{"id":"F2005B01810","name":"Interpretation Ordinance 1989 (ACI)","slug":"interpretation-ordinance-1989-aci","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":32525,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2005B01810-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-01","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Interpretation Ordinance 1989 (ACI)","content":"THE TERRITORY OF ASHMORE AND CARTIER ISLANDS\n\n\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\n\nInterpretation Ordinance 1989\n\nNo. 3 of 1989\n\nI, THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL of the Commonwealth of Australia, acting with the advice of the Federal Executive Council, hereby make the following Ordinance under the Ashmore and Cartier Islands Acceptance Act 1933.\n\nDated 28 September 1989.\n\nBILL HAYDEN\n\nGovernor-General\n\nBy His Excellency’s Command,\n\nClyde Holding\n\n![](image.001.png)\n\nMinister of State for the Arts, Tourism and Territories\n\n\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\n\nAn Ordinance for the interpretation of the laws of the Territory and for related purposes\n\nShort title\n\n1. This Ordinance may be cited as the Interpretation Ordinance 1989.1\n\nCommencement\n\n2. This Ordinance commences on the date of commencement of the Ashmore and Cartier Islands Acceptance Amendment Act 1985.\n\nApplication of this Ordinance\n\n3. (1) Unless the contrary intention appears, this Ordinance as in force from time to time applies in relation to all laws of the Territory, whether made before or after this Ordinance commences.\n\n(2) This Ordinance binds the Crown.\n\n  \n\nInterpretation\n\n4\\. (1) In this Ordinance, unless the contrary intention appears:\n\n“law of the Territory” includes an applied Northern Territory law;\n\n“the Acceptance Act” means the Ashmore and Cartier Islands Acceptance Act 1933;\n\n“the A.C.T. Interpretation Act” means the Interpretation Act 1967 of the Australian Capital Territory as in force from time to time;\n\n“the A.C.T. Evidence (Laws and Instruments) Act” means the Evidence (Laws and Instruments) Act 1989 of the Australian Capital Territory as in force from time to time;\n\n“the A.C.T. Subordinate Laws Act” means the Subordinate Laws Act 1989 of the Australian Capital Territory as in force from time to time;\n\n“the Commonwealth Crimes Act” means the Crimes Act 1914 of the Commonwealth as in force from time to time;\n\n“the Commonwealth Interpretation Act” means the Acts Interpretation Act 1901 of the Commonwealth as in force from time to time;\n\n“the N.T. Interpretation Act” means the Interpretation Act of the Northern Territory in its application to the Territory under section 6 of the Acceptance Act.\n\n(2) In a law of the Territory, unless the contrary intention appears:\n\n“applied Northern Territory law” means a law of the Northern Territory, including a law of South Australia in its application to the Northern Territory, that is in force in the Territory under:\n\n(a) section 6 of the Act; or\n\n(b) an Ordinance; or\n\n(c) a law made under an Ordinance;\n\n“Commissioner of Police” means:\n\n(a) the person holding the office of Commissioner of Police for the Territory; or\n\n(b) where:\n\n(i) no one holds, or performs the duties of, the office of Commissioner of Police for the Territory; and\n\n(ii) there are no police officers:\n\nthe Minister; or\n\n(c) where:\n\n(i) no one holds, or performs the duties of, the office of Commissioner of Police for the Territory; and\n\n(ii) there are police officers:\n\nthe police officer who holds the highest rank in the Police Force of the Territory or, where more than one officer holds that highest rank, the most senior of those officers calculated\n\n  \n\nby reference to the days on which they were first appointed as members of any Police Force in Australia;\n\n“Consolidated Fund” means the Consolidated Revenue Fund;\n\n“Consolidated Revenue Fund” means the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Commonwealth;\n\n“Gazette” or “Government Gazette of the Territory” means the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette;\n\n“Government Printer” means:\n\n(a) in the case of documents printed on or before 30 June 1911—the Government Printer of the State of South Australia including any person printing for the Government of that State; or\n\n(b) in the case of documents printed after 30 June 1911 but before the commencement of this Ordinance—the Government Printer of the Northern Territory including any person printing for the Government of that Territory; or\n\n(c) in any other case—the Government Printer of the Commonwealth including any person printing for the Government of the Commonwealth;\n\n“legal practitioner”, “barrister”, “solicitor” or “barrister and solicitor” means a person entitled under section 55a, 55b or 55d of the Judiciary Act 1903 of the Commonwealth to practise as a barrister or solicitor, or both, in a federal court or a court of a Territory;\n\n“medical practitioner” means a person registered or licensed as a medical practitioner under a law of a State or Territory that provides for the registration or licensing of medical practitioners and whose registration or licence is not suspended under a law of a State or Territory;\n\n“Northern Territory Government Account” means the Consolidated Revenue Fund;\n\n“Ordinance” means an Ordinance made under the Acceptance Act;\n\n“police officer” means a person holding, or performing the duties of, the office of member of the Police Force of the Territory;\n\n“subordinate law” means an instrument of a legislative nature including regulations, rules or by-laws;\n\n“the Territory” means the Territory of Ashmore and Carrier Islands.\n\nApplication of the A.C.T. Interpretation Act\n\n5\\. Sections 8a, 8b, 11c, 11d, 12a, 25a, 28a, 29a, 29b and 30 of the A.C.T. Interpretation Act apply in relation to laws of the Territory other than an applied Northern Territory law as if references to an Act in force in the Australian Capital Territory were references to an Ordinance.\n\n  \nApplication of the A.C.T. Evidence (Laws and Instruments) Act\n\n6. Paragraphs 4 (b) and (c) and sections 6 and 7 of the A.C.T. Evidence (Laws and Instruments) Act apply in relation to laws of the Territory other than an applied Northern Territory law as if:\n\n(a) references to an Act in force in the Australian Capital Territory were references to an Ordinance; and\n\n(b) references to a law in force in the Australian Capital Territory were references to a law of the Territory other than an applied Northern Territory law.\n\nApplication of the A.C.T. Subordinate Laws Act\n\n7. (1) Section 4, paragraphs 6 (1) (a) and (b), subsections 6 (2), (3), (5) and (12) and sections 7 and 8 of the A.C.T. Subordinate Laws Act apply in relation to the laws of the Territory other than an applied Northern Territory Law as if:\n\n(a) references to an Act in force in the Australian Capital Territory were references to an Ordinance; and\n\n(b) references to a law in force in the Australian Capital Territory were references to a law of the Territory other than an applied Northern Territory law.\n\n(2) In the application of the A.C.T. Subordinate Laws Act by virtue of subsection (1), subsection 8 (2) is to be taken to have been omitted and the following subsection substituted:\n\n“(2) In subsection (1), ‘disallowable instrument’ means an instrument that is, under the law of the Territory or Commonwealth Act under which it is made, a disallowable instrument for the purposes of section 12 of the Interpretation Ordinance 1989 or section 46a of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901 (as the case requires).”.\n\nApplication of the Commonwealth Crimes Act\n\n8. (1) Sections 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e, 4f, 4g, 4h, 4j, 4k, 13, 14, 15, 17, 19a, 20b, 21, 21b and 21c of the Commonwealth Crimes Act apply in relation to laws of the Territory other than an applied Northern Territory law as if:\n\n(a) references to an Act were references to an Ordinance; and\n\n(b) references to a law of the Commonwealth were references to a law of the Territory other than an applied Northern Territory law.\n\n(2) In the application of the Commonwealth Crimes Act in the Territory by virtue of subsection (1):\n\n(a) the words “but not including a law of a Territory” are to be taken to have been omitted from subsection 4d (2); and\n\n(b) paragraph (1) (b) does not apply in relation to the words “the law of the Commonwealth” second occurring in subsection 17 (1).\n\n  \nApplication of the Commonwealth Interpretation Act\n\n9. Sections 15aa and 15ab of the Commonwealth Interpretation Act apply in relation to laws of the Territory other than an applied Northern Territory law as if references to an Act were references to an Ordinance.\n\nApplication of the N.T. Interpretation Act\n\n10. Subject to section 5, the N.T. Interpretation Act, other than sections 63 and 67, applies in relation to the laws of the Territory as if:\n\n(a) references to an Act of the Northern Territory were references to an Ordinance; and\n\n(b) references to an instrument made under an Act of the Northern Territory were references to an instrument, including regulations, rules and by-laws, made under an Ordinance; and\n\n(c) references to a law in force in the Northern Territory were references to a law of the Territory.\n\nTabling of regulations made under an applied Northern Territory law\n\n11. (1) All regulations made under an applied Northern Territory law (other than regulations of the Northern Territory that are in force in the Territory by virtue of section 6 of the Act) must be laid before each House of the Parliament within 15 sitting days of that House after the day on which the regulations are made and, if they are not so laid before each House of the Parliament, have no effect.\n\n(2) Subsections 10 (2) to (5b), inclusive, and sections 10a, 10b and 10c of the Acceptance Act apply in relation to regulations laid before a House of the Parliament under subsection (1) as if in those provisions:\n\n(a) the references to an Ordinance were references of the regulations; and\n\n(b) the references in subsections 10 (5) and (5a) of the Act to subsection 10 (1) of the Act were references to subsection (1).\n\n(3) In this section, “regulations” includes rules and by-laws.\n\nDisallowable instruments\n\n12. Where a provision of a law of the Territory:\n\n(a) confers power to make an instrument (however described); and\n\n(b) expressly provides that the instrument is a disallowable instrument for the purposes of this section;\n\nthen, except so far as that law otherwise provides:\n\n(c) subsections 9 (2), 10 (1) to (5b), inclusive, and sections 10a, 10b and 10c of the Acceptance Act apply in relation to the instrument as if:\n\n(i) references to an Ordinance were references to the instrument; and\n\n(ii) references to a part of an Ordinance were references to a provision of the instrument; and\n\n  \n(iii) references to repeal were references to revocation; and\n\n(d) section 38 of the A.C.T. Interpretation Act applies in relation to the instrument as if:\n\n(i) references to an Act were references to the instrument; and\n\n(ii) references to a part of an Act were references to a provision of the instrument; and\n\n(iii) references to repeal were references to revocation; and\n\n(e) section 7 of the A.C.T. Subordinate Laws Act applies in relation to the instrument as if the instrument were a subordinate law; and\n\n(f) if the instrument is not an order made by or under the authority of a Minister, section 5 of the Evidence Act 1905 applies in relation to the instrument as if it were such an order.\n\nProof of Gazette\n\n13\\. The production of a paper purporting to be the South Australian Government Gazette published before 1 January 1911 is evidence that the paper is the South Australian Government Gazette published before 1 January 1911 and was published on the date it bears.\n\nNOTE\n\n1. Notified in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette on 29 September 1989.","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":7,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This Ordinance remains focused on a single administrative purpose: setting out how Territory laws are to be interpreted and which external interpretive, evidence and subordinate‑law provisions apply. It does not add new regulatory domains or substantial policy functions beyond interpretation, procedural oversight of subordinate instruments, and technical definitions. In that sense it aligns with the original intent of providing an interpretive framework for the Territory rather than expanding scope into unrelated areas."},"complexity_factors":["About 21 defined terms in section 4 (subsections (1) and (2)).","Multiple cross‑references to external Acts: A.C.T. Interpretation Act, A.C.T. Evidence (Laws and Instruments) Act, A.C.T. Subordinate Laws Act, Commonwealth Crimes Act, Commonwealth Acts Interpretation Act, and Northern Territory Interpretation Act (sections 5–10).","Explicit lists of specific sections from other Acts to be applied (for example, a list of A.C.T. Interpretation Act sections in section 5 and many Commonwealth Crimes Act sections in section 8).","Frequent conditional language: “unless the contrary intention appears” (sections 3 and 4) and carve‑outs for applied Northern Territory laws (scattered through sections 5–10).","Procedural rule with a strict consequence (regulations laid before Parliament within 15 sitting days or have no effect) in section 11(1).","Nested substitutions and tailored modifications of imported provisions (for example, section 7(2) substitutes a subsection; section 12 maps Acceptance Act, ACT Interpretation Act and Subordinate Laws Act provisions onto instruments).","Dynamic application phrase “as in force from time to time,” creating ongoing external dependency and complexity (see the definitions in section 4 and the repeated imports).","Variable and contingent definitions for key offices (e.g. Commissioner of Police has multi‑stage definition in section 4(2)).","Multiple legal domains involved (interpretation rules, evidence, subordinate law procedures, criminal law application), increasing cross‑disciplinary knowledge required.","Procedural and substantive interaction: tabling/disallowance mechanics interact with the substantive effect of delegated instruments, creating conditional outcomes rather than straightforward rules (sections 11–12)."],"plain_english_summary":"This Ordinance sets the rules for reading and applying laws in the Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands by importing established interpretation, evidence and subordinate‑law rules from the A.C.T., Northern Territory and Commonwealth. It applies to all Territory laws and binds the Crown. It also creates parliamentary oversight of delegated instruments — for example, certain regulations made under applied Northern Territory law must be tabled within 15 sitting days or they have no effect. Officials, courts, lawyers and regulated parties are most directly affected."},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"Unauthenticated. Configure AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY or use a provider module. Learn more: https://ai-sdk.dev/unauthenticated-ai-gateway","source":"analysis-cron"},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":6,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The legislation remains focused on its original purpose of providing interpretation rules for Territory laws. While it imports substantial external content, this was clearly the intended mechanism from inception given the Territory's lack of legislative capacity. No significant scope creep is evident."},"complexity_factors":["Extensive cross-referencing: Applies specific sections from 5 different external statutes (ACT Interpretation Act, ACT Evidence Act, ACT Subordinate Laws Act, Commonwealth Crimes Act, Commonwealth Interpretation Act, and NT Interpretation Act)","Conditional logic in definitions: The 'Commissioner of Police' definition contains nested if-then-else conditions with three tiers of fallback (commissioner → minister → senior police officer)","Temporal distinctions: 'Government Printer' definition requires historical knowledge spanning three eras (pre-1911, 1911-1989, post-1989)","Substitution mechanics: Multiple sections require mental substitution of terms ('Act' becomes 'Ordinance', 'law of the Commonwealth' becomes 'law of the Territory', etc.)","Dual-track system: Distinguishes between 'laws of the Territory' and 'applied Northern Territory laws' with different rules applying to each","12 defined terms in section 4 alone, several referencing external statutes","Section 7(2) contains a complex 'deemed omission and substitution' provision that modifies the imported ACT law","Section 8(2) contains specific textual amendments to imported Commonwealth provisions"],"plain_english_summary":"This law is a **rulebook for reading other laws** that apply to the Ashmore and Cartier Islands—a remote Australian territory in the Indian Ocean.\n\n**What it does:**\n- **Defines key terms** used in Territory laws (like who counts as a \"medical practitioner\" or what \"the Territory\" means)\n- **Imports rules from other places** by applying laws from the ACT, Commonwealth, and Northern Territory to fill gaps in the Territory's legal system\n- **Sets up oversight** by requiring certain regulations to be tabled in Federal Parliament and allowing Parliament to disallow (cancel) certain legal instruments\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- Anyone living or working on Ashmore and Cartier Islands\n- Federal officials administering the Territory\n- People making or interpreting laws for the Territory\n\n**Why it matters:**\nThe Territory is tiny and has no permanent population, so it doesn't have its own parliament or comprehensive legal code. This Ordinance solves that problem by **borrowing interpretation rules** from the ACT and Commonwealth, and **applying Northern Territory laws** where needed. Without this, courts and officials wouldn't know how to read or apply Territory laws consistently.\n\n**Key quirks:**\n- The \"Commissioner of Police\" definition has a complex fallback chain: if there's no commissioner *and* no police officers, the Minister becomes the police chief\n- \"Government Printer\" has different meanings depending on whether documents were printed before 1911 (South Australia), between 1911-1989 (Northern Territory), or after 1989 (Commonwealth)\n- It creates a special category of \"disallowable instruments\" that Federal Parliament can veto"}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/interpretation-ordinance-1989-aci","history":"/api/acts/interpretation-ordinance-1989-aci/history","analysis":"/api/acts/interpretation-ordinance-1989-aci/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/interpretation-ordinance-1989-aci/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/interpretation-ordinance-1989-aci/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/interpretation-ordinance-1989-aci/documents"}}