In this Act, unless the contrary intention appears –
affiliated organisation means an organisation, other than a statutory service, that is registered as an affiliated organisation under section 28(2)(c) ;
authorised officer has the meaning given by section 31 ;
civil defence measures means the humanitarian measures necessary –
(a) to protect the civilian population of the State against the dangers of, and to help it recover from the immediate effects of, enemy attack or hostilities; and
(b) to provide the conditions needed for the survival of the civilian population of the State during and following enemy attack or hostilities;
combined area means 2 or more municipal areas determined by the Minister to be a combined area under section 19 ;
community risk means the likelihood of harmful consequences to the community that may result from the interaction of hazards, the community and the environment;
Deputy State Controller means the Deputy State Emergency Management Controller appointed under section 10 ;
Director SES means the Director of the State Emergency Service appointed under section 27 ;
emergency means –
(a) an event that –
(i) endangers, destroys or threatens to endanger or destroy human life, property or the environment, or causes or threatens to cause injury or distress to persons; and
(ii) requires a significant response from one or more of the statutory services; or
(b) a significant threat of the occurrence of an event of a kind referred to in paragraph (a) in respect of which it is appropriate to take measures –
(i) to prevent that possible resulting event; or
(ii) to mitigate the risks associated with that threat and that possible resulting event;
emergency management means –
(a) [Section 3 Amended by No. 31 of 2018, s. 4, Applied:10 Dec 2018] the planning, organisation, coordination and implementation of measures that are necessary or desirable to prevent, mitigate, respond to, resist, adapt to, overcome and recover from an emergency; or
(b) the planning, organisation, coordination and implementation of civil defence measures; or
(c) the conduct of, or participation in, research and training for any measures specified in paragraph (a) or (b) ; or
(d) the development of policy and procedures relating to any measures or actions specified in paragraph (a) , (b) or (c) ;
(a) a member of a statutory service, whether for payment or other consideration or as a volunteer; or
(b) an authorised officer; or
(c) a person who does or omits to do any act in the assistance of, or under the direction or control of, an authorised officer; or
(d) a person prescribed by the regulations to be an emergency management worker; or
(e) any other person who, in good faith –
(i) participates in emergency management or rescue and retrieval operations; or
(ii) performs or exercises, or purportedly performs or exercises, functions or powers under this Act; or
(iii) is involved in the administration or execution, or the purported administration or execution, of this Act;
emergency power means a power specified in Schedule 1 ;
environment includes the following components:
(a) land, air and water;
(b) organic matter and inorganic matter;
(c) living organisms;
(d) human-made or modified structures and areas;
(e) interacting natural ecosystems that include components referred to in paragraphs (a) , (b) and (c) ;
(f) all other components of the earth;
[Section 3 Amended by No. 31 of 2018, s. 4, Applied:10 Dec 2018]evacuation centre means a place, or facility, where people affected by an emergency may be provided, under this Act, with information in relation to hazards associated with the emergency or with temporary shelter from those hazards;
executive officer means a person who is responsible for providing administrative and secretariat services;
hazard means a place, structure, source or situation, that may potentially endanger, destroy or threaten to endanger or destroy human life, property or the environment;
Municipal Chairperson means the person determined under section 21(2) by a council to be the Municipal Chairperson;
Municipal Committee means a Municipal Emergency Management Committee established under section 20 ;
Municipal Coordinator means a person appointed as a Municipal Emergency Management Coordinator under section 23 ;
Municipal Emergency Management Plan means a plan approved by the State Controller for a Municipal Committee area under section 34 , as amended or substituted from time to time with the approval of the State Controller under that section;
municipal volunteer SES unit means a volunteer unit established under sections 47 and 48 ;
occupier, in relation to premises or a vehicle, means the person who is apparently in charge of the premises or vehicle at the relevant time;
officer, in relation to a council, means –
(a) an elected member of the council; or
(b) an employee of the council who complies with any description or conditions, or holds a position or a position of a class, determined by the Minister;
owner includes a lessee;
premises includes land, any structure and a part of premises;
property includes –
(a) an animal and any part of an animal, whether alive or dead; and
(b) a plant and any part of a plant, whether alive or dead; and
(c) any egg, sperm, seed, flower, fruit or other material obtained from an animal or plant, whether alive or dead;
region means the northern region, the north-western region or the southern region;
Regional Committee means a Regional Emergency Management Committee established under section 14 ;
Regional Controller means the Regional Emergency Management Controller appointed under section 17 ;
Regional Emergency Management Plan means a plan approved by the State Controller for a region under section 33 , as amended or substituted from time to time with the approval of the State Controller under that section;
regional SES volunteer unit means a volunteer unit of the State Emergency Service established by the Director SES for the purposes of a region under section 28(2)(a) ;
rescue and retrieval operation means –
(a) the planning, organisation, coordination and implementation of measures that are necessary or desirable to rescue or retrieve any person, animal, property, human remains or carcass during or after the occurrence of an incident, or other event, that is not an emergency; or
(b) the conduct of, or participation in, research and training for the measures specified in paragraph (a) ;
resources includes any plant, vehicle, animal, apparatus, implement, earthmoving equipment, construction equipment, other equipment of any kind, persons, agency, authority, organisation or other requirement necessary for emergency management;
risk means the likelihood of harmful consequences arising from the interaction of hazards, communities and the environment;
statutory authority means a body or authority, whether incorporated or not, which is established or constituted by or under an Act or under the royal prerogative, being a body or authority which, or of which the governing authority, wholly or partly comprises a person or persons appointed by the Governor, a Minister or another statutory authority, but does not include a Government department;