Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Act 2017 (129 of 2017)

Schedule 3   Consequential amendments

Part 1   Attorney-General

Acts Interpretation Act 1901

2   After section 2C

Insert:

2CA References to spouses

(1) For the purposes of any Act, a person is the spouse of another person (whether of the same sex or a different sex) if the person is legally married to the other person.

(2) Subsection (1) has effect in addition to any provision of an Act that affects the meaning of spouse in a provision of that Act.

Example: Spouse is defined for the purposes of an Act to include a de facto partner and a former spouse. Because of this section, a reference in the Act to a person's spouse covers any person who is legally married to the person, in addition to any person covered by the definition in the Act.