Interpretation Act 1978

(1) In interpreting a provision of an Act, if material not forming part of the Act is capable of assisting in ascertaining the meaning of the provision, the material may be considered:

(a) to confirm that the meaning of the provision is the ordinary meaning conveyed by the text of the provision taking into account its context in the Act and the purpose or object underlying the Act; or

(ii) the ordinary meaning conveyed by the text of the provision taking into account its context in the Act and the purpose or object underlying the Act leads to a result that is manifestly absurd or is unreasonable.

(2) Without limiting subsection (1), the material that may be considered in interpreting a provision of an Act includes the following:

(a) all matters not forming part of the Act that are set out in the document containing the text of the Act as printed by the Government Printer;

(b) any relevant report of a Royal Commission, Law Reform Commission, committee of inquiry or other similar body that was laid before the Legislative Assembly before the time when the provision was enacted;

(c) any relevant report of a committee of the Legislative Assembly that was made to the Legislative Assembly before the time when the provision was enacted;

(d) any treaty or other international agreement that is referred to in the Act;

(e) any explanatory memorandum relating to the Bill containing the provision, or any other relevant document, that was laid before, or furnished to the members of the Legislative Assembly by a Minister or other Member before the time when the provision was enacted;

(f) any explanatory speech or statement given by a Minister or other Member to the Legislative Assembly on introducing the Bill;

(g) any document (whether or not a document to which a preceding paragraph applies) that is declared by the Act to be a relevant document for the purposes of this section;

(h) any relevant material in any official record of debates in the Legislative Assembly.