Australian external territory

An Australian external territory is a territory under Australian sovereignty that is not part of an Australian state or mainland territory. External territories are governed under Commonwealth law, with arrangements varying by territory.

Norfolk Island: An inhabited Australian external territory in the Pacific, with a distinct local history and community. Its transition from substantial self-government to direct Commonwealth administration shows how territorial arrangements can change.
Section 122 of the Constitution of Australia: A provision empowering the Australian Parliament to make laws for territories surrendered to or placed under Commonwealth authority. It supplies the principal constitutional basis for Commonwealth laws governing external territories.
Federation of Australia: The 1901 union of six British colonies into the Commonwealth of Australia. Federation created the Commonwealth whose later territorial reach includes external territories.
Australian state: A constituent state of the Australian federation with its own constitution and constitutionally protected powers. States are members of the federation; external territories remain under Commonwealth authority.
Christmas Island: An Australian external territory in the Indian Ocean, known for its phosphate history and annual red crab migration. Its small population and distinctive ecology contrast with more remote, uninhabited territories.
Territories of the Commonwealth: Australian territories governed by the Commonwealth rather than forming part of a state. External territories belong to this broader constitutional category.
Norfolk Island penal settlement: A series of British penal settlements established on Norfolk Island between 1788 and 1855. The island's colonial history preceded its incorporation into Australia.
Australian mainland territory: An Australian territory located on the continent, such as the Northern Territory or Australian Capital Territory. Mainland location is the defining distinction in the gloss for external territories.
Cocos (Keeling) Islands: An Australian external territory comprising two atolls in the Indian Ocean, with a predominantly Cocos Malay community. Its inhabited atolls illustrate the cultural and administrative dimensions of external-territory status.
Territories Stolen Generations Redress Scheme: An Australian scheme providing redress to eligible members of the Stolen Generations from the Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory. It illustrates how Commonwealth responsibility for territories can shape national policy, though it concerns mainland territories.

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