Revised Explanatory Memorandum
(Circulated by authority of the Minister for Justice and Customs, Senator the Honourable Amanda Vanstone)General outline and financial impact
Under the new crimes at sea scheme the States and the Northern Territory ('the States') will enact uniform Crimes at Sea Acts applying local criminal laws to their respective offshore adjacent areas from the coastal baseline out to 12 nautical miles ('nm'). This Act then applies the criminal law of each jurisdiction (as Commonwealth law) to their respective offshore adjacent areas from 12 to 200 nm (or the outer limit of the continental shelf, whichever is the greater).
2. Another key element of the Act is that it applies the criminal laws of the Jervis Bay Territory to criminal conduct beyond the area covered by the new scheme, on Australian ships, and in some cases foreign ships (where there is an appropriate nexus with Australia).
3. The amendments will not impact on Government expenditure or revenue in any measurable respect.