Australian legislation

The Australian Antarctic Territory Act 1954 is the basis for Australian Antarctic Territory (AAT) law. It establishes a relatively complex legal regime. In order of priority the sources of law in the AAT are: 

1. Commonwealth laws which expressly apply to the AAT;
2. Commonwealth Ordinances made specifically for the AAT;
3. the laws, other than the criminal laws, of the Australian Capital Territory in so far as they are applicable to the AAT; and
4. the criminal laws of the Jervis Bay Territory in so far as they are applicable to the AAT.

Similar sources of law apply to the Heard and McDonald Islands by virtue of the Heard Island and McDonald Islands Act 1953.

The law of Tasmania applies to Macquarie Island.

Most of the Australian Antarctic laws and guidelines concern the environment. Some of the principal instruments are listed below with links to source documents and their context.

Australian Antarctic Territory legislation

• Australian Antarctic Territory Acceptance Act 1933
• Australian Antarctic Territory Act 1954
• Antarctic Treaty Act 1960
• Antarctic Treaty (Environment Protection) Act 1980
• Antarctic Seals Conservation Regulations 1986 (repealed as of 11 June 2007) (AAD seals conservation summary)
• Antarctic Treaty (Environmental Protection) (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 1993 (AAD environmental impact summary)
• Antarctic Treaty (Environmental Protection) (Waste Management) Regulations 1994
• Antarctic Marine Living Resources Conservation Act 1981 (AAD AMLRC summary)
• Antarctic Marine Living Resources Conservation Regulations 1994
• Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (AAD EPBC act summary)
• Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Regulations 2000
• Protection of the Sea (Prevention of Pollution From Ships) Act 1983
• Weapons Ordinance (AAT) (AAD weapons ordinance summary)
• AAT Criminal Procedure Ordinance

Heard Island and McDonald Islands Legislation and Ordinances

• Heard Island and McDonald Islands Act 1953
• Environment Protection and Management Ordinance 1987
• Migratory Birds Ordinance 1980
• Weapons Ordinance (HIMI) 2001
• HIMI Criminal Procedure Ordinance

Tasmanian Law

• Macquarie Island World Heritage Area

Protected areas

• Protected Areas in Antarctica Data Base
• Environmentally Sensitive Areas
• Management plans for Antarctic Specially Protected Areas (ASPAs) and Antarctic Specially Managed Areas (ASMAs)
  • ASPA 101 - Taylor Rookery, Mac.Robertson Land
  • ASPA 102 - Rookery Islands, Holme Bay, Mac.Robertson land
  • ASPA 103 - Ardery and Odbert Island, Budd Coast
  • ASPA 135 - North-eastern Bailey Peninsula, Budd Coast, Wilkes Land
  • ASPA 136 - Clark Peninsula, Budd Coast, Wilkes Land
  • ASPA 143 - Marine Plain, Mule Peninsula, Vestfold Hills, Princess Elizabeth Land
  • ASPA 160 - Frazier Islands, Wilkes Land
  • ASPA 162 & ASMA 3 - Mawson's Huts, Commonwealth Bay, George V Land, East Antarctica
  • ASPA 164 - Scullin and Murray Monoliths
  • ASPA 167 - Hawker Island, Vestfold Hills, Princess Elizabeth Land
  • ASMA 6 - Larsemann Hills, Princess Elizabeth Land
• Heard Island and McDonald Islands Marine Reserve

Management plans for Antarctic Specially Managed Areas

• Mawson's Huts, Cape Denison, Commonwealth Bay George V Land

Heritage and Historic Sites and Monuments

• Register of the National Estate - Station Listings
• Historic Sites and Monuments in the AAT
• Historic Sites and Monuments in Antarctica

Protection of flora and fauna

• Australian National Guidelines for Whale and Dolphin observations

Other

• Australian Guidelines for Environmental Impact Assessment in Antarctica
• Antarctic Treaty Consultatve Meeting Environmental Impact Assessment in Antarctica
• Flight Paths for Aircraft Operating in the AAT [PDF 123KB]
• Incident Report Form
• Station maps

Note: The above list is not complete and relevant documents may change from time to time. Documents are subject to regular review in light of changing operational and environmental policies.