Announcement date
7 August 2026
Link to announcement
Woomera Prohibited Area Rules 2026 - Federal Register of Legislation
Problem being addressed
The Woomera Prohibited Area (WPA), is a critical site used for the testing of advanced and emerging defence capabilities. It is also a place of national significance for Aboriginal cultural heritage, and home to pastoral and mining operations, while also hosting significant scientific and environmental research, prospecting and tourism.
The WPA is regulated under the Woomera Prohibited Area Rule 2014 (the Rule) and the WPA governance arrangements which together form the ‘Coexistence Framework’. This recognises that while the Department of Defence (the Department) requirements for the testing and evaluation of military systems are given precedence within the WPA, the area is also important for pastoral activity, resource exploration and production, Aboriginal native title and cultural heritage, and other activities such as tourism and scientific research.
The Rule is due to sunset on 1 October 2026. The Department commissioned an Independent Review into the Coexistence Framework in 2024 to inform the remaking of the Rule. The Independent Review included extensive stakeholder consultation. The Department subsequently undertook separate consultation with key stakeholders. Together, consultation occurred between August 2024 and April 2026, including with the South Australian Government, the WPA Advisory Board, First Nations groups, the resource sector, pastoralists, and the transport sector.
Proposal
The Department proposes that the Rule be remade without significant changes.
Assessed Impact Analysis outcome
Sunsetting instrument
Assessment comments
Consistent with the Government's requirements for Sunsetting Legislative Instruments, the Department has consulted affected stakeholders and certified that Rule is operating effectively and efficiently in lieu of preparing an Impact Analysis for remaking the regulations with minor amendments.
Regulatory burden
The Department estimates that the remake of the Rule will increase average regulatory costs by $0.02 million per year as it extends the requirement to obtain Authorised Person or Escorted Person status to all individuals entering the WPA under a permit. Previously, this requirement applied only to resource permits.