Papers in Australian Maritime Affairs: Protecting Maritime Resources: Boundary Delimitation, Resource Conflicts and Constabulary Responsibilities

Abstract

This volume is the proceedings of a seminar held in Canberra in 2002, and conducted with the support of the Centre for Maritime Policy, University of Wollongong. The aim of the seminar was to highlight some of the emerging maritime issues for Australia, their relevance to the protection of Australia’s resources, and their implications for Defence and the maritime capability development process. The three main themes that developed were:

• the obvious difficulties in the maritime border delimitation process, such as having accurate information on where legal borders lie, and the resolution of disputed borders
• conflicts over maritime resources including illegal fishing and international law as it pertains to the pursuit of vessels
• the agencies which have, or should have, responsibility for policing our maritime borders and the capabilities required to effectively achieve this.

Additional border protection issues that were highlighted included naval strategy and the effective use of navies, particularly in their constabulary role, and the future for maritime strategy and maritime law in the new strategic era of transnational terrorism.