{"id":"mandatory-testing-infectious-diseases-regulations-2020","name":"Mandatory Testing (Infectious Diseases) Regulations 2020","slug":"mandatory-testing-infectious-diseases-regulations-2020","collection":"regulation","jurisdiction":"wa","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":178924,"registerId":"wa-mandatory-testing-infectious-diseases-regulations-2020-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-05","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Mandatory Testing (Infectious Diseases) Regulations 2020","content":"![Crest]()Western Australia\n\nMandatory Testing (Infectious Diseases) Act 2014\n\nMandatory Testing (Infectious Diseases) Regulations 2020\n\nWestern Australia\n\nMandatory Testing (Infectious Diseases) Regulations 2020\n\nContents\n\n1. Citation 1\n\n2. Commencement 1\n\n3. COVID-19 prescribed as infectious disease 1\n\nNotes\n\nCompilation table 2\n\n  \n\nMandatory Testing (Infectious Diseases) Act 2014\n\nMandatory Testing (Infectious Diseases) Regulations 2020\n\n##### 1. Citation\n\n\t\tThese regulations are the *Mandatory Testing (Infectious Diseases) Regulations 2020*.\n\n##### 2. Commencement\n\nThese regulations come into operation as follows —\n\n(a) regulations 1 and 2 — on the day on which these regulations are published in the *Gazette*;\n\n(b) the rest of the regulations — on the day after that day.\n\n##### 3. COVID-19 prescribed as infectious disease\n\nCOVID-19 is prescribed for the purposes of paragraph (d) of the definition of ***infectious disease*** in section 4 of the Act.\n\nNotes\n\nThis is a compilation of the *Mandatory Testing (Infectious Diseases) Regulations 2020*. For provisions that have come into operation see the compilation table.\n\nCompilation table\n\n| **Citation** | **Published** | **Commencement** |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| *Mandatory Testing (Infectious Diseases) Regulations 2020* | SL 2020/59 21 May 2020 | r. 1 and 2: 21 May 2020 (see r. 2(a));   Regulations other than r. 1 and 2: 22 May 2020 (see r. 2(b)) |\n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"summary":{"complexity_score":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Scope cannot be assessed as the legislative text was not retrievable. The page hosting the regulations has been removed or relocated on the Western Australian Parliamentary Counsel's Office website."},"complexity_factors":["No legislative text was available for analysis — the page returned a 404-style error message only","Complexity cannot be meaningfully assessed without the actual content","Score of 1 reflects absence of data, not simplicity of the underlying law"],"plain_english_summary":"## ⚠️ Content Unavailable\n\nThe actual text of the **Mandatory Testing (Infectious Diseases) Regulations 2020** (Western Australia) could not be retrieved. The page hosting this legislation has been taken down or moved due to system upgrades on the Western Australian legislation website.\n\n**What we do know:**\n- This is a Western Australian regulation (subordinate legislation made under a parent Act)\n- It relates to **mandatory testing for infectious diseases** — likely involving situations where someone (e.g. a healthcare worker or emergency responder) is involuntarily exposed to potentially infectious bodily fluids, and the exposed person can apply to have the source person tested\n- It was made in **2020**, suggesting it may have been created or updated in response to the COVID-19 pandemic environment\n\n**To access the actual legislation**, visit the [Western Australian legislation website](https://www.legislation.wa.gov.au) and search for *Mandatory Testing (Infectious Diseases) Regulations 2020* directly."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The regulations perform exactly the function intended by the parent Act — adding a specific disease to the prescribed list. There is no scope creep; the instrument is a straightforward exercise of the regulation-making power in section 4(d) of the Mandatory Testing (Infectious Diseases) Act 2014."},"complexity_factors":["Only 3 operative provisions (citation, commencement, and prescription of COVID-19)","No defined terms within the instrument itself (relies entirely on parent Act definitions)","No conditional logic, exceptions, or cross-references beyond the single reference to section 4 of the parent Act","Total length: approximately 200 words of substantive content","Single purpose instrument with linear structure"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this legislation does:**\n\nThese regulations add **COVID-19** to the list of diseases covered by Western Australia's *Mandatory Testing (Infectious Diseases) Act 2014*.\n\n**Who it affects:**\n\n- **Police officers and emergency workers** who may have been exposed to bodily fluids while on duty\n- **Medical professionals** who conduct the testing\n- **Persons whose bodily fluids** are involved in exposure incidents (who can be compelled to provide samples)\n\n**Why it matters:**\n\nUnder the parent Act, if a police officer or emergency worker is splashed with blood or another bodily fluid while working, they can apply for a court order forcing the source person to undergo testing for specific infectious diseases. This regulation ensures **COVID-19 is now one of those diseases**.\n\nThis protects frontline workers by giving them a legal pathway to find out if they've been exposed to the virus, without relying on the other person's consent.\n\n**Key point:** This is a short, technical update — it doesn't create new powers, just extends existing ones to cover the pandemic."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"Regulation 3 expands the Act’s subject-matter by prescribing COVID-19 as an \"infectious disease\" for the purposes of paragraph (d) of the definition in section 4 of the Act. That extension brings COVID-19 within the Act’s mandatory-testing powers where it was not explicitly included before. The regulations do not themselves modify the Act’s procedural limits, enforcement rules or cost arrangements (see r.3)."},"complexity_factors":["Single operative provision: one substantive clause prescribing COVID-19 (regulation 3).","Cross-reference dependency: effects depend on the definition and powers in the Mandatory Testing (Infectious Diseases) Act 2014 (see r.3 referencing s.4(d) of the Act).","No procedural detail: the regulations do not set testing methods, enforcement mechanisms, or cost allocation, shifting implementation complexity to the Act and administrative practice.","Commencement mechanics: staggered start for citation/commencement and operative provision (regulation 2).","Potentially wide practical effect despite textual brevity: prescription activates existing compulsory-testing powers for a widely transmissible disease, creating operational and compliance demand on authorities and individuals."],"plain_english_summary":"These regulations add COVID-19 to the diseases covered by the Mandatory Testing (Infectious Diseases) Act 2014 (regulation 3), so the Act’s powers to require testing can be used for COVID-19. Regulations 1–2 set the instrument’s citation and staggered commencement (regulation 2). The regulation does not set testing procedures, costs or enforcement detail; it operates by linking COVID-19 to the Act’s existing compulsory-testing framework and thus changes who may be required to submit to testing (r.3)."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/mandatory-testing-infectious-diseases-regulations-2020","history":"/api/acts/mandatory-testing-infectious-diseases-regulations-2020/history","analysis":"/api/acts/mandatory-testing-infectious-diseases-regulations-2020/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/mandatory-testing-infectious-diseases-regulations-2020/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/mandatory-testing-infectious-diseases-regulations-2020/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/mandatory-testing-infectious-diseases-regulations-2020/documents"}}