In this Act, unless the contrary intention appears –

absolute majority means –

(a) if no councillors are suspended, more than half of the number of councillors to be elected to a council; or

(b) if one or more councillors are suspended, more than half of the number of councillors to be elected to a council after subtracting the number of councillors who are suspended;

Appeal Tribunal means the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal;

approved means approved by the Tasmanian Electoral Commission;

assets , for the purpose of Parts 3 and 12A and section 226A , includes –

(a) any real or personal property; and

(b) any estates or interests in any real or personal property; and

(c) any rights, obligations or liabilities;

audit panel means the audit panel established under section 85 ;

authorised person means a person authorised under section 20A ;

ballot material means –

(a) a ballot paper; and

(b) instructions for the completion of the ballot paper and the manner in which the ballot paper is to be returned; and

(c) the envelope or envelopes to be used for the return of the ballot paper; and

(d) statements of candidates;

Board means the Local Government Board established under section 210 ;

Board of Inquiry means a Board of Inquiry established under section 215 ;

by-election means a by-election held under Division 9 of Part 15 ;

by-laws means by-laws made by a council under Part 11 ;

candidate means a person whose nomination for an election under Part 15 has been accepted under section 272 ;

certificate of election means a certificate issued under section 304 ;

chief executive officer means, in relation to a single authority or joint authority, the person responsible for the administration and operation of that authority;

close associate means a person referred to in section 51 ;

closing day means the day referred to in section 268A ;

code of conduct means the code of conduct made by the Minister, and in force, under section 28R ;

code of conduct complaint means a complaint made under section 28V and, where appropriate, includes a part of such a complaint;

Code of Conduct Panel means the Code of Conduct Panel established under section 28K ;

community means the community of a municipal area;

competitive neutrality principles means the national competition policy competitive neutrality principles referred to in clause 3 of the Competition Principles Agreement made between the Commonwealth, the States and the Territories;

controlling authority means an authority established under section 29 ;

council means a council established under section 18 ;

council committee means a council committee established under section 23 ;

councillor means a person elected to a council and includes the Lord Mayor, Deputy Lord Mayor, mayor, deputy mayor and alderman;

declaration of a poll means a declaration under section 303 ;

deputy mayor includes the Deputy Lord Mayor;

Director means the Director of Local Government appointed under section 334 ;

Director, MPES means the Director, Monetary Penalties Enforcement Service appointed under section 8 of the Monetary Penalties Enforcement Act 2005 ;

dispute resolution process , in relation to a council, means the process of resolving a dispute that is performed in accordance with the dispute resolution policy adopted by the council in accordance with section 28JA ;

election agent means a person authorised by the candidate to act as his or her agent in connection with the candidate's campaign for election;

elector means a person entitled to vote in an election or by-election under Part 15 ;

elector poll means a poll conducted under Part 6 ;

electoral advertising means any advertising, by any of the following means, that is directly or indirectly in respect of a campaign for election by a candidate or intending candidate:

(a) any notice, sign or poster;

(b) any pamphlet or handbill;

(c) any "how-to-vote" card;

(d) any print medium;

(e) any broadcast by radio or television;

(f) on the internet;

electoral area means the municipal area or electoral district in which an election is to be held;

Electoral Commissioner means the person holding that office under the Electoral Act 2004 ;

electoral district means an electoral district referred to in section 17 ;

electoral material means –

(a) ballot papers; and

(b) declarations under section 284 ;

electoral officer means a person appointed as such under section 265 ;

electoral officer in charge means an electoral officer appointed under section 265(2) to be in charge of an issuing place;

electoral roll means a roll kept under section 258 ;

Executive Officer means the Executive Officer appointed under section 28M ;

financial year means a period of 12 months starting on 1 July in one year and ending on 30 June in the next year;

general manager means the person appointed as such under section 61 and, in Part 15 , includes a person nominated under section 253A ;

GST law has the same meaning as in the A New Tax System (Goods and Services Tax) Act 1999 of the Commonwealth;

initial assessor , in relation to a code of conduct complaint, means the person appointed under section 28ZA(1AA) to be the initial assessor for the complaint;

intending candidate means a person who has publicly declared the intention to nominate for an election under Part 15 ;

issuing place means a place appointed under section 263 ;

investigating Panel , in respect of a code of conduct complaint, means the panel convened under section 28L to investigate and determine the complaint;

joint authority means an authority established under section 30 ;

legal practitioner means an Australian legal practitioner;

list of electors means the list prepared under section 261 ;

mayor includes the Lord Mayor;

member means –

(a) a member of a special committee or a controlling authority; and

(b) a person representing a single authority council or a joint authority council on a single authority or a joint authority; and

(c) a member of the board of management of a single authority or a joint authority;

municipal area means an area referred to in section 16 and, in Part 15 , includes a proposed municipal area;

nomination period means the period beginning at 9 a.m. on the 8th Monday immediately before the closing day and ending at noon on the 6th Monday immediately before the closing day;

notice of election means the notice of election under section 269 ;

ordinary election means an election under Part 15 that is not a by-election;

participating council means a council that, together with one or more councils, establishes a joint authority;

partner means a partner within the meaning of the Relationships Act 2003 ;

performance improvement direction means a direction issued to a council or councillor under section 214M ;

polling period means a period of at least 10 days, excluding any Saturday, Sunday or statutory holiday as defined in the Statutory Holidays Act 2000 , ending on closing day;

prohibited conduct means –

(a) discrimination, or prohibited conduct, within the meaning of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1998 that is not the subject to an exception or exemption under Part 5 of that Act; or

(b) such other conduct, or behaviour, that is prescribed as prohibited conduct;

proposed municipal area means a municipal area that is to come into existence as a result of an order under section 214E ;

public land means public land as specified in section 177A(1) ;

public office means –

(a) in the case of a municipal area, the place at which a council carries on its administrative activities; or

(b) in the case of a proposed municipal area, the place at which a council or councils of that proposed municipal area carry out their administrative activities;

rateable land means land in respect of which rates are payable;

rates notice means a notice referred to in section 122 ;

regulations means the regulations made under this Act;

relevant period means the period starting on the 30th day before the date of notice of election and ending at the end of the polling period;

returning officer means a person appointed as such under section 264 ;

review means a review carried out by the Board under Part 12A ;

roll closure day means the day on which the electoral roll for an electoral area is closed under section 260 ;

scrutineer means a person appointed as such under section 292 ;

simple majority means the majority of councillors of a council present and able to vote at a meeting of the council or council committee;

single authority means an authority established under section 30 ;

single authority council means a council that establishes a single authority;

special committee means a special committee established under section 24 ;

Tasmanian Electoral Commission means the Tasmanian Electoral Commission established by section 6 of the Electoral Act 2004 ;

vehicle means a vehicle within the meaning of the Traffic Act 1925 and a bicycle;