The Australian Government, through the department, administers the Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, the Coral Sea Islands, the Jervis Bay Territory and Norfolk Island. The department also manages the government's interests in the Australian Capital Territory, the Northern Territory.

New laws to support sustainable fisheries management in the Indian Ocean Territories (IOT) are now in effect, after extensive consultation with the Christmas Island (CI) community.

The updated fisheries ordinances for CI are fit-for-purpose and best meet the long-term needs of both the marine environment and CI residents. Included in the new ordinances are updated bag limits, as well as governance and compliance legislation. The 2022 fisheries ordinance has now been amalgamated into the Christmas Island Applied Laws Ordinance 1992.