GENEVA CONVENTIONS ACT 1957

This compilation was prepared on 15 March 2010
taking into account amendments up to Act No. 18 of 2009

The text of any of those amendments not in force
on that date is appended in the Notes section

The operation of amendments that have been incorporated may be
affected by application provisions that are set out in the Notes section

Prepared by the Office of Legislative Drafting and Publishing,
Attorney‑General's Department, Canberra

Contents

Part I--Preliminary 1

1............ Short title [see Note 1]....................................................................... 1

2............ Commencement [see Note 1].............................................................. 1

5............ Interpretation...................................................................................... 1

6............ Application of Act............................................................................. 3

6A......... Application of the Criminal Code...................................................... 3

Part III--Legal proceedings in respect of protected persons 4

10A....... Court may determine whether person is a protected prisoner of war 4

11.......... Notice of trial of protected prisoners of war and internees to be served on protecting power etc. 4

12.......... Legal representation of prisoners of war............................................ 5

13.......... Appeals by protected prisoners of war and internees....................... 7

14.......... Reduction of sentence and custody of protected prisoners of war and internees 8

Part IV--Abuse of the Red Cross and other emblems, signs, signals, identity cards, insignia and uniforms 9

15.......... Use of Red Cross and other emblems, signs, signals, identity cards, insignia and uniforms 9

Part V--Regulations 12

16.......... Regulations....................................................................................... 12

The Schedules 13

Schedule 1--Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field of August 12, 1949 13

Schedule 2--Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of Wounded, Sick and Shipwrecked Members of Armed Forces at Sea of August 12, 1949 36

Schedule 3--Geneva Convention Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War of August 12, 1949 57

Schedule 4--Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War of August 12, 1949 116

Schedule 5--Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts (Protocol I) 175

Schedule 6--Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Adoption of an Additional Distinctive Emblem (Protocol III) 251

Notes 259

Notes to the Geneva Conventions Act 1957

Note 1

The Geneva Conventions Act 1957 as shown in this compilation comprises Act No. 103, 1957 amended as indicated in the Tables below.

All relevant information pertaining to application, saving or transitional provisions prior to 6 April 2001 is not included in this compilation. For subsequent information see Table A.

Table of Acts

Act	Number and year	Date of Assent	Date of commencement	Application, saving or transitional provisions
Geneva Conventions Act 1957	103, 1957	18 Dec 1957	1 Sept 1959 (see Gazette 1959, p. 3001)
Statute Law Revision (Decimal Currency) Act 1966	93, 1966	29 Oct 1966	1 Dec 1966	--
Statute Law Revision Act 1973	216, 1973	19 Dec 1973	31 Dec 1973	Ss. 9(1) and 10
Defence Force (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982	153, 1982	31 Dec 1982	3 July 1985 (see s. 2 and Gazette 1985, No. S255)	--
Director of Public Prosecutions (Consequential Amendments)Act 1983	114, 1983	14 Dec 1983	Part IX (ss. 18, 19): 5 Mar 1984 (see Gazette 1984, No. S55) (a)	--
Geneva Conventions Amendment Act 1991	27, 1991	4 Mar 1991	28 Mar 1991 (see Gazette 1991, No. S81)	--
as amended by
Statute Law Revision Act 1996	43, 1996	25 Oct 1996	Schedule 3 (item 27): 4 Mar 1991 (b)	--
Law and Justice Legislation Amendment (Application of Criminal Code) Act 2001	24, 2001	6 Apr 2001	S. 4(1), (2) and Schedule 30: (c)	S. 4(1), (2) [see Table A]
International Criminal Court (Consequential Amendments) Act 2002	42, 2002	27 June 2002	Schedules 1-7: 26 Sept 2002 (see s. 2(1) (item 2) and Gazette 2002, No. GN38) Remainder: 28 June 2002	--
Defence Legislation (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act 2009	18, 2009	26 Mar 2009	Schedule 1 (items 3-12): 15 Feb 2010	--

(a) The Geneva Conventions Act 1957 was amended by Part IX (sections 18 and 19) only of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Consequential Amendments) Act 1983, subsection 2(1) of which provides as follows:

(1) Subject to this section, this Act shall come into operation, or shall be deemed to have come into operation, as the case requires, on the day on which the Director of Public Prosecutions Act 1983 comes into operation.

(b) The Geneva Conventions Amendment Act 1991 was amended by Schedule 3 (item 27) only of the Statute Law Revision Act 1996, subsection 2(3) of which provides as follows:

(3) Each item in Schedule 3 is taken to have commenced when the Act containing the provision amended by the item received the Royal Assent.

(c) The Geneva Conventions Act 1957 was amended by Schedule 30 only of the Law and Justice Legislation Amendment (Application of Criminal Code) Act 2001, subsection 2(1)(a) of which provides as follows:

(1) Subject to this section, this Act commences at the later of the following times:

(a) immediately after the commencement of item 15 of Schedule 1 to the Criminal Code Amendment (Theft, Fraud, Bribery and Related Offences) Act 2000;

Item 15 commenced on 24 May 2001.

Table of Amendments

ad. = added or inserted am. = amended rep. = repealed rs. = repealed and substituted
Provision affected	How affected
Title......................................	am. No. 27, 1991
Part I
S. 2......................................	am. No. 27, 1991
Ss. 3, 4................................	rep. No. 216, 1973
S. 5......................................	am. No. 216, 1973; No. 153, 1982; No. 27, 1991; No. 18, 2009
S. 6......................................	am. No. 216, 1973
S. 6A...................................	ad. No. 24, 2001
Heading to Part II.................	am. No. 27, 1991
	rep. No. 42, 2002
Part II...................................	rep. No. 42, 2002
S. 7......................................	am. No. 216, 1973; No. 153, 1982; No. 114, 1983; No. 27, 1991; No. 24, 2001
	rep. No. 42, 2002
S. 8......................................	am. No. 216, 1973
	rs. No. 27, 1991
	rep. No. 42, 2002
S. 9......................................	rep. No. 153, 1982
S. 10....................................	am. No. 216, 1973; No. 27, 1991
	rep. No. 42, 2002
Part III
S. 10A.................................	ad. No. 27, 1991
S. 11....................................	am. No. 27, 1991 (as am. by No. 43, 1996)
S. 12....................................	am. No. 27, 1991
S. 13....................................	am. No. 153, 1982; No. 27, 1991
S. 14....................................	am. No. 27, 1991
Part IV
Heading to Part IV...............	am. No. 27, 1991
S. 15....................................	am. No. 93, 1966; No. 27, 1991; No. 24, 2001; No. 18, 2009
Part V
S. 16....................................	rs. No. 27, 1991
Schedules
Heading to First Schedule...	rep. No. 27, 1991
Heading to Schedule 1........	ad. No. 27, 1991
Heading to Second ............. Schedule	rep. No. 27, 1991
Heading to Schedule 2........	ad. No. 27, 1991
Heading to Third Schedule..	rep. No. 27, 1991
Heading to Schedule 3........	ad. No. 27, 1991
Heading to Fourth Schedule	rep. No. 27, 1991
Heading to Schedule 4........	ad. No. 27, 1991
Schedule 5..........................	ad. No. 27, 1991
Schedule 6..........................	ad. No. 18, 2009

Commonwealth Consolidated Acts

GENEVA CONVENTIONS ACT 1957 - NOTES