoscience Australia, developed in consultation with the Attorney-General's Department and other government agencies.
• Covers a vast geographical extent from 7°S to 70°S latitude and 40°E to 175°E longitude, including external territories.
• Updated to reflect the 2018 Timor Sea Treaty, indicating currency on specific international agreements.

Limitations

• Row count and detailed column-level documentation are absent, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The description notes that in the event of inconsistency, the legal limits under legislation prevail over the digital data.
• Data currency is listed as August 2019, which may not reflect the most recent legal changes.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Delineation of maritime limits and boundaries under Australian legislation and international treaties.

Time Range

Currency August 2019, reflecting legislation including the 2018 Timor Sea Treaty.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-27 19:37:11.796682; freshness should be verified against legal changes.

Geography

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