{"id":"tas:sr-1998-115","name":"Proclamation under the Sea-Carriage Documents Act 1997","slug":"proclamation-under-the-sea-carriage-documents-act-1997","collection":"regulation","jurisdiction":"tas","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":"115 of 1998","makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":319007,"registerId":"tas-tas:sr-1998-115-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-08","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Proclamation under the Sea-Carriage Documents Act 1997","content":"> Proclamation under the Sea-Carriage Documents Act 1997\n\nI, the Lieutenant-Governor in and over the State of Tasmania and its Dependencies in the Commonwealth of Australia, acting with the advice of the Executive Council, by this my proclamation made under [section 2 of the](/view/html/inforce/2026-04-12/act-1997-005#GS2@EN) [Sea-Carriage Documents Act 1997](/view/html/inforce/2026-04-12/act-1997-005) fix 3 August 1998 as the day on which that Act commences.\n\n23 July 1998\n\nW. J. E. COX\n\nLieutenant-Governor\n\nBy His Excellency's Command,\n\nR. J. GROOM\n\nMinister for Justice\n\nDisplayed and numbered in accordance with the *[Rules Publication Act 1953](/view/html/inforce/current/act-1953-050)*.\n\nNotified in the *Gazette* on 29 July 1998\n\nThis proclamation is administered in the Department of Justice.","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"A proclamation by nature has a fixed, narrow purpose: to bring a law or provision into force on a specified date. There is no evidence of scope change — it appears to have operated exactly as intended since 29 July 1998 without amendment."},"complexity_factors":["The document is a proclamation — a narrow administrative instrument with limited substantive content","The actual legal rules are contained in the parent Act (Sea-Carriage Documents Act 1997), not in this proclamation itself","Minimal text is available for analysis — the document is largely metadata and status information","Subject matter (sea-carriage documents) has some technical commercial law context, but the proclamation itself is straightforward"],"plain_english_summary":"This proclamation brought Tasmania’s Sea‑Carriage Documents Act 1997 into force on 29 July 1998, activating modernised rules that accommodate electronic as well as paper shipping documents. It affects exporters, shippers, freight forwarders and banks that rely on bills of lading and similar documents, giving legal certainty for maritime trade."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This is a commencement instrument with a single, narrow purpose: to activate the parent Act. It has not expanded beyond its original procedural function."},"complexity_factors":["Single operative provision fixing a commencement date","No defined terms","No cross-references to other legislation (except citation of the parent Act)","No conditional logic or exceptions","Standard ceremonial/formulaic language only"],"plain_english_summary":"This is a **commencement proclamation** — a formal government notice that brings a law into force.\n\n**What it does:**\n- Sets **3 August 1998** as the date when Tasmania's *Sea-Carriage Documents Act 1997* officially starts operating.\n\n**Who made it:**\n- The **Lieutenant-Governor of Tasmania** (the Governor's deputy) acting on advice from the **Executive Council** (the Premier and senior ministers).\n\n**Why it matters:**\n- Laws passed by Parliament don't automatically take effect immediately. This proclamation is the legal trigger that \"switches on\" the Act, telling everyone — shipping companies, lawyers, courts — when the new rules about sea-carriage documents actually apply.\n- Without this proclamation, the Act would remain dormant on the statute books.\n\n**Key context:**\n- The *Sea-Carriage Documents Act 1997* deals with legal documents used in shipping (like bills of lading — receipts for cargo on ships). This proclamation is purely procedural: it doesn't change the substance of those shipping rules; it simply activates them."},"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[{"type":"self_contradicting","section":"Status Information - Currency of version","severity":"low","reasoning":"A proclamation described as continuously current from its 1998 commencement date implies no substantive change, yet a file modification date of 22 November 2024 suggests alterations were made. While file modifications can be administrative (metadata, formatting), the coexistence of these two statements without explanation creates a mild logical tension about the instrument's true state.","confidence":0.45,"description":"The proclamation states it has been 'current from 29 July 1998 to date' yet the file was last modified on 22 November 2024, implying a static proclamation that has nonetheless been modified, creating an internal tension between 'unchanged since 1998' and 'modified in 2024'."},{"type":"other","section":"Status Information - Currency of version","severity":"low","reasoning":"The update-timeliness assurance is rendered meaningless in context: there is no operative legislative text reproduced in this document to update. The metadata wrapper exists without the instrument it purports to describe, making the currency guarantee self-referential and vacuous.","confidence":0.5,"description":"The document states legislation is 'usually updated within 3 working days after a change' but simultaneously presents a proclamation with no substantive content visible — making it impossible to assess compliance with or the purpose of that update guarantee."}],"contradictions":[{"severity":"low","section_a":"Status Information - Currency of version ('Version current from 29 July 1998 to date')","section_b":"Authorisation ('File last modified 22 November 2024')","confidence":0.4,"description":"The version is described as continuously current and unchanged since 29 July 1998, yet the file was modified as recently as 22 November 2024, suggesting either undisclosed amendments or an inconsistency between the stated currency period and actual document history."}]},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The proclamation does not alter the content or scope of the Sea‑Carriage Documents Act 1997; it solely sets the Act's commencement date for Tasmania under s 2 and records administrative notification and responsibility."},"complexity_factors":["Proclamation performs a single, discrete legal function: fixing a commencement date.","Relies on constitutional/formal executive process (Lieutenant‑Governor acting on Executive Council advice).","References a specific enabling provision (Sea‑Carriage Documents Act 1997, s 2) but contains no substantive regulatory detail.","Includes administrative formalities: Gazette notification and departmental administration (Department of Justice).","Limited interpretive ambiguity — timing and effect are straightforward; substantive complexity depends on the underlying Act, not this instrument."],"plain_english_summary":"This proclamation, made by the Lieutenant‑Governor with the advice of the Executive Council under section 2 of the Sea‑Carriage Documents Act 1997, fixes 3 August 1998 as the day the Act commences in Tasmania (notified in the Gazette 29 July 1998).\n\nMechanically, it brings the Act’s legal obligations into force on that date; persons and entities to whom the Act applies will bear any compliance costs and timing effects. The Department of Justice administers the proclamation; the Executive’s choice of commencement affects administrative readiness and when private parties must adjust behaviour."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/proclamation-under-the-sea-carriage-documents-act-1997","history":"/api/acts/proclamation-under-the-sea-carriage-documents-act-1997/history","analysis":"/api/acts/proclamation-under-the-sea-carriage-documents-act-1997/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/proclamation-under-the-sea-carriage-documents-act-1997/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/proclamation-under-the-sea-carriage-documents-act-1997/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/proclamation-under-the-sea-carriage-documents-act-1997/documents"}}