4Interpretation

4 Interpretation

(1)  In this Act –

department means department as defined in the Administrative Arrangements Act 1990 ;

deprivation of liberty has the meaning that it has in the Optional Protocol;

detainee means a person in a place of detention who is deprived of his or her liberty;

detaining authority, in relation to a place of detention, means the person or entity for the time being in charge of the place of detention and includes any person or entity responsible for the day-to-day care, control, health and safety of detainees in that place of detention;

entity includes an unincorporated body;

expert means an expert selected in accordance with Article 13 of the Optional Protocol;

function includes a power, authority or duty;

information includes documents, records, recordings, registers, data and electronic communications;

Ministerial arrangement means an arrangement entered into under section 29 ;

national preventive mechanism has the meaning that it has in the Optional Protocol;

National Preventive Mechanism Coordinator means the Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman established by the Ombudsman Act 1976 of the Commonwealth or another body nominated from time to time as the National Preventive Mechanism Coordinator for Australia in relation to the Optional Protocol;

Optional Protocol means the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 18 December 2002, as amended and in force for Australia from time to time;