INTERPRETATION ACT 1984

Table of Provisions

• Long Title

PART I -- Preliminary  

• 1 Short title
 
• 2 Commencement
 
• 3 Application
 
• 4 Act binds Crown

PART II -- General interpretation provisions  

• 5 Terms used in written laws
 
• 6 Definitions in a written law, application of
 
• 7 Written laws to be construed subject to State’s legislative power
 
• 8 Written laws always speaking
 
• 9 Parts of speech and grammatical forms
 
• 10 Gender and number
 
• 11 Sovereign, references to
 
• 12 Minister, references to
 
• 13 British subject etc., references to
 
• 13A De facto relationship and de facto partner, references to
 
• 13B Standards Association of Australia, references to
 
• 13CA Local government districts, references to
 
• 13C When death of a person occurs
 
• 13D Bankrupt and related expressions, references to
 
• 14 References to 2 or more provisions to be inclusive
 
• 15 Internal references in written laws, construction of
 
• 15A Reference to paragraph
 
• 16 Reference to written law is to written law as amended
 
• 17 Disjunctive construction of “or”
 
• 18 Purpose or object of written law, use of in interpretation
 
• 19 Extrinsic material, use of in interpretation

PART III -- Commencement and citation  

• 20 Commencement of Acts
 
• 21 Time of commencement of written laws
 
• 22 Act commencing on proclamation, commencement of certain provisions of
 
• 23 Proclamation of commencement of Act, construction of power to make
 
• 25 Some powers in Act may be exercised before it commences
 
• 26 Citation of written laws
 
• 27 References to commencement of written law if different provisions commence on different days

PART IV -- Provisions as to enactment and operation of written law  

• 28 Acts deemed public Acts
 
• 29 Sections to be substantive enactments
 
• 30 Act may be amended in same session
 
• 31 Preambles, schedules etc. to form part of written law
 
• 32 Headings, marginal notes and footnotes

PART V -- Repeal of written law  

• 33 Repeal of written law includes repeal of amendments
 
• 34 Repeal of repealing enactment, effect of
 
• 35 Repeal and substitution of provision, effect of
 
• 36 Repealing and re-enacting a provision, effect of
 
• 37 General savings on repeal
 
• 38 Repeal of Act, effect of on subsidiary legislation
 
• 39 Expiry of enactment, effect of

PART VI -- Subsidiary legislation  

• 40 Governor to make subsidiary legislation
 
• 41 Publication and commencement of subsidiary legislation
 
• 42 Laying regulations, rules, local laws and by-laws before Parliament, and disallowance
 
• 43 Power to make subsidiary legislation, general provisions about
 
• 44 Words and expressions in subsidiary legislation, meaning of
 
• 45 Fees and charges
 
• 45A Fees for licences, effect of power to prescribe
 
• 46 Reference to written law includes reference to subsidiary legislation made under it
 
• 47 Acts done under subsidiary legislation deemed done under Act

PART VII -- Statutory powers and duties  

• 48 Time for exercise of power or performance of duty
 
• 48A Judicial acts and service of process may be done on any day
 
• 49 Public officer’s powers and duties may be exercised by acting officer etc.
 
• 50 Statutory powers, construction of
 
• 51 Power to issue licences and other authorisations is discretionary
 
• 52 Power to appoint includes power to remove, suspend, appoint acting officer etc.
 
• 53 Appointments may be by name or office
 
• 54 Statutory bodies, majority and quorum provisions
 
• 55 Errors when exercising certain powers or duties may be corrected
 
• 56 “May” imports a discretion, “shall” is imperative
 
• 57 Statutory bodies, powers of not affected by vacancies etc.
 
• 58 Delegates, performance of functions by
 
• 59 Power to delegate, effect of
 
• 60 Governor to act with advice of Executive Council

PART VIII -- Provisions regarding time and distance  

• 61 Time, computation of
 
• 62 Months, reckoning of
 
• 63 Time for doing acts if no time fixed
 
• 64 Power to extend time, construction of
 
• 65 Distance, measurement of

PART IX -- Procedures and penalties  

• 66 Rules of court
 
• 67 Offences and proceedings for offences
 
• 69 Bodies corporate, application of penal laws to
 
• 71 Continuing offences
 
• 72 Statutory penalties, construction of

PART X -- Miscellaneous provisions  

• 73 State deemed established 1 June 1829
 
• 74 Prescribed forms, certain deviations do not invalidate
 
• 75 Service of documents by post
 
• 76 Service of documents generally
 
• 76A Written laws made before Australia Acts, validity of
 
• 77 Repeal and saving
  Other notes Defined terms