The book analyses the international conventions, the Australian and New Zealand legislation and the regulatory structures in both countries relating to the protection and preservation of the marine environment from ship pollution. It concentrates on the important aspects of the marine environment and its protection and preservation in the light of the huge tonnages of vital trade goods carried by many merchant ships to and from the Australasian region.This second edition sets out:the sources of pollution of the coastal seas; the UN international conventions on the marine environment; the International Maritime Organization conventions; marine salvage; the complexities of the Australian offshore jurisdiction covering the Commonwealth States; the New Zealand offshore jurisdiction; some of the key aspects of regulatory governance and infrastructure; and the status of the IMO conventions on shipping and the marine environment.

From the Foreword by The Rt Hon Sir Ninian Stephen AC, GCMG, GCVO, KBE'... a sure legal guide to one great area of concern to all who journey on the sea or care for its waters and its shores ... survey of what State and Territory and national and international law each has to offer by way of protection from pollution of the waters that surround us is as timely as it is comprehensive. The inclusion of the relevant domestic law of New Zealand and of Papua New Guinea reminds us that our neighbour nations with whom we share those waters also share with us the same concerns.'

This book is a comprehensive guide to Australian coastal and marine law. Since the landmark enactment of the Seas and Submerged Lands Act 1973 (Cth), and the subsequent High Court decision in NSW v Commonwealth, there have been rapid developments in Australian coastal and marine law and policy. The Offshore Constitutional Settlement paved the way for offshore management between the Commonwealth, States and the Northern Territory, and from this foundation a raft of new environmental laws were adopted in the 1980s and 1990s, often promoted by international developments such as the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, or through new marine pollution conventions adopted by the International Maritime Organisation. The book particularly reflects upon how Australian law regulates and manages a range of environmental issues which arise in the coastal zone and the marine environment. The Australian maritime domain is the focus of analysis, including all areas within State and Territorial jurisdiction, and areas within Commonwealth control and regulation. Activities that are subject to specific consideration include the continental shelf, fishing, indigenous rights, marine parks, marine pollution, ports and harbours, and shipping.

The Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of IMO, at its sixty-second session in July 2011, adopted the Revised MARPOL Annex V, concerning Regulations for the prevention of pollution by garbage from ships, which enters into force on 1 January 2013. The associated guidelines which assist States and industry in the implementation of MARPOL Annex V have been reviewed and updated and two Guidelines were adopted in March 2012 at MEPC's sixty-third session. The 2012 edition of this publication contains: the 2012 Guidelines for the implementation of MARPOL Annex V (resolution MEPC.219(63)); the 2012 Guidelines for the development of garbage management plans (resolution MEPC.220(63)); and the Revised MARPOL Annex V (resolution MEPC.201(62)).

Follows on from the First and the Second editions of which White was the editor and wrote some of the chapters. In those earlier editions many eminent Australian maritime lawyers contributed chapters from their own point of view but in this new edition the author has tried to bring a consistency of treatment of topics which flows from the one author writing the entire work.

Australian Offshore Laws brings together in one place a reference to all laws that apply to offshore Australian waters for the benefit of legal practitioners, regulators, academics and students. It demonstrates the unnecessary complexity of the Australian offshore legal regime and proposes, as a first step towards reform, a review of the Offshore Constitutional Settlement of 1979 (OCS 1979). It discusses the manner of present drafting of such laws as many Commonwealth, State, and Territory laws apply offshore but few are drafted in a manner which identifies their limits or recognises their interaction with other offshore laws of with the OCS 1979.