{"id":"tas:act-1986-090","name":"Unauthorized Documents Act 1986","slug":"unauthorized-documents-act-1986","collection":"act","jurisdiction":"tas","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":"90 of 1986","makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":109868,"registerId":"tas-act-1986-090-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-03","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Short title","content":"### 1 Short title\n\n> This Act may be cited as the [Unauthorized Documents Act 1986](/view/html/inforce/2026-04-12/act-1986-090) .","sortOrder":0},{"sectionNumber":"2","sectionType":"section","heading":"Commencement","content":"### 2 Commencement\n\n> > (1)  This section and [section 1](#GS1@EN) shall commence on the day on which this Act receives the Royal Assent.\n> \n> > (2)  Except as provided in [subsection (1)](#GS2@Gs1@EN) , this Act shall commence on such day as may be fixed by proclamation.","sortOrder":1},{"sectionNumber":"3","sectionType":"section","heading":"Interpretation","content":"### 3 Interpretation\n\n> In this Act, unless the contrary intention appears –\n> \n> > ***document*** includes any notice, claim, demand, or process or any document relating to any extra-judicial remedy;\n> \n> > ***judicial authority*** means a body or authority which is established or constituted by or under an Act or under the royal prerogative which comprises a person or persons appointed by the Governor or a Minister to hear, receive, and examine evidence or to make any inquiry;\n> \n> > ***tribunal*** includes any court, judge, magistrate, justice, or public officer whether in or out of the State.","sortOrder":2},{"sectionNumber":"4","sectionType":"section","heading":"Offence to print, &c., or distribute, &c., certain documents","content":"### 4 Offence to print, &c., or distribute, &c., certain documents\n\n> > (1)  *\\[Section 4 Subsection (1) amended by No. 43 of 1991, s. 5 and Sched. 1 \\]*A person who –\n> > \n> > > > (a) prints, publishes, or sells, or offers or exhibits for sale, or causes to be printed, published or sold, or offered or exhibited for sale;\n> > > \n> > > > (b) distributes, sends or delivers to, or serves on, or causes to be distributed, sent, or delivered to, or served on, any other person –\n> > \n> > any paper or writing which is not an original or a copy of a document published or issued out of, or by, or under, the authority or with the sanction of a tribunal or judicial authority, but which in the opinion of the court before which any proceedings under this section are brought, is reasonably capable of conveying to a person the impression that the paper or writing is a document published or issued out of, or by, or under, the authority or with the sanction of any tribunal or judicial authority, is guilty of an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a penalty not exceeding 10 penalty units.\n> \n> > (2)  For the purposes of [subsection (1)](#GS4@Gs1@EN) , in determining whether a paper or writing is reasonably capable of conveying the impression that the paper or writing is an original or a copy of a document published or issued out of, or by, or under, the authority or with the sanction of any tribunal or judicial authority, any statement in the paper or writing to the effect that –\n> > \n> > > > (a) it is not such a document or a copy of such a document; or\n> > > \n> > > > (b) it is not intended to convey the impression that it is such a document or a copy of such a document –\n> > \n> > shall be disregarded unless the statement is printed in a conspicuous position on the paper or writing and in a type that is more conspicuous than any other type used in the paper or writing.","sortOrder":3},{"sectionNumber":"5","sectionType":"section","heading":"Evidence of certain matters","content":"### 5 Evidence of certain matters\n\n> In any proceedings for an offence under this Act –\n> \n> > > (a) the naming of a person on any paper or writing to which that offence relates in such a way as to imply that the person is the printer, publisher, seller, distributor, or sender of such a paper or writing, is *prima facie* evidence that the person is the printer, publisher, seller, distributor, or sender of such a paper or writing; and\n> > \n> > > (b) an allegation that such a paper or writing is not an original or a copy of a document published or issued out of, or by or under, the authority or with the sanction of a tribunal or judicial authority, is *prima facie* evidence of the fact alleged.","sortOrder":4},{"sectionNumber":"6","sectionType":"section","heading":"Penalties, &c., in case of bodies corporate","content":"### 6 Penalties, &c., in case of bodies corporate\n\n> Without affecting any other liability of any person under this Act or otherwise –\n> \n> > > (a) a company or other body corporate is liable to any penalty or punishment for any offence under this Act as if it were a private person so far as such penalty or punishment is enforceable against a company or body corporate; and\n> > \n> > > (b) a director, manager, secretary, or officer of any such company and a member of the managing body or any such body corporate who commits or knowingly authorises or permits an offence under this Act is also liable to the penalty or punishment for that offence.","sortOrder":5},{"sectionNumber":"7","sectionType":"section","heading":"Other proceedings not affected","content":"### 7 Other proceedings not affected\n\n> Nothing in this Act shall be held to affect any other proceeding civil or criminal, which might have been taken against any person if this Act had not passed but a person shall not be punished for the same offence under any such proceedings and under this Act.","sortOrder":6}],"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"},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The legislation remains tightly focused on its original purpose of prohibiting fake judicial documents. The 1991 amendment (noted in the margin) appears to be a minor technical update. There is no evidence of scope creep into unrelated areas."},"complexity_factors":["Only 3 defined terms in the interpretation section ('document', 'judicial authority', 'tribunal')","Single substantive offence in section 4 with two subsections","Straightforward evidentiary presumptions in section 5 using standard legal language ('prima facie evidence')","Standard corporate liability provisions in section 6 (common boilerplate for making companies and officers liable)","No cross-references to other Acts or complex conditional chains","Legislation is concise (7 sections total) and self-contained","Minor complexity in subsection 4(2) regarding the conspicuousness requirement for disclaimers, but this is clearly drafted"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this law does:**\n\nThis law makes it a crime to create or distribute fake official documents that look like they come from a court, tribunal, or other legal authority.\n\n**Who it affects:**\n\n- **Printers, publishers, and sellers** – anyone producing documents that resemble official court or tribunal papers\n- **Distributors** – anyone sending or delivering such documents to others\n- **Companies and their officers** – businesses can be fined, and directors/managers can be personally punished if they knew about or allowed the offence\n\n**What is actually banned:**\n\nYou break this law if you:\n- Print, publish, sell, or distribute any paper or writing\n- That **isn't** an official document from a court or tribunal\n- But looks enough like one that a reasonable person might think it's genuine\n\n**Important caveat:** Even if you write \"this is not a real court document\" on the fake, that warning doesn't count unless it's printed in the **most noticeable position and largest type** on the page. Otherwise, the court ignores your disclaimer.\n\n**Why it matters:**\n\nThis targets **scam documents** – fake court orders, phony tribunal notices, or imitation legal demands used to intimidate or deceive people. The law protects the integrity of the justice system by making it harder for fraudsters to pass off unofficial papers as having real legal force.\n\n**Penalties:**\n\n- Up to 10 penalty units (a fine, with the dollar value set by state law)\n- Companies can be fined; individual officers can face personal liability if they knew about the offence"},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":4,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"The text notes an amendment to section 4 (annotation: amended by No. 43 of 1991), indicating the Act's scope has been modified since enactment. The provided material does not include the pre-amendment wording, so the direction and precise extent of the change cannot be determined from this text alone."},"complexity_factors":["Judicial discretion in determining whether a paper is \"reasonably capable\" of conveying an official impression (s4) creates fact-specific uncertainty","Conspicuousness test for disclaimers — a formal, comparative typographical requirement (s4(2))","Prima facie evidentiary presumptions shift evidential burden in prosecutions (s5)","Corporate and officer liability extends penalties beyond natural persons, increasing compliance obligations for businesses (s6)","Short Act with compact structure reduces navigational complexity but concentrates interpretive risk in a few provisions"],"plain_english_summary":"This Act makes it an offence to print, publish, sell, distribute or serve papers that are not genuine tribunal or judicial documents but are reasonably capable of conveying that impression (s4). Courts decide whether a paper gives that impression, and any disclaimer is ignored unless printed conspicuously (s4(2)).\n\nPenalties on conviction include up to 10 penalty units for individuals; companies and responsible officers can be punished too (s4, s6). Prima facie evidentiary rules assist prosecutions (s5), so printers and distributors face compliance and legal risk."},"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Insufficient content was provided to assess whether the Act's scope changed from its original intent. No substantive provisions, objects clauses, or amendment history details were included in the supplied text."},"complexity_factors":["Only administrative metadata was provided — no substantive legal provisions were included, making genuine complexity assessment impossible","The Act title suggests a relatively narrow subject matter (unauthorized documents), which typically indicates moderate rather than high complexity","The Act has been stable since at least 1997 with minimal amendments, suggesting it is not a heavily layered or frequently revised piece of legislation","Tasmanian state legislation of this era tends to be more concise than Commonwealth equivalents"],"plain_english_summary":"The Unauthorized Documents Act 1986 is a Tasmanian statute (in force since at least 1 Feb 1997 and current as of Apr 2026) that — on its face — targets the production, use or distribution of documents without proper authorisation (e.g., forged or improperly issued official papers). It has been amended and remains on the books.\n\nBecause the substantive text isn’t provided, specifics and penalties can’t be confirmed; people or organisations that create, handle or rely on official documents should review the full Act or seek legal advice."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/unauthorized-documents-act-1986","history":"/api/acts/unauthorized-documents-act-1986/history","analysis":"/api/acts/unauthorized-documents-act-1986/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/unauthorized-documents-act-1986/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/unauthorized-documents-act-1986/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/unauthorized-documents-act-1986/documents"}}