Evidence Act Amendment Act 1913 (WA)

WESTERN AUSTRAL].

ANNO QUARTO

GEORGII QIJINTI REGIS,

XVI.

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No. 16 of 1913.

AN ACT to amend the Evidence Act, 1906.

[Assented to 30th December, 1913.]

BE it enacted by the King's Most Excellent Majesty, by andLegislative Assembly of Western 'Australia, in this present Par-with the advice and consent of the Legislative Council and liament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:-

1. This Act may be cited as the Evidence Act Amendment Act, Short title.

1913, and shall be read as one with the Evidence Act, 1906,

hereinafter referred to as the principal Act.

Section eight of the principal Act is amended by omitting the following words:—" Every person charged with an offence,	Amendment of
Section 8.
1906, No. 2s,

2.

and the wife or husband, as the case may be, of the person so (Tim. Code,

charged shall be a competent witness for the defence at every	s. 629.
stage of the proceedings," and by inserting in place thereof the following words, that is to say :—" Except as in this Act it is otherwise provided, every person charged with an offence, and the wife or husband, as the case may be, of the person so charged, shall be a competent but not a compellable witness at every stage of the proceedings."

3. Section twenty-one of the principal Act is amended by Amendment of

inserting after the \\ ords " examination in chief," the words section 21.

" or re-examination."

1913, No. 16.1 Evidence Act—Amendment. [4 GEO. V.

Insertion of new 4. The principal Act is hereby amended by the insertion of the

Section 69A.

following section immediately after Section sixty-nine, that is to

say:—

Proof of registers. " 69A. When by any Statute in force in the State any person is required to keep any register, then any register pur- porting or appearing to be kept pursuant to the Statute shall (save in so far as the contrary may be proved) be deemed to be and be admissible in evidence as a complete and accurate register and record and

(a) any document purporting to be a copy of the register and to be certified as correct by the person afore- said ; or

(b) a Gazette containing what purports to be a.copy of the

register ; or

(c)

any document purporting to be a copy of the register

and to be printed by the Government Printer or

by the authority of the Government of the State,

shall be prima facie evidence of the contents of the register as existing on the date when the document or Gazete purports

to have been certified, or printed, or issued, and the production thereof in any Court or before any person shall (save in so far as it may be proved not to be a true copy) be equivalent to the production of the original register."

Principal Act to b

printed as amended e 5, All copies of the principal Act hereinafter printed by the Government Printer shall be, printed as amended by this Act under the supervision of the Clerk of Parliaments, and all necessary references to this Act made in the margin.

By Authority: Dun. WM. SLMPSON, Government Printer, Perth.