The Timor Sea Treaty: An Australian Perspective

In March 2018, Australia and Timor-Leste signed a treaty in a ceremony in New York, witnessed by the UN Secretary-General, which will permanently delimit their maritime boundaries and establish a special regime over the Greater Sunrise gas fields in the Timor Sea. Not only does this Treaty represent an important milestone in the relationship between the two States, it also marks the successful conclusion of the first-ever conciliation conducted under the dispute resolution provisions of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (unclos). How this untested process led to the ending of the long-running and complex dispute over maritime delimitation in the Timor Sea merits further consideration. This article will provide an Australian perspective on these historic proceedings, focussing on how the process led to a positive outcome for the Parties and the key features of the agreement reached. We will begin by outlining briefly the background to the dispute between Australia and Timor-Leste. We will then consider the nature of the conciliation provisions of unclos, and what makes them unique. We will then explore some of the procedural aspects of the Timor-Leste/Australia Conciliation which led to a successful outcome in the proceedings. Finally, we will outline the key elements of the agreement reached between the Parties.