South Australian Numbered Acts

DEFAMATION ACT 2005 (NO 50 OF 2005) - SECT 4

4—Interpretation

In this Act—

"Australian court" means any court established by or under a law of an Australian jurisdiction (including a court conducting committal proceedings for an indictable offence);

"Australian jurisdiction" means—

            (a)         a State; or

            (b)         a Territory; or

            (c)         the Commonwealth;

"Australian tribunal" means any tribunal (other than a court) established by or under a law of an Australian jurisdiction that has the power to take evidence from witnesses before it on oath or affirmation (including a Royal Commission or other special commission of inquiry);

"country" includes—

            (a)         a federation and a state, territory, province or other part of a federation; and

            (b)         an Australian jurisdiction;

"document" means any record of information, and includes—

            (a)         anything on which there is writing; and

            (b)         anything on which there are marks, figures, symbols or perforations having a meaning for persons qualified to interpret them; and

            (c)         anything from which sounds, images or writings can be reproduced with or without the aid of anything else; and

            (d)         a map, plan, drawing or photograph;

"electronic communication" includes a communication of information in the form of data, text, images or sound (or any combination of these) by means of guided or unguided electromagnetic energy, or both;

"general law" means the common law and equity;

"matter" includes—

            (a)         an article, report, advertisement or other thing communicated by means of a newspaper, magazine or other periodical; and

            (b)         a program, report, advertisement or other thing communicated by means of television, radio, the Internet or any other form of electronic communication; and

            (c)         a letter, note or other writing; and

            (d)         a picture, gesture or oral utterance; and

            (e)         any other thing by means of which something may be communicated to a person;

"offer to make amends" means an offer to make amends under Part 3 Division 1;

"parliamentary body" means—

            (a)         a parliament or legislature of any country; or

            (b)         a house of a parliament or legislature of any country; or

            (c)         a committee of a parliament or legislature of any country; or

            (d)         a committee of a house or houses of a parliament or legislature of any country;

"substantially true" means true in substance or not materially different from the truth;

"Territory" means the Australian Capital Territory or the Northern Territory;

"this jurisdiction" means this State.