Page:Biological Agents and Toxins Act 2005.pdf/7

8 PART I PRELIMINARY Short title and commencement

1. This Act may be cited as the Biological Agents and Toxins Act 2005 and shall come into operation on such date as the Minister may, by notification in the Gazette, appoint.

Interpretation

2. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires—

“approval” means an approval granted by the Director under this Act;

“biological agent” means—
 * (a) any micro-organism (including any bacterium, virus, fungus, rickettsia and parasite);
 * (b) any infectious substance (including any prion); or
 * (c) any component of a micro-organism or an infectious substance (but not including any toxin),

that is capable of causing death, disease or other biological malfunction in a human;

“biological agent waste” means any unwanted, unused or obsolete biological agent or any material or waste contaminated with any biological agent;

“biosafety committee” means a biosafety committee appointed under section 39;

“certification”, in relation to a facility, means a certification under section 51, and includes a re-certification of the facility;

“certified facility” means a facility certified under section 51;

“diagnosis” means any activity undertaken solely with the intention of analysing any specimen from a person or an animal in which a biological agent is or is suspected of being present for the purpose of—
 * (a) determining the cause of any disease suffered by any person or animal;