The Timor Sea Treaty: An Australian Perspective
Timor Sea Treaty Agora
In March 2018, Australia and Timor-Leste signed a treaty which will permanently delimit their maritime boundaries and establish a special regime over the Greater Sunrise gas fields in the Timor Sea. This Treaty 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). 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. In particular, the article considers the unique aspects of the conciliation provisions of UNCLOS and some of the procedural aspects of the Timor-Leste/Australia Conciliation which led to a successful outcome in the proceedings.