EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ACT 1986 - SECT 4 Definitions

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ACT 1986 - SECT 4

    (1)     In this Act—

S. 4(1) def. of active standby duty inserted by No. 50/1989 s. 50(a).

"active standby duty" means being available at a particular place so that assistance can be quickly provided in the event of an emergency or a request for assistance;

"agency" means a government agency or a non‑government agency;

S. 4(1) def. of casual emergency worker inserted by No. 75/1986 s. 4, repealed by No. 97/1994 s. 4(1).

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S. 4(1) def. of chief officer inserted by No. 73/2010 s. 35, repealed by No. 73/2013 s. 78(1).

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S. 4(1) def. of Commis-sioner inserted by No. 48/2000 s. 4, amended by No. 108/2004 s. 117(1) (Sch.  3 item 65.1), repealed by No. 73/2013 s. 78(1).

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S. 4(1) def. of Co-ordinator in Chief amended by No. 97/1994 s. 7(1)(a), repealed by No. 56/2011 s. 5(a).

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S. 4(1) def. of Council amended by No. 97/1994 s. 7(1)(b), repealed by No. 73/2013 s. 78(1).

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S. 4(1) def. of Deputy Co-ordinator

in Chief amended by No. 97/1994 s. 7(1)(a), repealed by No. 56/2011 s. 5(a).

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S. 4(1) def. of DISPLAN amended by No. 97/1994 s. 7(1)(c), repealed by No. 56/2011 s. 9(1)(a).

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S. 4(1) def. of emergency amended by Nos 97/1994

s. 4(2)(a)(b), 50/1999 s. 34(1)(a), 56/2011 s. 10.

"emergency" means an emergency due to the actual or imminent occurrence of an event which in any way endangers or threatens to endanger the safety or health of any person in Victoria or which destroys or damages, or threatens to destroy or damage, any property in Victoria or endangers or threatens to endanger the environment or an element of the environment in Victoria including, without limiting the generality of the foregoing—

        (a)     an earthquake, flood, wind-storm or other natural event; and

        (b)     a fire; and

        (c)     an explosion; and

        (d)     a road accident or any other accident; and

        (e)     a plague or an epidemic or contamination; and

        (f)     a warlike act or act of terrorism, whether directed at Victoria or a part of Victoria or at any other State or Territory of the Commonwealth; and

        (g)     a hi-jack, siege or riot; and

        (h)     a disruption to an essential service;

S. 4(1) def. of emergency activity inserted by No. 97/1994 s. 4(3), amended by Nos 56/2011 s. 9(1)(b), 36/2018 s. 37(a).

"emergency activity" means—

        (a)     performing a role or discharging a responsibility of an agency in accordance with the state emergency management plan; or

        (b)     training or practising for an activity referred to in paragraph (a) or being on active standby duty; or

        (c)     travelling to or from the place where an activity referred to in paragraph (a) or (b) has occurred or is to occur;

S. 4(1) def. of emergency area inserted by No. 97/1994

s. 4(3).

"emergency area" means an emergency area declared under section 36A ;

S. 4(1) def. of emergency management inserted by No. 97/1994 s. 4(3), substituted by No. 36/2018 s. 20(1).

"emergency management" means the arrangements for, or in relation to—

        (a)     the mitigation of emergencies; and

        (b)     the response to emergencies; and

        (c)     the recovery from emergencies;

S. 4(1) def. of Emergency Management Commis-sioner inserted by No. 73/2013 s. 78(2).

"Emergency Management Commissioner" has the same meaning as it has in section 3 of the Emergency Management Act 2013 ;

S. 4(1) def. of emergency services agency inserted by No. 48/2000 s. 4, amended by Nos 51/2005 s. 58(2), 20/2019 s. 164.

"emergency services agency" means any of the following—

        (a)     the Country Fire Authority established under the Country Fire Authority Act 1958 ;

        (b)     Fire Rescue Victoria established under the Fire Rescue Victoria Act 1958 ;

        (c)     the Victoria State Emergency Service Authority established under the Victoria State Emergency Service Act 2005 ;

        (d)     any other prescribed agency;

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S. 4(1) def. of Emergency Services Telecom-munications Authority inserted by No. 98/2004 s. 36, repealed by No. 32/2023 s. 92.

S. 4(1) def. of essential service inserted by No. 50/1999 s. 34(1)(b).

"essential service" means any of the following services—

        (a)     transport;

        (b)     fuel (including gas);

        (c)     light;

        (d)     power;

        (e)     water;

        (f)     sewerage;

        (g)     a service (whether or not of a type similar to the foregoing) declared to be an essential service by the Governor in Council under subsection (2);

S. 4(1) def. of fire services agency inserted by No. 73/2010 s. 35, repealed by No. 73/2013 s. 78(1).

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S. 4(1) def. of Fire Services Commis-sioner inserted by No. 73/2010 s. 35, repealed by No. 73/2013 s. 78(1).

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"government agency" means—

        (a)     any body corporate or unincorporate constituted by or under any Act for a public purpose; and

        (b)     any member or officer of such a body; and

        (c)     any person in the service of the Crown in the right of the State of Victoria upon whom any function, power, duty or responsibility is conferred by or under any Act;

S. 4(1) def. of major fire inserted by No. 73/2010 s. 35, repealed by No. 73/2013 s. 78(1).

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"non-government agency" means a voluntary organization or any other person or body other than a government agency;

S. 4(1) def. of police officer inserted by No. 37/2014 s. 10(Sch. item 52.1).

"police officer" has the same meaning as in the Victoria Police Act 2013 ;

S. 4(1) def. of region repealed by No. 97/1994 s. 8(a).

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S. 4(1) def. of state emergency management plan inserted by No. 36/2018 s. 37(c).

"state emergency management plan" has the same meaning as in section 3 of the Emergency Management Act 2013 ;

S. 4(1) def. of state emergency recovery plan inserted by No. 56/2011 s. 9(1)(c), repealed by No. 73/2013 s. 78(1).

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S. 4(1) def. of State Coordinator substituted as State Emergency Response Coordinator by No. 56/2011 s. 5(b), repealed by No. 73/2013 s. 78(1).

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S. 4(1) def. of state emergency response plan inserted by No. 56/2011 s. 9(1)(c), repealed by No. 73/2013 s. 78(1).

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S. 4(1) def. of volunteer emergency worker inserted by No. 97/1994 s. 4(3), amended by Nos 56/2011 s. 9(1)(b), 36/2018 s. 37(b).

"volunteer emergency worker" means a volunteer worker who engages in emergency activity at the request (whether directly or indirectly) or with the express or implied consent of the chief executive (however designated), or of a person acting with the authority of the chief executive, of an agency to which the state emergency management plan applies;

S. 4(1) def. of zone repealed by No. 97/1994 s. 8(a).

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S. 4(2) inserted by No. 50/1999 s. 34(2).

    (2)     The Governor in Council, by order published in the Government Gazette, may declare a service to be an essential service for the purposes of this Act.

S. 4(2) repealed by No. 97/1994 s. 4(4),

new s. 4(2) inserted by No. 86/1998 s. 19,

re-numbered s. 4(3) by No. 74/2000 s. 3(Sch. 1 item 40), substituted by No. 59/2003 s. 117, repealed by No. 74/2006 s. 24.

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S. 4(3) repealed by No. 75/1986 s. 5.

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S. 4A inserted by No. 97/1994 s. 5, amended by No. 36/2018 s. 20(2), repealed by No. 6/2018 s. 82(1).

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Part 2—Administration

S. 5

amended by No. 97/1994 s. 7(1)(d)(e), substituted by No. 56/2011 s. 6.