{"id":"legislation-revision-and-publication-act-2002","name":"Legislation Revision and Publication Act 2002","slug":"legislation-revision-and-publication-act-2002","collection":"act","jurisdiction":"sa","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":105756,"registerId":"sa-legislation-revision-and-publication-act-2002-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-03","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Legislation Revision and Publication Act 2002","content":"South Australia\nLegislation Revision and Publication Act 2002\nAn Act to provide for the revision and publication of South Australian legislation; and for other purposes.\n\nContents\n1\tShort title\n3\tInterpretation\n4\tCommissioner for Legislation Revision and Publication\n4A\tEffect of publication under this Act\n5\tProgram for revision and publication of legislation\n6\tSupervision by Commissioner\n7\tAlterations that may be made in revising legislation\n8\tPublication of legislation\n8A\tSpecial provisions relating to publication of legislation from website\n9\tEvidence\n10\tRegulations\nSchedule—Transitional provisions\n4\tTransitional provision\nLegislative history\n\nThe Parliament of South Australia enacts as follows:\n1—Short title\nThis Act may be cited as the Legislation Revision and Publication Act 2002.\n3—Interpretation\nIn this Act—\nCommissioner means the person holding or acting in the office of the Commissioner for Legislation Revision and Publication;\nconsolidate means incorporate into legislation amendments or variations made by subsequent instrument;\nlegislation means—\n\t(a)\tan Act; or\n\t(b)\ta regulation made under an Act; or\n\t(c)\ta legislative instrument of a kind prescribed by regulation;\nminor error means—\n\t(a)\ta typographical or clerical error;\n\t(b)\ta grammatical error, spelling error or error of punctuation;\n\t(c)\tan error in numbering or designation, cross-referencing or alphabetical ordering;\npublish includes republish;\nrevise includes consolidate.\n4—Commissioner for Legislation Revision and Publication\n\t(1)\tThe Governor may appoint the Parliamentary Counsel or a legal practitioner employed in the Office of Parliamentary Counsel as Commissioner for Legislation Revision and Publication.\n\t(2)\tThe Attorney-General may appoint a legal practitioner employed in the Office of Parliamentary Counsel to act as Commissioner for Legislation Revision and Publication if there is no Commissioner or if the Commissioner is for any reason unable to act.\n4A—Effect of publication under this Act\nA provision of an Act or law that authorises or requires—\n\t(a)\tthe publishing of legislation in the Gazette; or\n\t(b)\tthe making of legislation by the publishing of the legislation in the Gazette,\nwill be taken to have been complied with if the legislation is published under this Act instead of, or in addition to, being published in the Gazette.\n5—Program for revision and publication of legislation\n\t(1)\tThere is to be an ongoing program for the revision and publication of legislation.\n\t(2)\tThe principal object of the program is to consolidate public general legislation and make up-to-date copies of the public general legislation available to members of the public in printed or electronic form.\n\t(3)\tThe following legislation may be excluded from the program:\n\t(a)\tprivate Acts;\n\t(b)\tlegislation that, owing to its restricted or local application or nature, is not, in the opinion of the Commissioner, of sufficient importance to justify inclusion in the program;\n\t(c)\tlegislation the operation of which has expired or which has been or the operation of which has been superseded;\n\t(d)\tlegislation that, except for provisions relating to short titles or citations or other preliminary, formal or transitional matter, consists of repeals or amendments of legislation;\n\t(e)\tlegislation of a class prescribed by the regulations.\n6—Supervision by Commissioner\nLegislation may only be revised or published under this Act under the supervision of the Commissioner.\n7—Alterations that may be made in revising legislation\n\t(1)\tIn revising legislation under this Act—\n\t(a)\tthe following may be omitted:\n\t(i)\tprovisions setting out the arrangement of the legislation or its provisions;\n\t(ii)\tprovisions (that have commenced) consisting of repeals or amendments of legislation;\n\t(iii)\tsaving, transitional or validation provisions that apply only to a time or event that has passed;\n\t(iv)\tother provisions that are spent or have expired or otherwise ceased to have effect; and\n\t(b)\tthe long title to an Act and any relevant headings may be altered so as to take account of the omission of provisions under this Act; and\n\t(c)\tobsolete headings may be omitted; and\n\t(d)\tif the legislation contains a minor error or would contain a minor error if consolidated in a particular way, the legislation may be expressed in a different way so as to correct or avoid the error; and\n\t(e)\ta reference to legislation or a legislative provision for which some other legislation or provision has been substituted may be altered to a reference to the substituted legislation or provision; and\n\t(f)\ta reference to a name, title or citation of any place, person, authority or legislation that has been changed by or under an Act or law may be altered to the name, title or citation as so changed; and\n\t(g)\tfigures that indicate a year of the 20th century may be replaced with figures that indicate a year of the 21st century if the figures relate to an act to be performed in future; and\n\t(h)\tto achieve consistency with current practice or uniformity in style—\n\t(i)\tthe enacting words in an Act may be altered and, where the enacting words are included in a preamble, they may be separated from the preamble; and\n\t(ii)\ta heading may be inserted above a preamble to indicate that it is a preamble; and\n\t(iii)\tthe style of references to legislation or to non-legislative works may be altered; and\n\t(iv)\tspelling may be altered; and\n\t(v)\tnumbering may be altered, deleted or added; and\n\t(vi)\texpressions of a number, year, date or time or of a quantity or measurement may be expressed differently; and\n\t(vii)\tan amount of money that is not expressed as an amount in decimal currency may be expressed as an amount in decimal currency if, according to the provisions of the Decimal Currency Act 1965, it is to be read as such; and\n\t(viii)\ta penalty at the foot of a provision may be stated to be a maximum penalty if it is so by virtue of the Legislation Interpretation Act 2021; and\n\t(ix)\tformatting or any other matter related to presentation may be altered (including, for example, the setting out of provisions, the type, the use of symbols in place of words having the same meaning, the placement of conjunctives and disjunctives and the use of capital letters, punctuation, hyphens, italics, bolding and quotation marks); and\n\t(i)\talterations of a kind prescribed by regulation may be made.\n\t(2)\tSubsection (1) does not permit alterations to legislation that would change the effect of the legislation.\n\t(3)\tMaterial that, immediately before the commencement of section 19 of the Legislation Interpretation Act 2021, appeared in legislation, or in a Bill before the Parliament, but did not form part of the legislation or Bill may be omitted or varied when the legislation is revised after the commencement of that section (but may not be so omitted or varied more than once).\n\t(4)\tIf legislation is revised under this Act, legislative history notes must be made publicly available recording—\n\t(a)\tthe instruments by which the legislation has been amended or varied; and\n\t(b)\thow the provisions of the legislation have been affected by those instruments; and\n\t(c)\trelevant assent and commencement dates for those instruments; and\n\t(d)\tthe omission of provisions under this section.\n8—Publication of legislation\n\t(1)\tSubject to subsection (2), legislation may be published under this Act by—\n\t(a)\tpublishing a printed copy of the legislation; or\n\t(b)\tpublishing an electronic copy of the legislation, from a website or otherwise, in accordance with the regulations.\n\t(2)\tIf legislation cannot, for technical or other reasons, be published in a manner contemplated by subsection (1), it may instead be published by—\n\t(a)\tpublishing it, and the date of publication, in another way determined by the Commissioner; and\n\t(b)\tpublishing it in a manner contemplated by subsection (1) as soon as practicable.\n\t(3)\tIf legislation is published in accordance with the regulations by making it accessible from a website and conditions prescribed by regulation are satisfied, then an electronic copy of the legislation downloaded from the website or a print of that electronic copy will, for the purposes of this and any other Act, be taken to be published under this Act.\n\t(4)\tWhere the Commissioner considers it appropriate, legislation that has been revised may be republished in parts so that only those parts affected are substituted, and, in that event, the republication will be taken to comprise the substituted parts together with the most recent republication of each other part of the legislation.\n\t(5)\tLegislation revised and republished under this Act has effect as if alterations made in the course of the revision to material that forms part of the legislation for interpretation purposes had been made by legislation that came into operation immediately before the date of republication.\n\t(6)\tLegislation must be published under this Act without reference to the Latin regnal year.\n8A—Special provisions relating to publication of legislation from website\n\t(1)\tIf any legislation is published under this Act only in the form of an electronic copy published from a website, the Commissioner must ensure that the legislation—\n\t(a)\tcontinues to be made available from that website; or\n\t(b)\tis otherwise published under this Act and available to members of the public,\nwhile the legislation remains in force.\n\t(2)\tA failure by the Commissioner to comply with subsection (1) in relation to any legislation does not affect the validity or operation of the legislation.\n9—Evidence\n\t(1)\tIn any legal proceedings, legislation revised and published under this Act or any former Act or provision of an Act that provided for the revision and publication of legislation is, in the absence of proof to the contrary, to be taken to set out correctly the contents of the legislation as in force at the date, or for the period, specified in the document.\n\t(2)\tIn any legal proceedings, legislation published under this Act that has not been amended or varied or altered in material that forms part of the legislation for interpretation purposes is, in the absence of proof to the contrary, to be taken to set out correctly the contents of the legislation.\n\t(3)\tIf a website prescribed by the regulations specifies a day as the day on which legislation was published under this Act, in any legal proceedings the day so specified is, in the absence of proof to the contrary, to be taken to be the day on which the legislation was so published.\n10—Regulations\nThe Governor may make such regulations as are contemplated by, or necessary or expedient for the purposes of, this Act.\nSchedule—Transitional provisions\n4—Transitional provision\nA person holding the office of the Commissioner of Statute Revision immediately before the commencement of this clause continues as the Commissioner for Legislation Revision and Publication under this Act without further appointment.\nLegislative history\nNotes\n\t•\tPlease note—References in the legislation to other legislation or instruments or to titles of bodies or offices are not automatically updated as part of the program for the revision and publication of legislation and therefore may be obsolete.\n\t•\tEarlier versions of this Act (historical versions) are listed at the end of the legislative history.\n\t•\tFor further information relating to the Act and subordinate legislation made under the Act see the Index of South Australian Statutes or www.legislation.sa.gov.au.\nLegislation repealed by principal Act\nThe Legislation Revision and Publication Act 2002 repealed the following:\nActs Republication Act 1967\nLegislation amended by principal Act\nThe Legislation Revision and Publication Act 2002 amended the following:\nEvidence Act 1929\nSubordinate Legislation Act 1978\nPrincipal Act and amendments\nNew entries appear in bold.\nYear\nNo\nTitle\nAssent\nCommencement\n2002\n32\nLegislation Revision and Publication Act 2002\n28.11.2002\n1.1.2003 (Gazette 19.12.2002 p4735)\n2016\n62\nStatutes Amendment (Courts and Justice Measures) Act 2016\n8.12.2016\nPt 7 (ss 12 & 13)—8.12.2016: s 2(1)\n2021\n36\nLegislation Interpretation Act 2021\n30.9.2021\nSch 1 (cll 8 to 14)—1.1.2022 (Gazette 23.12.2021 p4619)\nProvisions amended\nNew entries appear in bold.\nEntries that relate to provisions that have been deleted appear in italics.\nProvision\nHow varied\nCommencement\nLong title\namended under Legislation Revision and Publication Act 2002\n\ns 2\nomitted under Legislation Revision and Publication Act 2002\n\ns 3\n\n\nlegislation\namended by 36/2021 Sch 1 cl 8\n1.1.2022\ns 4A\ninserted by 36/2021 Sch 1 cl 9\n1.1.2022\ns 5\n\n\ns 5(2)\namended by 62/2016 s 12\n8.12.2016\ns 5(3)\namended by 36/2021 Sch 1 cl 10(1), (2)\n1.1.2022\ns 7\n\n\ns 7(1)\namended by 36/2021 Sch 1 cl 11(1), (2)\n1.1.2022\ns 7(3)\nsubstituted by 36/2021 Sch 1 cl 11(3)\n1.1.2022\ns 8\n\n\ns 8(1)\nsubstituted by 62/2016 s 13\n8.12.2016\n\namended by 36/2021 Sch 1 cl 12(1)\n1.1.2022\ns 8(2)\ndeleted by 62/2016 s 13\n8.12.2016\n\ninserted by 36/2021 Sch 1 cl 12(2)\n1.1.2022\ns 8A\ninserted by 36/2021 Sch 1 cl 13\n1.1.2022\ns 9\n\n\ns 9(3)\ninserted by 36/2021 Sch 1 cl 14\n1.1.2022\nSch\n\n\ncll 1—3\nomitted under Legislation Revision and Publication Act 2002\n\nHistorical versions\n8.12.2016\n\n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The Act remains focused on its original purpose of providing for the revision and publication of South Australian legislation. The 2016 and 2021 amendments updated mechanisms for electronic publication and made technical adjustments to align with the Legislation Interpretation Act 2021, but did not expand the scope beyond the core functions of consolidation, correction, and publication."},"complexity_factors":["Straightforward structure with only 10 main sections plus a short Schedule","Limited defined terms (only 4: Commissioner, consolidate, legislation, minor error)","Minimal cross-referencing — primarily internal references and one reference to the Legislation Interpretation Act 2021","Section 7 contains a detailed but orderly list of permitted technical alterations (paragraphs (a) through (i)), which is lengthy but not nested or conditional","No exceptions to exceptions or deeply nested conditional logic","Clear purpose and operation — essentially procedural/administrative machinery legislation","Recent amendments (2021) modernised electronic publication provisions but did not significantly complicate the structure"],"plain_english_summary":"This Act sets up the system for keeping South Australian laws accurate, up-to-date, and accessible to the public.\n\n**What it does:**\n- Creates the office of **Commissioner for Legislation Revision and Publication** — a senior lawyer (usually the Parliamentary Counsel) who oversees the process\n- Establishes an **ongoing program** to revise and publish South Australian legislation\n- Allows the Commissioner to make **technical corrections** when updating laws — fixing spelling mistakes, updating cross-references, removing outdated provisions, and modernising formatting — **without changing what the law actually means**\n- Provides that **official versions** of laws can be published in print or electronically (such as on the official legislation website)\n- States that **downloaded or printed copies** from the official website are legally valid copies of the legislation\n- Makes these published versions **presumed correct** in court unless someone proves otherwise\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- **Everyone** — because it ensures the public can access accurate, current versions of South Australian laws\n- **Lawyers and judges** — who rely on official consolidated versions of legislation\n- **The Commissioner and staff** — who perform the technical revision work\n\n**Why it matters:**\nWithout this Act, you'd have to read through dozens of separate amendment documents to work out what the law actually says today. This Act creates 'consolidated' versions — single documents that combine the original law with all changes made over time. It also ensures that when you look up a law on the official website, you're looking at something legally reliable."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":6,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"The Act was originally focused on consolidating and publishing legislation, but amendments (especially by the Legislation Interpretation Act 2021) broadened its scope to allow electronic publication as the primary method, removed requirements for Gazette publication, and expanded the types of alterations permissible. This shifts the Act from a simple codification tool to a comprehensive digital publishing framework with significant discretion given to the Commissioner."},"complexity_factors":["Multiple cross-references to other Acts (e.g., Legislation Interpretation Act 2021, Decimal Currency Act 1965)","Broad defined terms like 'legislation' and 'minor error' with extensive examples","Nested conditions in section 7 regarding alterations (subsection (2) prohibits changing effect, but subsection (3) allows omission of non-operative material)","Transitional provisions and legislative history add layers","Regulation-making power (section 10) allows further rule-setting without parliamentary scrutiny"],"plain_english_summary":"This Act sets up a system for keeping South Australian laws up-to-date and easy to find. It creates a 'Commissioner for Legislation Revision and Publication' who oversees a program to consolidate (merge together) public laws with any amendments, and then publish them in print or online. The Act allows the Commissioner to fix minor errors (like typos or formatting) and remove outdated provisions, but only if the change does not alter the law's meaning. Published versions are accepted as evidence in court. The Act also allows laws to be published on a website instead of in the official Gazette, which is cheaper and more accessible. However, this convenience comes with risks: if the website goes down, the law might become temporarily unavailable (though it remains legally valid). The Act expands government discretion over how laws are presented, potentially reducing the need for traditional official publication, and shifts control to a single commissioner. This may reduce costs but also concentrates power over the authoritative version of the law."},"summary":{"complexity_score":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Scope cannot be assessed as the legislative text was not retrievable. The page returned was an error page from the South Australian legislation website following a site update on 24 March 2026."},"complexity_factors":["No actual legislative text was retrievable — the source URL returned a 404-style 'Page Not Found' error","The only content available is website navigation and an error message, making substantive legal analysis impossible","Complexity cannot be meaningfully assessed without access to the Act's provisions"],"plain_english_summary":"**No legislation content could be retrieved.**\n\nThe link provided did not return the actual text of the *Legislation Revision and Publication Act 2002* (SA). Instead, it returned a **'Page Not Found'** error from the South Australian legislation website, likely because a website update on 24 March 2026 broke older hyperlinks.\n\n**What this means for you:** No meaningful legal analysis can be performed on the substance of this Act based on the content provided. To access the actual legislation, try:\n- Visiting [legislation.sa.gov.au](https://www.legislation.sa.gov.au) directly and searching for the Act by name\n- Emailing the site administrators at OPCWeb@sa.gov.au to report the broken link\n\n**For general context only:** The *Legislation Revision and Publication Act 2002* (SA) is the law that governs how South Australian legislation is officially revised, consolidated (combined into one updated document), and published. It establishes the legal status of consolidated versions of Acts and Regulations available on the SA legislation website."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/legislation-revision-and-publication-act-2002","history":"/api/acts/legislation-revision-and-publication-act-2002/history","analysis":"/api/acts/legislation-revision-and-publication-act-2002/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/legislation-revision-and-publication-act-2002/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/legislation-revision-and-publication-act-2002/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/legislation-revision-and-publication-act-2002/documents"}}