Telecommunications Act 1997

A declaration of a protection zone may specify activities that are prohibited in the protection zone.

If a declaration of a protection zone does not specify activities that are prohibited in the protection zone, the activities specified in subclause (4) are prohibited.

An activity which is specified in a declaration of a protection zone must be an activity that is covered by subclause (4).

This subclause covers the following activities:

the use of:

trawl gear that is designed to work on or near the seabed (for example, a demersal trawl); or

a net anchored to the seabed and kept upright by floats (for example, a demersal gillnet); or

a fishing line that is designed to catch fish at or near the seabed (for example, a demersal line); or

a dredge; or

a pot or trap; or

a squid jig; or

a seine; or

a structure moored to the seabed with the primary function of attracting fish for capture (for example, a fish aggregating device);

towing, operating, or suspending from a ship:

any item mentioned in paragraph (a); or

a net, line, rope, chain or any other thing used in connection with fishing operations;

lowering, raising or suspending an anchor from a ship;

sand mining;

exploring for or exploiting resources (other than marine species);

mining or the use of mining techniques;

any activity that involves a serious risk that an object will connect with the seabed, if a connection between the object and a submarine cable would be capable of damaging the cable;

an activity specified in the regulations, being an activity that, if done near a submarine cable, would involve a serious risk of damaging the cable.

However, subclause (4) does not cover an activity if:

the activity is carried on by, or on behalf of, a person who owns or operates a submarine cable in the protection zone; and

the activity consists of the maintenance or repair of the submarine cable.