Legal System of Ashmore and Cartier Islands

Ashmore and Cartier Islands is located in Australia Oceania. It is geographically situated in southeastern asia, islands in the indian ocean, midway between northwestern australia and timor island; ashmore reef is 840 km west of darwin and 610 km north of broome; cartier islet is 70 km east of ashmore reef.

Government Overview

Legal System

The legal system of Ashmore and Cartier Islands is described as the laws of the Commonwealth of Australia and the laws of the Northern Territory of Australia, where applicable, apply

Constitutional Framework

Judicial Branch

Legislative Branch

Citizenship and Suffrage

Historical Background

Indonesian fishermen have long fished in the area around Ashmore Reef and Cartier Island. British explorers were the first Europeans to see Cartier Island and Ashmore Reef in 1800 and 1811, respectively. American whalers frequently sailed by the islands in the 1850s and later settled to mine the phosphate deposits on Ashmore Reef, which were exhausted by 1891. The UK disputed US access to Ashmore Reef and formally annexed it in 1878. Cartier Island was annexed in 1909.

This article provides a summary of the legal system and governmental structure of Ashmore and Cartier Islands based on the CIA World Factbook. The Factbook is a public domain publication of the United States Central Intelligence Agency.