Commonwealth Numbered Regulations

1986 No. 85 FAMILY LAW (CHILD ABDUCTION CONVENTION) REGULATIONS - REG 6

6. (1) The Attorney-General may appoint an officer of the Australian Public
Service to act as the Commonwealth Central Authority -

   (a)  during a vacancy in the office of the Commonwealth Central Authority,
        whether or not an appointment has previously been made to the office;
        or

   (b)  during any period, or during all periods, when the person holding that
        office is, or is about to be, absent from duty or from Australia or is
        for any reason unable to perform the functions of that office, but a
        person appointed to act during a vacancy shall not continue so to act
        after the expiration of 12 months, commencing on the day on which the
        vacancy occurred.

(2) Where the office of the Commonwealth Central Authority becomes vacant
while a person is acting as the Commonwealth Central Authority, that person
may continue so to act until the Attorney-General otherwise directs, the
vacancy is filled or a period of 12 months commencing on the day on which the
vacancy occurred expires, whichever first happens.

(3) An appointment of a person to act as the Commonwealth Central Authority
ceases to have effect if that person resigns the appointment by writing signed
by that person and delivered to the Attorney-General.

(4) While a person is acting as the Commonwealth Central Authority, that
person has all the duties, may exercise all the powers, and shall perform all
the functions, of that Authority.

(5) An appointment of a person under sub-regulation (1) may be expressed to
have effect only in such circumstances as are specified in the instrument of
appointment.

(6) The validity of anything done by or in relation to a person purporting to
act pursuant to an appointment under sub-regulation (1) shall not be called in
question on the ground that the occasion for the appointment of that person
had not arisen, that there is a defect or irregularity in or in connection
with the appointment of that person, that the appointment had ceased to have
effect or that the occasion for that person to act had not arisen or had
ceased.