{"id":"volunteers-protection-from-liability-regulations-2005","name":"Volunteers (Protection from Liability) Regulations 2005","slug":"volunteers-protection-from-liability-regulations-2005","collection":"regulation","jurisdiction":"wa","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":182345,"registerId":"wa-volunteers-protection-from-liability-regulations-2005-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-05","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Volunteers (Protection from Liability) Regulations 2005","content":"![Crest]()Western Australia\n\nVolunteers and Food and Other Donors (Protection from Liability) Act 2002\n\nVolunteers (Protection from Liability) Regulations 2005\n\nWestern Australia\n\nVolunteers (Protection from Liability) Regulations 2005\n\nContents\n\n1. Citation 1\n\n2. Extension of meaning of “community work” in the Act 1\n\nNotes\n\nCompilation table 2\n\n  \n\nWestern Australia\n\nVolunteers and Food and Other Donors (Protection from Liability) Act 2002\n\nVolunteers (Protection from Liability) Regulations 2005\n\n##### 1. Citation\n\nThese regulations are the *Volunteers (Protection from Liability) Regulations 2005*.\n\n##### 2. Extension of meaning of “community work” in the Act\n\nFor paragraph (k) of the definition of “community work” in section 3(1) of the Act, the following purposes are prescribed —\n\n(a) the purpose of promoting the interests of an ethnic community;\n\n(b) the purpose of promoting the interests of a religious community.\n\nNotes\n\n1 This is a compilation of the *Volunteers (Protection from Liability) Regulations 2005.* The following table contains information about that regulation.\n\nCompilation table\n\n| **Citation** | **Gazettal** | **Commencement** |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| *Volunteers (Protection from Liability) Regulations 2005* | 30 Aug 2005 p. 4053 | 30 Aug 2005 |\n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"summary":{"complexity_score":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Scope cannot be assessed as the full text of the legislation was not available. The page hosting the regulations has been taken offline due to system upgrades, and no content beyond the page title and an error notice was retrievable."},"complexity_factors":["The legislation content was not retrievable — only a broken page notice was returned","No substantive text, sections, definitions, or provisions were available for analysis","Complexity cannot be meaningfully assessed without the actual legislative content","Score of 1 reflects the absence of content to analyse, not the inherent simplicity of the law itself"],"plain_english_summary":"These regulations set out the detailed rules under which volunteers in Western Australia may be protected from personal legal liability when performing volunteer work. They matter to individual volunteers, volunteer-dependent charities, clubs and emergency services because they affect the risk volunteers face and the duties organisations must manage.\n\nBecause the text wasn’t available here, check the WA legislation website or contact the Parliamentary Counsel’s Office for the current provisions."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"The regulation expands the statutory scope by specifying that, for paragraph (k) of s 3(1) of the Act, ‘community work’ includes promoting the interests of ethnic and religious communities (Regulation 2). This broadens the class of activities and volunteers that can qualify for the Act’s liability protections."},"complexity_factors":["Very short instrument: two operative clauses only (citation and the single definitional extension).","Narrow, targeted change: prescribes two specific purposes to be included under paragraph (k) of the Act’s s 3(1).","Depends on cross‑reference to the Act’s existing definition (s 3(1)(k)), so application requires reading both instruments together.","Potential interpretive breadth: the phrase “promoting the interests” is open-ended and may require judicial or administrative interpretation.","Low administrative and compliance burden: no new registration, licensing, reporting, or enforcement mechanisms introduced.","Minimal delegated discretion: regulation prescribes meaning rather than delegating new powers to agencies."],"plain_english_summary":"This regulation amends how the Volunteers and Food and Other Donors (Protection from Liability) Act 2002 defines “community work” by prescribing that, for paragraph (k) of s 3(1), activities that promote the interests of an ethnic community or a religious community are included. Mechanically, it expands who qualifies as doing \"community work\", so volunteers and organisations running those activities in Western Australia can fall within the Act’s liability protections and related legal coverage."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This regulation performs exactly the limited function suggested by its title and structure — extending the definition of 'community work' in the parent Act to cover two specific additional purposes. There is no scope creep; it remains a narrow, technical amendment to ensure ethnic and religious community volunteering receives the same liability protection as other forms of community work."},"complexity_factors":["Only 2 operative provisions (citation and single extension provision)","No defined terms within the regulations themselves","No cross-references to other legislation beyond the single reference to the parent Act","No conditional logic, exceptions, or procedural requirements","Total length is approximately 150 words of substantive content","Simple declarative structure: 'the following purposes are prescribed'"],"plain_english_summary":"This is a short piece of Western Australian law that expands the legal definition of \"community work\" to protect volunteers from being sued when they help out with ethnic or religious community activities.\n\n**What it does:**\nThe main Act (the Volunteers and Food and Other Donors (Protection from Liability) Act 2002) protects volunteers from personal liability if they cause injury or damage while doing \"community work\" — meaning they generally can't be sued personally for accidents that happen while volunteering.\n\nThese regulations add two specific types of activities to that protected category:\n*   **Promoting the interests of an ethnic community** — for example, cultural festivals, language schools, or community support groups for migrant communities\n*   **Promoting the interests of a religious community** — for example, church activities, religious education, or faith-based charity work\n\n**Who it affects:**\n*   Volunteers working with ethnic community organisations (cultural associations, migrant support groups)\n*   Volunteers working with religious organisations (churches, temples, mosques, synagogues, faith-based charities)\n*   The organisations themselves, which can now rely on clearer protection for their volunteers\n\n**Why it matters:**\nWithout this protection, volunteers might be personally liable if someone gets injured at a cultural festival or church fete. This law ensures that people who give their time to help their ethnic or religious communities don't risk losing their house or savings if something goes wrong. It encourages volunteering by removing the fear of personal legal liability."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/volunteers-protection-from-liability-regulations-2005","history":"/api/acts/volunteers-protection-from-liability-regulations-2005/history","analysis":"/api/acts/volunteers-protection-from-liability-regulations-2005/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/volunteers-protection-from-liability-regulations-2005/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/volunteers-protection-from-liability-regulations-2005/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/volunteers-protection-from-liability-regulations-2005/documents"}}