Acts Interpretation (Gender Balance) Amendment Act 2005 (SA)

South Australia

Acts Interpretation (Gender Balance) Amendment Act 2005

An Act to amend the Acts Interpretation Act 1915.

The Parliament of South Australia enacts as follows:

Part 1—Preliminary

1—Short title

This Act may be cited as the Acts Interpretation (Gender Balance) Amendment Act 2005.

2—Commencement

This Act will come into operation on a day to be fixed by proclamation.

3—Amendment provisions

In this Act, a provision under a heading referring to the amendment of a specified Act amends the Act so specified.

Part 2—Amendment of Acts Interpretation Act 1915

4—Insertion of section 36A

After section 36 insert:

36A—Gender balance in nomination of persons for appointment to statutory bodies

1. (1)

   This section applies if an Act provides for a member of a body to be appointed by the Governor or a Minister on the nomination of a non-government entity.

2. (2)

   If the Act provides for the non-government entity to nominate a panel of persons from which the Governor or Minister is to select a person for appointment, the Act will be taken to provide that the panel—

   1. (a)

      must include at least 1 woman and 1 man; and

   2. (b)

      must, as far as practicable, be comprised of equal numbers of women and men.

3. (3)

   If the Act does not provide for the non-government entity to nominate a panel of persons from which the Governor or Minister is to select a person for appointment, the Act will be taken to provide that—

   1. (a)

      the non-government entity must nominate a panel of persons comprised of not less than twice the number of members of the body to be appointed on the nomination of the entity plus one; and

   2. (b)

      the panel—

      1. (i)

         must include at least 1 woman and 1 man; and

      2. (ii)

         must, as far as practicable, be comprised of equal numbers of women and men; and

   3. (c)

      the Governor or Minister must select the person for appointment from the panel.

4. (4)

   This section does not derogate from the need to properly assess merit in selecting persons for appointment.

5. (5)

   In this section—

non-government entity