2Interpretation

### 2 Interpretation > *\[Section 2 Amended by No. 30 of 1953, s. 2 \]**\[Section 2 Amended by No. 29 of 1984, s. 3 and Sched. 1 \]**\[Section 2 Amended by No. 30 of 1995, s. 3 and Sched. 1 \]*In this Act, unless the contrary intention appears –[*\[Section 2 Amended by No. 1 of 2020, Sched. 3, Applied:01 Jul 2020\]*](/view/html/inforce/2020-07-01/act-2020-001#JS3@Ja4@GC1@EN) > > > ***central plan office*** means the central plan office established under this Act; > > > ***central plan register*** means the central plan register established under this Act; > > > ***Commonwealth survey authority*** means any Department of the Commonwealth, or any section or branch of the Defence Force of the Commonwealth engaged upon surveys for the triangulation and mapping of Australia; > > > ***Commonwealth survey officer*** means any person authorized, in writing, by the officer in charge of the Commonwealth survey authority; > > > ***plan*** includes every plan, map, aerial photograph, or description made or obtained as part of any survey or surveys; > > > ***proper officer*** means – > > > > > > (a) [*\[Section 2 Amended by No. 86 of 2000, Sched. 1, Applied:01 May 2001\]*](/view/html/inforce/2001-05-01/act-2000-086#JS1@Ja149@GC1@Hpa@EN) in relation to an Agency, within the meaning of the [State Service Act 2000](/view/html/inforce/2026-04-12/act-2000-085)  – the Head of that Agency; and > > > > > > > (b) in relation to any other public authority – any officer of that public authority appointed by it as the proper officer thereof for the purposes of this Act; > > > [*\[Section 2 Amended by No. 86 of 2000, Sched. 1, Applied:01 May 2001\]*](/view/html/inforce/2001-05-01/act-2000-086#JS1@Ja149@GC1@Hpb@EN) ***public authority*** includes any Agency, within the meaning of the [State Service Act 2000](/view/html/inforce/2026-04-12/act-2000-085) , and the council, and any board, commission, trust, or other body, whether corporate or unincorporate, established by or under any Act for any public purpose, whether in respect of the whole or any part of this State, which is authorized or required by any Act to make surveys, or the functions of which are such as to require surveys to be made by, or plans of surveys to be lodged with, it; > > > ***registered plan*** means a plan of which a record has been entered in the central plan register in pursuance of this Act; > > > ***registered surveyor*** means a person registered as a surveyor under the [Land Surveyors Act 1909](/view/html/inforce/2026-04-12/act-1909-045) ; > > > ***survey*** means the act or process of determining the form, contour, position, area, height, depth, or any other similar particulars of any part of the earth's surface, whether on land or water, or of any natural or artificial features on, below, or above any part of that surface, or the length and direction of the bounding lines of any part of that surface, or of any such natural or artificial features thereof, and includes the making or obtaining of a plan or plans thereof; > > > ***surveyor*** includes any – > > > > > > (a) registered surveyor; and > > > > > > > (b) person who carries out or superintends any survey on behalf of any public authority.