Aboriginal Heritage Act 1975
20Defence of carrying out emergency work
Start here
Get a plain-English read of 20
Turn the raw legal text into a practical explanation grounded in Aboriginal Heritage Act 1975.
20 Defence of carrying out emergency work
[Section 20 Amended by No. 43 of 1991, s. 5 and Sched. 1 ][Section 20 Substituted by No. 18 of 2017, s. 16, Applied:16 Aug 2017] It is a defence to a prosecution for an offence under this Act if, in relation to the section of the Act the defendant is alleged to have contravened, it is proved that the act or omission constituting the alleged offence was due to the act of carrying out –
(a) emergency work in accordance with section 55 of the Electricity Supply Industry Act 1995 ; or
(b) any other work that is a necessary and proportionate response to an actual or impending emergency that threatens human life or property or threatens to injure any person.