LA1102 Workshop 8A - 2026

Why do we need to interpret legislation? (you can select more than one answer):

• Some words in the legislation has more than one meaning

• Some words in the legislation are confusing in certain contexts

• Some words in the legislation are unreasonable when read literally

• Some words in the legislation are biased to one political party

What is the modern approach of interpreting legislation?

• Literal interpretation (known as textualism)

• Purposive interpretation (known as contextualism)

• Political interpretation (known as realism)

• Subjective interpretation (known as subjectivism)

Interpreting legislation is:

• a mechanical or scientific task

• a mathematical task

• dependent on a number of factors, some complex

• Always easy

What is the Literal Rule of interpreting legislation?

• the legislation is read in schools to improve literacy levels

• the legislation is read through a literary lense

• the literal or ordinary meaning of the words used in the legislation must be followed, whatever the result

What is the Golden Rule of interpreting legislation?

• It is a gold medal conferred on the Parliament that passes the most efficient legislation.

•    It allows a court to depart from the grammatical and ordinary meaning of words to avoid an absurd result

• It is a gold medal conferred on the Parliament that passes the most environmentally friendly legislation

The purposive approach means:

• The purpose of the legislation is written by the responsible Minister after the legislation becomes enacted

• The purpose of the legislation is written by a senior public servant after the legislation becomes enacted

• The purpose of the legislation is identified by looking at the legislation as a whole

The Acts Interpretation Act 1954 (Qld) interprets:

• Legislation made by the Queensland Parliament

• Legislation made by the Commonwealth Parliament

• Legislation made by the Commonwealth Parliament that affects Queensland residents

• Legislation made by the New South Wales Parliament that affects the Queensland border

The Acts Interpretation Act 1901 (Cth) interprets:

• Legislation made by the Queensland Parliament

• Legislation made by the Commonwealth Parliament

• Legislation made by the Queensland Parliament that affects Canberra resident

The modern approach to interpreting legislation is the purposive approach.  Which section of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901 (Cth) incorporates the purposive approach for Commonwealth legislation?

• Section 15A

• Section 15AA

• Section 16A

• Section 16AA

Which section of the Acts Interpretation Act 1954 (Qld) incorporates the purposive approach (which is the modern approach) for Queensland legislation?

• Section 14A

• Section 14AA

• Section 15A

• Section 15AA