International Organisations (Privileges and Immunities) Amendment Act 2013

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International Organisations (Privileges and Immunities) Amendment Act 2013

 

No. 127, 2013

 

 

 

 

 

An Act to amend the International Organisations (Privileges and Immunities) Act 1963, and for related purposes

 

 

Contents

1 Short title

2 Commencement

3 Schedule(s)

Schedule 1—Amendments

International Organisations (Privileges and Immunities) Act 1963

 

 

 

International Organisations (Privileges and Immunities) Amendment Act 2013

No. 127, 2013

 

 

 

An Act to amend the International Organisations (Privileges and Immunities) Act 1963, and for related purposes

[Assented to 1 July 2013]

The Parliament of Australia enacts:

1  Short title

  This Act may be cited as the International Organisations (Privileges and Immunities) Amendment Act 2013.

2  Commencement

 (1) Each provision of this Act specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect according to its terms.

 

Commencement information

Column 1

Column 2

Column 3

Provision(s)

Commencement

Date/Details

1.  Sections 1 to 3 and anything in this Act not elsewhere covered by this table

The day this Act receives the Royal Assent.

1 July 2013

2.  Schedule 1

A single day to be fixed by Proclamation.

However, if the provision(s) do not commence within the period of 6 months beginning on the day this Act receives the Royal Assent, they commence on the day after the end of that period.

8 November 2013

(see F2013L01912)

Note:  This table relates only to the provisions of this Act as originally enacted. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this Act.

 (2) Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this Act. Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it may be edited, in any published version of this Act.

3  Schedule(s)

  Each Act that is specified in a Schedule to this Act is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this Act has effect according to its terms.

Schedule 1—Amendments

 

International Organisations (Privileges and Immunities) Act 1963

1  Subsection 3(1)

Insert:

ICRC Arrangement means the Arrangement Between The Government of Australia and The International Committee of the Red Cross (“ICRC”) On a Regional Headquarters in Australia, done at Canberra on 24 November 2005 (a copy of the text of which is set out in the regulations).

2  Subsection 3(1) (at the end of paragraph (b) of the definition of international conference)

Add “or”.

3  Subsection 3(1) (after paragraph (b) of the definition of international conference)

Insert:

 (c) a person representing an organisation (other than an organisation referred to in paragraph (b)) upon which privileges and immunities have been conferred by regulations made for the purposes of this Act;

4  Subsection 3(1)

Insert:

International Criminal Court means the International Criminal Court established under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, done at Rome on 17 July 1998.

Note: The text of the Rome Statute is set out in Australian Treaty Series 2002 No. 15 ([2002] ATS 15). In 2013, the text of a Statute in the Australian Treaty Series was accessible through the Australian Treaties Library on the AustLII website (www.austlii.edu.au).

5  At the end of subparagraph 7(1)(b)(ii)

Add “or”.

6  After subparagraph 7(1)(b)(ii)

Insert:

 (iii) an organisation (other than an organisation referred to in subparagraph (ii)) upon which privileges and immunities have been conferred by regulations made for the purposes of this Act;

7  At the end of subparagraph 7(2)(a)(ii)

Add “or”.

8  After subparagraph 7(2)(a)(ii)

Insert:

 (iii) an organisation (other than an organisation referred to in subparagraph (ii)) upon which privileges and immunities have been conferred by regulations made for the purposes of this Act;

9  At the end of paragraph 7(3)(b)

Add “or”.

10  After paragraph 7(3)(b)

Insert:

 (c) an organisation (other than an organisation referred to in paragraph (b)) upon which privileges and immunities have been conferred by regulations made for the purposes of this Act;

11  Subsection 9B(3) (definition of international tribunal)

Omit all the words after paragraph (b), substitute:

but does not include:

 (c) the International Court of Justice established by the Charter of the United Nations; or

 (d) the International Criminal Court.

12  After section 9B

Insert:

9C  Privileges and immunities in respect of the International Criminal Court

 (1) The regulations may confer upon:

 (a) the International Criminal Court; and

 (b) persons of a kind referred to in the Agreement on the Privileges and Immunities of the International Criminal Court, done at New York on 9 September 2002;

such privileges and immunities as are required to give effect to that Agreement.

Note 1: In 2013, the text of the Agreement was accessible through the website of the International Criminal Court (www.icccpi.int).

Note 2: The regulations may also confer upon the International Criminal Court juridical personality and such legal capacities as are necessary for the exercise of the Court’s functions and the fulfilment of its purposes (see section 12A).

 (2) This section and section 6 do not limit each other.

9D  Privileges and immunities in respect of the International Committee of the Red Cross

 (1) The regulations may confer upon:

 (a) the International Committee of the Red Cross; and

 (b) persons of a kind referred to in the ICRC Arrangement;

such privileges and immunities as are required to give effect to that Arrangement.

 (2) The regulations may confer upon the International Committee of the Red Cross juridical personality and such legal capacities as are necessary for the exercise of its powers and the performance of its functions.

13  At the end of subsection 12(1)

Add:

Note: This section does not apply in relation to the International Committee of the Red Cross (as it is not an international organisation to which this Act applies, as defined in subsection 3(1) of this Act). The use of the emblem and designation “Red Cross” is dealt with by section 15 of the Geneva Conventions Act 1957.

 

[Minister’s second reading speech made in—

Senate on 13 March 2013

House of Representatives on 25 June 2013]

(29/13)

 

Overview

The International Organisations (Privileges and Immunities) Amendment Act 2013, enacted by the Parliament of Australia, was designed to update and amend the International Organisations (Privileges and Immunities) Act 1963. The 2013 amendment specifically sought to address the need to align the existing Act with the changing international landscape, particularly in terms of recognising and conferring appropriate privileges and immunities to newly established or existing international organisations, such as the International Criminal Court and the International Committee of the Red Cross. This was achieved through the insertion and modification of definitions and provisions within the original Act, ensuring that the privileges and immunities conferred are reflective of the roles and functions of these organisations in accordance with international agreements and arrangements. The objective of these amendments was to facilitate smoother operations of these international entities within Australia while maintaining the integrity of Australia's international commitments.

Scope and Application

The International Organisations (Privileges and Immunities) Amendment Act 2013 amends the International Organisations (Privileges and Immunities) Act 1963 to extend the privileges and immunities provided by the Act to two additional international organisations: the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The Act applies to these two organisations and to individuals who represent them, as well as to other entities upon which privileges and immunities have been conferred by regulations made under the Act. The Act's provisions apply across the Commonwealth of Australia and are not restricted to any particular state or territory. The Act includes provisions that allow for the conferring of privileges and immunities to the ICC and the ICRC through subordinate legislation, providing flexibility for the Australian government to determine the specific privileges and immunities that will be granted. The Act does not specify any exclusions or exemptions, but rather provides a framework for the conferral of privileges and immunities through regulation. The Act came into effect on 1 July 2013, with certain provisions commencing on 8 November 2013.

Key Provisions

The International Organisations (Privileges and Immunities) Amendment Act 2013 amends the International Organisations (Privileges and Immunities) Act 1963. Key provisions include amendments to the definitions and scope of privileges and immunities extended to international organisations and their personnel. For example, Section 1 of the Schedule amends the definition of "international conference" in subsection 3(1) to include a person representing an organisation on which privileges and immunities have been conferred by regulations (item 3). Furthermore, it adds the International Criminal Court to the definition list and expands the scope of organisations eligible for privileges and immunities by inserting new subparagraphs (items 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10). The Act imposes obligations on relevant authorities to ensure that international organisations and their personnel are granted the appropriate privileges and immunities as per the regulations. For instance, under the new section 9C, regulations may confer privileges and immunities on the International Criminal Court and persons specified in the Agreement on the Privileges and Immunities of the International Criminal Court (item 11). Similarly, section 9D allows regulations to confer privileges and immunities on the International Committee of the Red Cross and persons specified in the ICRC Arrangement (item 12). Additionally, the regulations can confer juridical personality and necessary legal capacities on these entities to enable them to perform their functions effectively. There are no explicit offences, penalties, or civil/criminal consequences detailed within the Act itself for breaches of the provisions. However, breaches of the regulations made under the authority of this Act could potentially lead to legal consequences, depending on the specific nature of the breach and the provisions of other applicable laws. The maximum penalties for such breaches would be determined by the relevant legislation governing the specific breach.

Legal classification tags

Area of Law
International Law
Instrument
Amending Act
Concepts
Commencement Provisions
Repeal & Amendment
Definitions & Interpretation
Regulatory Standards

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Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation at 26 August 2026. For the latest information on Australian Government law please go to https://www.legislation.gov.au.