9Appointment of persons to act for any member of the Board

##### 9 Appointment of persons to act for any member of the Board (1) The Commonwealth Minister and the State Minister may appoint a person to act for any member of the Board who is absent from duty because of illness or otherwise, and the person, while so acting, has all the powers and functions of the member and is taken to be the member. (2) If the absent member is a representative of coal industry employers or coal industry employees, the person appointed to act as the member is to be such a representative. (3) The Commonwealth Minister and the State Minister may, from time to time, appoint a member to act for the Chairperson if the Chairperson is absent from duty because of illness or otherwise, and the member, while so acting, has all the functions of the Chairperson and is taken to be the Chairperson. (4) The State Minister, with the agreement of the Commonwealth Minister, may remove any person from any office to which the person was appointed under this section. (5) A person while acting in the office of a member is entitled to be paid such remuneration (including travelling and subsistence allowances) as the Commonwealth Minister and the State Minister may from time to time determine in respect of the person. (6) For the purposes of this section, a vacancy in the office of a member or the Chairperson is taken to be an absence from office of the member or Chairperson. (7) The appointment of a person to act for a member is not invalid merely because of a defect or irregularity in relation to the appointment.