The Territory was accepted from Britain in 1933 and responsibility for the administration was transferred from the Northern Territory to the Commonwealth when self-government was instituted in the Northern Territory in 1978.
Petroleum extraction activities in the area adjacent to the Territory are administered on behalf of the Commonwealth by the Northern Territory Department of Mines and Energy.
Commonwealth laws, laws of the Northern Territory and Ordinances made by the Governor-General make up the body of law applicable in the Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands.
Ashmore & Cartier Islands Tourism