Commonwealth legislation

Consular Privileges and Immunities (Commonwealth Countries) Regulations

RepealedCTH

This Act has been repealed and is no longer in force. It is retained for historical reference.

Jurisdiction

Commonwealth

Act Number

278 of 1973

Collection

legislative instrument

Plain English Summary

1/10 complexity

What this does: These regulations declare Malaysia to be a "Commonwealth country" under Australia’s Consular Privileges and Immunities Act 1972.

Who it affects: Malaysian consular officials working in Australia (and their official premises).

Why it matters: By triggering section 9 of the parent Act, this declaration gives Malaysian consular staff legal immunity—meaning they generally can’t be sued or prosecuted in Australian courts for official acts, and Australian police can’t enter their consular offices without permission. This applies the same protections found in the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations to Malaysia through Australia’s Commonwealth-specific legal framework.

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Current sections

Direct links to the current provisions in Consular Privileges and Immunities (Commonwealth Countries) Regulations.

Consular Privileges and Immunities (Commonwealth Countries) Regulations

Commonwealth Coat of Arms of Australia

Statutory Rules

1973 No. 278

REGULATIONS UNDER THE CONSULAR PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES ACT 1972.*

I, THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL of Australia, acting with the advice of the Executive Council, hereby make the following Regulations under the Consular Privileges and Immunities Act 1972.

Dated this eighteenth day of December, 1973.

PAUL HASLUCK

Governor-General.

By His Excellency’s Command,

D. R. WILLESEE

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.

CONSULAR PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES (COMMONWEALTH COUNTRIES) REGULATIONS

Citation.

These Regulations may be cited as the Consular Privileges and Immunities (Commonwealth Countries) Regulations.

Definitions.

In these Regulations “ the Act ” means the Consular Privileges and Immunities Act 1972.

Malaysia is a declared Commonwealth country.

Malaysia is declared to be a Commonwealth country to which section 9 of the Act applies.

* Notified in the Australian Government Gazette on 19 December 1973.

Source text

Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation (legislation.gov.au), CC BY 4.0.

1 Consular Privileges and Immunities (Commonwealth Countries) Regulations