Sea-Level Rise and the Legal Stability of Maritime Zones
Description
Hosted by the Centre for International and Public Law at the ANU Law School.
Do sea-level rise impacts to coastlines pose a challenge to the global system of maritime zones? Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), a State's maritime zones and the entitlements they confer are closely connected to its land territory. As climate change accelerates coastal erosion and inundation, traditional assumptions suggest these entitlements could shrink or disappear, with profound implications including for access to marine resources. However, this area of law has seen remarkable developments in recent years, with States, scholars, and institutions demonstrating an increasing convergence around the view that established maritime zones may be preserved notwithstanding sea-level rise.
Frances Anggadi offers reflections on these developments drawn from her new book, Sea-Level Rise and the Legal Stability of Maritime Zones (Oxford University Press, 2026). The seminar will also feature commentary from Professor Martins Paparinskis (International Law Commission), Phil Ng (First Assistant Secretary, International and Public Law Division, Attorney-General’s Department), and Lauren Power (Director, Maritime Jurisdiction Advice, Geoscience Australia).
Speakers
Frances Anggadi
Frances Anggadi is a senior lecturer at the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security, University of Wollongong. Her current work focuses on the international law of the sea, with an emphasis on state practice and sea-level rise. Frances is also an Editor-in-Chief of the Australian Journal of Maritime and Ocean Affairs, serves on the Council of the Australian and New Zealand Society for International Law, and is a member of the International Law Association, serving on the Committee on the Protection of People at Sea. Prior to joining academia, Frances served at the Australian Government Attorney-General's Department for over 15 years, primarily in the Office of International Law, providing legal and policy advice across a range of public international law issues.
Martins Paparinskis
Martins Paparinskis is Professor of Public International Law at UCL and the Special Rapporteur on compensation for the damage caused by internationally wrongful acts of the International Law Commission, which he also chaired last year. He is an associate member of the Institute of International Law, a member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration, and a member of the Board of the OSCE Court of Conciliation and Arbitration.
Phillip Ng
Phillip Ng is First Assistant Secretary of the International and Public Law Division in the Commonwealth Attorney-General's Department. In this role, Phillip is responsible for the Office of International Law, the Royal Commissions Branch, and the Office of Legal Services Coordination. Phillip has worked as a commercial lawyer and held various positions in the department, including providing international law advice in the Office of International Law for over a decade and working alongside the Pacific Island Forum Fisheries Agency on Pacific fisheries matters. He was a senior adviser on national security and criminal justice in the Office of the Attorney-General in 2024. Phillip is a member of the Australian Government Legal Service Board, and chair of the Commonwealth Legal Risk Committee. Phillip holds honours degrees in Law and Economics, and a Master of International Law, from the University of Sydney.
Lauren Power
Lauren Power is the Director of Maritime Jurisdiction Advice at Geoscience Australia. Prior to this role, Lauren led the Geospatial sections at the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts and what is now the National Emergency Management Agency. She has a Bachelor of Applied Science in Geomatics and a Master in Climate Change from the Australian National University.
Additional information
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