{"id":"witness-protection-regulations-2012","name":"Witness Protection Regulations 2012","slug":"witness-protection-regulations-2012","collection":"regulation","jurisdiction":"sa","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":238345,"registerId":"sa-witness-protection-regulations-2012-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-06","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Witness Protection Regulations 2012","content":"South Australia\nWitness Protection Regulations 2012\nunder the Witness Protection Act 1996\n\nContents\n1\tShort title\n2\tCommencement\n3\tInterpretation\n4\tNon‑disclosure of former identity of participant (section 18 of Act)\nSchedule 1—Form\nSchedule 2—Revocation of Witness Protection Regulations 1997\nLegislative history\n\n1—Short title\nThese regulations may be cited as the Witness Protection Regulations 2012.\n2—Commencement\nThese regulations will come into operation on 1 September 2012.\n3—Interpretation\nIn these regulations—\nAct means the Witness Protection Act 1996.\n4—Non‑disclosure of former identity of participant (section 18 of Act)\nFor the purposes of section 18(1)(b) of the Act, the form set out in Schedule 1 is prescribed.\nSchedule 1—Form\nWitness Protection Act 1996 \nSection 18(1)(b)\nPermission for participant in a witness protection program not to disclose former identity\nPursuant to section 18 of the Witness Protection Act 1996, I [here insert name], being [here insert title of office holder and, if applicable, name of approved authority], give permission to [here insert name of participant], being a participant within the meaning of that section—\n\t(a)\twho has been provided with a new identity under the [here specify the witness protection program and legislation under which it operates]; and\n\t(b)\twho would, apart from that section, be required under a law of South Australia to disclose his or her former identity for a particular purpose, namely [here specify the purpose],\nnot to disclose his or her former identity for that purpose.\nSigned:\nDated:\nSchedule 2—Revocation of Witness Protection Regulations 1997\nThe Witness Protection Regulations 1997 are revoked.\nLegislative history\nNotes\n\t•\tFor further information relating to the Act and subordinate legislation made under the Act see the Index of South Australian Statutes or www.legislation.sa.gov.au.\nPrincipal regulations\nYear\nNo\nReference\nCommencement\n2012\n184\nGazette 2.8.2012 p3308\n1.9.2012: r 2\n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The regulations maintain their original narrow purpose: prescribing the form for non-disclosure permissions under the Witness Protection Act 1996. The 2012 version appears to be a straightforward re-enactment/update of the 1997 regulations without expansion of scope."},"complexity_factors":["Extremely short — only 4 substantive provisions plus schedules","Only 1 defined term ('Act') in the interpretation section","Single operational provision (regulation 4) that does nothing more than prescribe a form","No conditional logic, exceptions, or cross-references beyond the basic reference to section 18(1)(b) of the parent Act","Form in Schedule 1 is straightforward template with blank fields"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this does:**\nThese regulations set out the official form that allows someone in a witness protection program to legally keep their old identity secret.\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- **Participants in witness protection programs** — people who've been given new identities to protect them from harm\n- **Government officials** who manage these programs and issue the permissions\n- **Anyone who would otherwise legally require** a protected person to reveal their former name (e.g., for official paperwork, court proceedings, or government applications)\n\n**Why it matters:**\nNormally, Australian law requires people to be truthful about their identity on official documents. But for protected witnesses, revealing their old name could put them in danger. These regulations create a legal 'escape hatch' — a standardised permission slip that lets officials formally authorise someone to stay silent about their former identity when required by South Australian law.\n\n**Key points:**\n- **Schedule 1** contains the actual form template that must be used\n- The form must be filled out by an authorised office holder (specifying their title and which witness protection program is involved)\n- It identifies the specific legal purpose where disclosure would normally be required\n- **Schedule 2** simply cancels the old 1997 regulations, replacing them with this 2012 version"},"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":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The regulations do not alter the substantive scope of the Witness Protection Act. They simply prescribe the form for permission not to disclose a former identity under s18(1)(b) and revoke the 1997 regulations, leaving the Act's powers and obligations unchanged (reg 4; Schedule 1; Schedule 2)."},"complexity_factors":["Very short, narrowly prescriptive instrument that primarily sets a single form (Schedule 1).","Relies on a cross‑reference to section 18(1)(b) of the Witness Protection Act 1996 for substantive authority (reg 4).","Minimal interpretive content—only one defined term ('Act') (reg 3).","Revokes earlier regulations, creating a straightforward administrative replacement (Schedule 2).","Delegates a discrete decision to an office‑holder/approved authority (Schedule 1), creating limited administrative discretion and a simple compliance burden (form completion and recordkeeping).","Clear commencement timing but no transitional or operational detail in the regulations (reg 2)."],"plain_english_summary":"These regulations prescribe the exact form to be used when an authorised officer gives a participant in a witness protection program permission not to disclose their former identity under section 18(1)(b) of the Witness Protection Act 1996 (see reg 4 and Schedule 1). They commence on 1 September 2012 and revoke the 1997 regulations.\n\nThey affect witness‑protection participants, the named office‑holder or approved authority who decides on permission, and the administering agency that must complete and retain the form; the compliance cost is primarily administrative."},"summary":{"complexity_score":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Scope assessment is not possible — no legislative text was returned. The page returned was an error page from the South Australian legislation website, not the regulations themselves. No comparison between original and current scope can be made."},"complexity_factors":["No legislative content was retrievable — the source URL returned a 'Page Not Found' error","The score of 1 reflects the absence of any analysable legal text, not the inherent complexity of witness protection law (which would typically score 7-8)","Website migration on 24 March 2026 appears to have broken legacy hyperlinks to SA legislation"],"plain_english_summary":"The Witness Protection Regulations 2012 (SA) set out how witnesses, informants and sometimes their families can be placed under formal protection—covering measures like new identities, relocation and security arrangements—to manage serious risks arising from participation in criminal proceedings. \n\nThis page was unavailable due to a site update; consult the South Australian legislation site for the authoritative instrument and avoid relying on this summary for legal decisions."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/witness-protection-regulations-2012","history":"/api/acts/witness-protection-regulations-2012/history","analysis":"/api/acts/witness-protection-regulations-2012/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/witness-protection-regulations-2012/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/witness-protection-regulations-2012/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/witness-protection-regulations-2012/documents"}}