Atomic Energy Amendment Act 1980

No. 9 of 1980

An Act to amend the Atomic Energy Act 1953

[Assented to 29 March 1980]

BE IT ENACTED by the Queen, and the Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Australia, as follows:

Short title, &c.

1. (1) This Act may be cited as the Atomic Energy Amendment Act 1980.

(2) The Atomic Energy Act 1953 is in this Act referred to as the Principal Act.

Commencement

2. This Act shall come into operation on the day on which it receives the Royal Assent.

Authority to mine prescribed substances on behalf of or in association with the Commonwealth

3. Section 41 of the Principal Act is amended—

(a) by omitting from sub-section (1) “Where” and substituting “Subject to sub-section (2b), where”; and

(b) by inserting after sub-section (2a) the following sub-section:

“(2b) The Minister shall not confer an authority under sub-section (1) in relation to land in a State without the consent of the Government of that State unless that authority is conferred for a purpose that is, or purposes each of which is, related only to the defence of the Commonwealth.”.

No action against Commonwealth

4. Section 54 of the Principal Act is repealed.

Acts preparatory to commission of offence

5. Section 58 of the Principal Act is repealed.

6. Section 60 of the Principal Act is repealed and the following section substituted:

Application of Approved Defence Projects Protection Act

“60. (1) The Minister may, by notice published in the Gazette, declare that the Approved Defence Projects Protection Act 1947 applies to and in relation to a work being carried out, or to be carried out, by or on behalf of the Commission and, where a notice is so published in respect of a work, that Act applies to and in relation to that work as if the work were an approved defence project within the meaning of that Act.

“(2) Sections 48 (other than paragraphs (1)(a) and (b) and sub-section (2)), 49 and 50 of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901 apply in relation to declarations under sub-section (1) as if, in those sections, references to regulations were references to declarations.”.