Acts Interpretation Act 1931

In any Act, instrument, or document – an Act may be cited – by its short title or by reference to the regnal year or calendar year in which it is passed; and by its number; any Imperial Act may be cited by its short title, if any, or by reference to the regnal year in which it was passed and its chapter, together with a reference to the United Kingdom; and any Commonwealth Act may be cited by its short title, if any, or by reference to the calendar year in which it was passed and its number, together with a reference to the Commonwealth; and any Act or Ordinance of another State or Territory may be cited – by its short title, if any; or in such other manner as is sufficient in an Act or Ordinance of that State or Territory – together with a reference to that State or Territory.

Any enactment may be cited by reference to the Part, section, subsection, or other division of the Act, Imperial Act, Commonwealth Act or Act or Ordinance of the State or Territory in which it is contained.

Any reference referred to in subsections (1) and (2) is to be made – in the case of an Act of this State on the database, within the meaning of the Legislation Publication Act 1996, according to a copy of the Act produced or purporting to be produced under section 6(10) of the Legislation Publication Act 1996; and in the case of any other Act of this State, according to a copy of the Act printed or purporting to be printed by the Government Printer; and in the case of any other Act or Ordinance, according to a copy of the Act or Ordinance printed by the official printer for the Government of the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth or the State or Territory.

A description or citation in any Act of a portion of another Act shall be construed as including the words, sections, or other parts mentioned or referred to as forming the beginning and the end respectively of the portion comprised in the description or citation.

In any Act any reference to or citation of an Act shall be deemed to include a reference to or citation of all subsequent enactments passed in amendment or substitution of the Act so referred to or cited, whether those subsequent enactments are, or any of them is, passed before or after the passing of the Act in which the reference or citation occurs.

In any Act, a reference to or citation of an Imperial Act, a Commonwealth Act or an Act or Ordinance of another State or Territory shall be deemed to include a reference to or citation of all subsequent enactments passed in amendment or substitution of the Imperial Act, Commonwealth Act or Act or Ordinance of the State or Territory so referred to or cited, whether those subsequent enactments are, or any of them is, passed before or after the passing of the Act in which the reference occurs.