NSW Interpretation Act 1987 - Please explain in simple Terms

[Glenmore79]

Hey there,

A group's association i belong to have by-laws with a passage that reads:

The provisions of the Interpretation Act 1987 apply to and in respect of these by-Laws in the same manner as those provisions would so apply if these by-Laws were an instrument made under the Act


Can someone explain to me what this means in Layman's Terms please?

 

[Rod]

They will interpret the by-laws using the definitions and methods listed in the INTERPRETATION ACT 1987 (NSW).

 

[Rob Legat - SBPL]

Put basically, the Interpretation Act is a law that sets some basic rules for how you figure out what standard things mean in other laws such as:

- referring to one gender is taken to refer to every other gender;
- if the word 'may' is used it means the action is discretionary, and if the word 'shall' is used then the action must be performed; and
- providing definitions for a list of words, like a legally binding dictionary.

The Act doesn't automatically apply to the by-laws. So the by-laws are saying that the rules in the Act (including the above things) apply.