Normally a dispute such as this would be referred to the International Court of Justice or the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea for an impartial decision, but the Australian government had withdrawn from these international jurisdictions (solely on matters relating to maritime boundaries) shortly before East Timorese independence.
Normalnya, sengketa perbatasan seperti ini diajukan ke Mahkamah Internasional atau Pengadilan Hukum Laut Internasional untuk diputuskan secara imparsial, tetapi pemerintah Australia sudah duluan menarik diri dari yurisdiksi internasional (khusus persoalan batas laut) sebelum Timor Leste merdeka.