Commonwealth Consolidated Acts Commonwealth Consolidated Acts(1) The preceding provisions of this Part:
(a) do not limit or exclude the operation of any law of the Commonwealth or of a Territory, other than the Northern Territory, in force at the date of commencement of this Act or coming into force after that date; and
(b) do not limit or exclude the operation of any law of a State or of the Northern Territory in force at the date of commencement of this Act or coming into force after that date, except in so far as the law is expressed to vest or make exercisable any sovereignty or sovereign rights otherwise than as provided by the preceding provisions of this Part.
(2) A law of a State or of the Northern Territory shall not be taken to be within the words of exception in paragraph ( b) of subsection ( 1):
(a) by reason that the law makes provision with respect to, or touching or concerning, any sea - bed or subsoil that is declared by Division 1 to be within the sovereign of the Crown in right of the Commonwealth, or the living or non - living resources of any such sea - bed or subsoil, if proprietary rights in respect of that sea - bed or subsoil have become vested in the Crown in right of the State or of the Northern Territory, as the case may be, by or under a law of the Commonwealth; or
(b) by reason that the law makes provision with respect to, or touching or concerning, any sea - bed or subsoil referred to in Division 1 or Division 2 but in respect of which paragraph ( a) does not apply, or the living or non - living resources of any such sea - bed or subsoil, if the law is otherwise within powers with respect to particular matters that are conferred on the legislature of the State or of the Northern Territory, as the case may be, by the Coastal Waters (State Powers) Act 1980 or the Coastal Waters (Northern Territory Powers) Act 1980 .