Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:C2024C00510:section:3:p1
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:C2024C00510
Segment Type: section
Provision Reference: s 3 (pt 1/5)
Character Range: 16033–18846

3  Definitions
 (1) In this Act:
Australia, when used in a geographical sense, includes the external Territories.
Australian means an Australian citizen or a permanent resident.
Australian territory has the meaning given by section 12 of the Biosecurity Act 2015.
biological agents includes:
 (a) bacteria and viruses; and
 (b) toxins derived from biological sources, including animals, plants and microbes.
coronial inquiry means a coronial inquiry, coronial investigation or coronial inquest under a law of the Commonwealth, or of a State or Territory.
disease means an illness or medical condition (other than an injury), irrespective of origin or source, that presents or could present significant harm to humans.
dispose of a biological agent means the transfer or destruction of the biological agent.
emergency maintenance of a facility has the meaning given by subsection 55AA(1).
emergency maintenance period for an emergency maintenance report has the meaning given by section 55AB.
emergency maintenance report for a facility has the meaning given by subsection 55AA(2).
enactment means:
 (a) an Act of the Commonwealth, a State or a Territory; or
 (b) an instrument (including rules, regulations and by‑laws) made under an Act of the Commonwealth, a State or a Territory.
entity means any of the following:
 (a) an individual;
 (b) a body corporate;
 (c) an agency or instrumentality of the Commonwealth, a State or a Territory.
event, for the purposes of Part 2, means:
 (a) an occurrence of disease, injury or death; or
 (b) an occurrence, including the release of a chemical, biological or radiological agent, that creates the potential for disease, injury or death.
evidential material means any of the following:
 (a) a thing with respect to which an offence against Part 3 of this Act, or the Crimes (Biological Weapons) Act 1976, has been committed or is suspected, on reasonable grounds, to have been committed;
 (b) a thing that there are reasonable grounds for suspecting will afford evidence as to the commission of any such offence;
 (c) a thing that there are reasonable grounds for suspecting is intended to be used for the purpose of committing any such offence.
exempt entity has the meaning given by section 40.
facility includes:
 (a) a building, or part of a building; and
 (b) a laboratory (including a mobile laboratory).
handling a biological agent includes:
 (a) receiving, holding, using and storing the biological agent; and
 (b) any operation incidental to, or arising out of, any of those operations.
Note 1: Subsection 39(2) affects when an entity is treated for the purposes of Division 5 of Part 3 as handling a security‑sensitive biological agent that is a toxin.
Note 2: An entity that handles a biological agent only for the purpose of transporting it from one place to