Australia has lodged a submission with the United Nations to confirm the extent of its maritime jurisdiction over vast areas of continental shelf beyond the 200 nautical mile limit.

Under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, a coastal state is entitled to areas of shelf beyond 200 nautical miles from its coastline where the shelf is part of the submerged landmass.

Lodgement of the submission was announced today by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Attorney-General and the Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources.

Australia's submission will be examined by an international body of experts - the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf - starting in early 2005.

The Commission, established under UNCLOS, examines and makes recommendations on submissions by coastal States. The outer limit established on the basis of these recommendations is final and binding.

The Ministers said Australia had several areas of extended continental shelf totalling about 3.4 million square kilometres - an area equivalent to almost half of the Australian continental landmass and potentially the world's largest such entitlement.

"It is in Australia's interests to gain legal certainty on the outer limits of these areas, which give Australia exclusive rights to explore, exploit and conserve the natural resources of the relevant seabed areas," the Ministers said.

These resources include mineral and other non-living seabed resources as well as some sedentary living organisms. Some of the areas also have environmental significance.

The submission is the culmination of 10 years...’ work by Government departments and agencies involving the collection of large volumes of scientific data and a number of maritime surveys, many of them carried out in remote and potentially hazardous areas.

The submission describes the outer limit of the extended continental shelf by reference to the geological and geomorphological characteristics of the seabed adjacent to Australia and certain of its external territories, as well as other criteria set out in UNCLOS.

The terms of UNCLOS required Australia to make its submission by 16 November 2004 (the 10th anniversary of its entry into force for Australia).

Australia...’s submission is the third on the Commission's books, following submissions from the Russian Federation and Brazil.