Victorian Consolidated Legislation

Interpretation of Legislation Act 1984 - SECT 54

Construction of references to Acts

54. Construction of references to Acts



(1) A reference in an Act or subordinate instrument to an Imperial Act shall,
unless the contrary intention appears, be construed as a reference-

   (a)  in the case of Acts included in any revised edition of the statutes
        printed by authority, to that edition;

   (b)  in the case of Acts not so included but included in the edition
        prepared under the direction of the Record Commission, to that
        edition; and

   (c)  in any other case, to a copy of the Act printed by the Queen's Printer
        or under the superintendence or authority of Her Majesty's Stationery
        Office.

(2) A reference in an Act or subordinate instrument to an Act of an
Australasian State shall, unless the contrary intention appears, be construed
as a reference to a copy of the Act printed by the government printer of that
Australasian State.

(2A) A document, whether made before, on or after the commencement of the
Subordinate Legislation Act 1994, purporting to be a copy of an Act or
subordinate instrument printed by the government printer of any Australasian
State is on the mere production of that document admissible as evidence
thereof before all courts and persons acting judicially within Victoria.

(2B) A document made after the commencement of section 28 of the Miscellaneous
Acts (Omnibus Amendments) Act 1995 purporting to be a copy of a reprint of an
Act or a statutory rule printed by the Government Printer for Victoria is on
the mere production of that document admissible as evidence thereof before all
courts and persons acting judicially within Victoria.

(2C) A document, whether made before, on or after the commencement of section
28 of the Miscellaneous Acts (Omnibus Amendments) Act 1995, purporting to be a
copy of a reprint of an Act or a statutory rule printed by the Government
Printer of any Australasian State (other than Victoria) is, if the law of that
State includes a provision corresponding to subsection (2B) of this section,
on the mere production of that document admissible as evidence thereof before
all courts and persons acting judicially within Victoria.

(3) In this section the expressions Act, Australasian State and government
printer have the same meanings as they have respectively in Divisions 4 and 6
of Part III of the Evidence Act 1958.