{"id":"F2020L00448","name":"Torres Strait Regional Authority (Postponement of Election) Instrument 2020","slug":"torres-strait-regional-authority-postponement-of-election-instrument-2020","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":440450,"registerId":"F2020L00448-fast-fetch-1775956066292","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-12","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Torres Strait Regional Authority (Postponement of Election) Instrument 2020","content":"---\nmeta-content-style-type: text/css\nmeta-content-type: application/xhtml+xml; charset=utf-8\n---\n\n?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\" standalone=\"no\"?>\n\n![Commonwealth Coat of Arms of Australia](image.001.jpeg)\n\n \n\nTorres Strait Regional Authority (Postponement of Election) Instrument 2020\n\nI, Ken Wyatt, Minister for Indigenous Australians, make the following instrument.\n\nDated 16th April 202   \n\nKen Wyatt \n\nMinister for Indigenous Australians\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nContents\n\n1  Name\n\n2  Commencement\n\n3  Authority\n\n4  Definitions\n\n5  Postponement of TSRA election\n\n6  Timing of next TSRA election\n\n7  Subsequent TSRA elections\n\n \n\n \n\n1  Name\n\n  This instrument is the Torres Strait Regional Authority (Postponement of Election) Instrument 2020.\n\n2  Commencement\n\n (1) Each provision of this instrument specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect according to its terms.\n\n \n\n- Commencement information\n- Column 1 Column 2 Column 3\n- Provisions Commencement Date/Details\n- The whole of this instrument. The day after this instrument is registered.\n\n\nNote: This table relates only to the provisions of this instrument as originally made. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this instrument.\n\n (2) Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this instrument. Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it may be edited, in any published version of this instrument.\n\n3  Authority\n\n  This instrument is made under section 142S of the Act.\n\n4  Definitions\n\n  In this instrument:\n\nAct means the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Act 2005.\n\nTSRA election has the meaning given in subsection 4(1) of the Act.\n\n5  Postponement of TSRA election\n\n (1) This section:\n\n (a) is made for the purposes of subsection 142S(1) of the Act; and\n\n (b) displaces the operation of subsection 142Y(1) of the Act.\n\n (2) The next TSRA election, which is due to be held in July 2020, is postponed until a date to be fixed in accordance with section 6.\n\n6  Timing of next TSRA election\n\n  For the purposes of subsection 142Y(2) of the Act, the day or days fixed for polling in the next TSRA election shall be no later than 31 March 2021.\n\n \n\n7  Subsequent TSRA elections\n\n  Subsection 142Y(1) of the Act applies to subsequent TSRA elections held after 31 March 2021.\n\n \n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"A positive credit balance is required for all requests, including BYOK, so fallback providers remain available. Add credits at https://vercel.com/d?to=%2F%5Bteam%5D%2F%7E%2Fai%3Fmodal%3Dtop-up to continue.","source":"analysis-cron"},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"Yes. The instrument alters the statutory timetable by postponing the TSRA election due July 2020 and displacing subsection 142Y(1) for that election (section 5), then setting a latest polling date of 31 March 2021 (section 6). It confines the change to a single, next election and restores the ordinary statutory rule for elections after 31 March 2021 (section 7)."},"complexity_factors":["Cross-references to multiple Act provisions (s142S authority; displacement of s142Y(1); use of s142Y(2) — requires reading the Act alongside the instrument).","Displacement mechanism (section 5) temporarily overrides an existing statutory rule for a single election.","Temporal constraint in section 6 sets a latest permissible polling date (no later than 31 March 2021) but does not specify the exact polling day(s), leaving timing choice to the instrument-making power under the Act.","Limited, one-off scope (applies only to the next TSRA election) and an explicit reversion for subsequent elections (section 7) — requires tracking temporal application.","Commencement provision starts operation the day after registration, which is a technical timing detail for implementation.","Low volume of substantive clauses, but legal effect depends on understanding the referenced subsections of the principal Act."],"plain_english_summary":"This instrument delays the Torres Strait Regional Authority (TSRA) election originally due in July 2020 and fixes that the polling day(s) for the next TSRA election must be no later than 31 March 2021. Made under section 142S of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Act 2005, it temporarily displaces subsection 142Y(1) for that election and restores the ordinary timing rules for elections held after 31 March 2021. It affects TSRA electors, candidates and electoral administrators by changing the election timetable and who decides precise polling day(s)."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The instrument performs exactly the limited, temporary function its title suggests — postponing a single election due to exceptional circumstances (COVID-19). It does not expand the Authority's powers, alter its structure, or create ongoing administrative burdens beyond the one-off delay."},"complexity_factors":["Very short document (7 sections, approximately 1 page)","Only 2 defined terms ('Act' and 'TSRA election')","Minimal cross-referencing (only references to sections 142S and 142Y of the parent Act)","Simple conditional logic (postponement applies only to the specific 2020 election, with automatic return to normal rules thereafter)","No nested exceptions or complicated procedural requirements"],"plain_english_summary":"This is a short legal instrument made by the Minister for Indigenous Australians, Ken Wyatt, in April 2020. It postpones the scheduled election for the Torres Strait Regional Authority (TSRA) — the body that represents Torres Strait Islander people and manages their affairs.\n\n**What it does:**\n- **Delays the election**: The TSRA election originally planned for July 2020 is pushed back to sometime before 31 March 2021.\n- **Why it matters**: This was made during the early COVID-19 pandemic, when holding elections safely was difficult.\n- **Who it affects**: Torres Strait Islander people who vote in TSRA elections, and the candidates standing for positions on the Authority.\n- **What happens next**: Elections after March 2021 return to their normal schedule.\n\nThe instrument uses powers in the *Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Act 2005* to override the usual election timing rules temporarily."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/torres-strait-regional-authority-postponement-of-election-instrument-2020","history":"/api/acts/torres-strait-regional-authority-postponement-of-election-instrument-2020/history","analysis":"/api/acts/torres-strait-regional-authority-postponement-of-election-instrument-2020/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/torres-strait-regional-authority-postponement-of-election-instrument-2020/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/torres-strait-regional-authority-postponement-of-election-instrument-2020/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/torres-strait-regional-authority-postponement-of-election-instrument-2020/documents"}}