Where regulatory instruments balance competing purposes such as environmental conservation and sustainable timber production, the purposive approach to construction does not require an expansive reading that furthers one perceived purpose at the expense of others. The relevant question is where the instrument has determined the appropriate balance should lie. Stating the purpose at a high level of generality (e.g., 'to protect the habitat of the Leadbeater's Possum') is of little assistance when construing specific provisions that manifest a more particular legislative intent. Zone 1A habitat under the Central Highlands Forest Management Plan requires mature or senescing hollow-bearing trees, read disjunctively.
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