Western Australian Consolidated Acts

CIVIL LIABILITY ACT 2002 - NOTES

Notes

¹ This is a compilation of the Civil Liability Act 2002 and includes the amendments made by the other written laws referred to in the following table ^1a. The table also contains information about any reprint.

Compilation table

Short title	Number and year	Assent	Commencement
Civil Liability Act 2002	35 of 2002	20 Nov 2002	s. 1 and 2: 20 Nov 2002; Act other than s. 1 and 2: 1 Jan 2003 (see s. 2 and Gazette 17 Dec 2002 p. 5905)
Civil Liability Amendment Act 2003	58 of 2003	30 Oct 2003	s. 1 and 2: 30 Oct 2003; Act other than s. 1, 2, 9 and 14: 1 Dec 2003 (see s. 2 and Gazette 28 Nov 2003 p. 4773); s. 9 and 14: 1 Dec 2004 (see s. 2 and Gazette 26 Nov 2004 p. 5309)
Acts Amendment and Repeal (Courts and Legal Practice) Act 2003 s. 19	65 of 2003	4 Dec 2003	1 Jan 2004 (see s. 2 and Gazette 30 Dec 2003 p. 5722)
Workers’ Compensation Reform Act 2004 s. 174	42 of 2004	9 Nov 2004	4 Jan 2005 (see s. 2 and Gazette 31 Dec 2004 p. 7131)
Civil Liability Amendment Act 2004	43 of 2004	9 Nov 2004	Act other than Pt. 3: 9 Nov 2004 (see s. 2(1)); Pt. 3: 1 Dec 2004 (see s. 2(2) and Gazette 26 Nov 2004 p. 5309)
Psychologists Act 2005 Sch. 3 cl. 1	28 of 2005	12 Dec 2005	4 May 2007 (see s. 2 and Gazette 4 May 2007 p. 1963)
Optometrists Act 2005 Sch. 3 cl. 1	29 of 2005	12 Dec 2005	20 Apr 2007 (see s. 2 and Gazette 30 Mar 2007 p. 1451)
Podiatrists Act 2005 Sch. 3 cl. 1	30 of 2005	12 Dec 2005	30 May 2007 (see s. 2 and Gazette 29 May 2007 p. 2486)
Chiropractors Act 2005 Sch. 3 cl. 1	31 of 2005	12 Dec 2005	1 Aug 2007 (see s. 2 and Gazette 31 Jul 2007 p. 3789)
Physiotherapists Act 2005 Sch. 3 cl. 1	32 of 2005	12 Dec 2005	23 Feb 2007 (see s. 2 and Gazette 20 Feb 2007 p. 505)
Osteopaths Act 2005 Sch. 3 cl. 1	33 of 2005	12 Dec 2005	30 May 2007 (see s. 2 and Gazette 29 May 2007 p. 2486)
Occupational Therapists Act 2005 Sch. 3 cl. 1	42 of 2005	19 Dec 2005	1 Aug 2007 (see s. 2 and Gazette 31 Jul 2007 p. 3789)
Reprint 1: The Civil Liability Act 2002 as at 10 Feb 2006 (includes amendments listed above except those in the Psychologists Act 2005, the Optometrists Act 2005, the Podiatrists Act 2005, the Chiropractors Act 2005, the Physiotherapists Act 2005, the Osteopaths Act 2005 and the Occupational Therapists Act 2005)
Medical Radiation Technologists Act 2006 Sch. 3 cl. 1	21 of 2006	9 Jun 2006	1 Jul 2007 (see s. 2 and Gazette 26 Jun 2007 p. 3013)
Nurses and Midwives Act 2006 Sch. 3 cl. 2	50 of 2006	6 Oct 2006	19 Sep 2007 (see s. 2 and Gazette 18 Sep 2007 p. 4711)
Reprint 2: The Civil Liability Act 2002 as at 5 Oct 2007 (includes amendments listed above)
Legal Profession Act 2008 s. 646	21 of 2008	27 May 2008	1 Mar 2009 (see s. 2(b) and Gazette 27 Feb 2009 p. 511)
Medical Practitioners Act 2008 Sch. 3 cl. 8	22 of 2008	27 May 2008	1 Dec 2008 (see s. 2 and Gazette 25 Nov 2008 p. 4989)
Acts Amendment (Consent to Medical Treatment) Act 2008 Pt. 3	25 of 2008	19 Jun 2008	27 Jun 2009 (see s. 2 and Gazette 26 Jun 2009 p. 2565)
Statutes (Repeals and Miscellaneous Amendments) Act 2009 s. 33	8 of 2009	21 May 2009	22 May 2009 (see s. 2(b))
Reprint 3: The Civil Liability Act 2002 as at 20 Aug 2010 (includes amendments listed above)
Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (WA) Act 2010 Pt. 5 Div. 9	35 of 2010	30 Aug 2010	s. 40, 41(1) and 42: 18 Oct 2010 (see s. 2(b) and Gazette 1 Oct 2010 p. 5075-6)
Acts Amendment (Fair Trading) Act 2010 s. 193	58 of 2010	8 Dec 2010	1 Jan 2011 (see s. 2(c) and Gazette 24 Dec 2010 p. 6805)

^1a On the date as at which this compilation was prepared, provisions referred to in the following table had not come into operation and were therefore not included in this compilation. For the text of the provisions see the endnotes referred to in the table.

Provisions that have not come into operation

Short title	Number and year	Assent	Commencement
Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (WA) Act 2010 s. 41(2) 2	35 of 2010	30 Aug 2010	To be proclaimed (see s. 2(b))
Health, Safety and Civil Liability (Children in Schools and Child Care Services) Act 2011 Pt. 2 3	1 of 2011	1 Mar 2011	To be proclaimed (see s. 2(b))

² On the date as at which this compilation was prepared, the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (WA) Act 2010 s. 41(2) had not come into operation. It reads as follows:

41. Section 5PA amended

(2) In section 5PA delete the definition of health professional and insert:

health professional means —

(a) a person registered under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (Western Australia) in any of the following health professions —

(i) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practice;

(ii) Chinese medicine;

(iii) chiropractic;

(iv) dental;

(v) medical;

(vi) medical radiation practice;

(vii) nursing and midwifery;

(viii) occupational therapy;

(ix) optometry;

(x) osteopathy;

(xi) pharmacy;

(xii) physiotherapy;

(xiii) podiatry;

(xiv) psychology;

or

(b) any other person who practises a discipline or profession in the health area that involves the application of a body of learning.

³ On the date as at which this compilation was prepared, the Health, Safety and Civil Liability (Children in Schools and Child Care Services) Act 2011 Pt. 2 had not come into operation. It reads as follows:

Part 2 — Civil Liability Act 2002 amended

3. Act amended

This Part amends the Civil Liability Act 2002.

4. Section 3A amended

In section 3A(1) in the Table item 1 column 3 after “1C,” insert:

1CA,

5. Section 4A amended

In section 4A(1) after “1C,” insert:

1CA,

6. Part 1CA inserted

After section 5AA insert:

Part 1CA — Liability relating to emergency medical assistance given to enrolled children

5AAA. Terms used

In this Part —

child care service has the meaning given in the Child Care Services Act 2007 section 4;

community kindergarten means a kindergarten registered under the School Education Act 1999 Part 5;

emergency medical assistance means medical assistance of a type prescribed by the regulations as assistance to which this Part applies;

enrolled child means —

(a) a child enrolled at community kindergarten; or

(b) a child for whom a child care service is provided; or

(c) a student within the meaning given in the School Education Act 1999 section 4;

(a) employed in the department of the Public Service referred to in the School Education Act 1999 section 228; or

(b) employed in a school registered under the School Education Act 1999 section 160; or

(c) a supervising officer as defined in the Child Care Services Act 2007 section 3; or

5AAB. Application of this Part

(1) In this section —

commencement day means the day on which the Health, Safety and Civil Liability (Children in Schools and Child Care Services) Act 2011 section 6 comes into operation.

(2) Subject to sections 3A and 4A, this Part applies to civil liability of any kind unless this section states otherwise.

(3) This Part extends to a claim even if the damages are sought to be recovered in an action for breach of contract or any other action.

(4) This Part does not apply unless the civil liability giving rise to the claim arises out of an incident happening on or after the commencement day.

(5) If in a claim for damages —

(a) it cannot be ascertained whether or not the incident out of which the personal injury arises happened on or after the commencement day; and

(b) the symptoms of the injury first appeared on or after the commencement day,

the incident is to be taken, for the purpose of subsection (4), to have happened on or after the commencement day.

(6) This Part does not limit the protection from liability given by another written law.

5AAC. Protection of staff members

(1) A staff member does not incur any personal civil liability in respect of —

(a) an act or omission done or made by the staff member at the scene of an emergency in assisting an enrolled child in apparent need of emergency medical assistance; or

(b) advice given by the staff member about assistance to be given to an enrolled child in apparent need of emergency medical assistance,

if the act or omission is done or made, or the advice given, in good faith and without recklessness in the course of the staff member’s employment as a staff member.

(2) This section does not affect the vicarious liability of any person for the acts or omissions of a staff member.

5AAD. Exclusion from protection

The protection from personal civil liability conferred by this Part does not apply if the ability of the staff member to exercise reasonable care and skill, at the relevant time, was significantly impaired by reason of the staff member being intoxicated by alcohol or a drug or other substance capable of intoxicating a person and the intoxication was self-induced.

Defined Terms

[This is a list of terms defined and the provisions where they are defined. The list is not part of the law.]

Defined Term Provision(s)
Amount A 9(4)
Amount B 12(4)
Amount C 9(4)
apology 5AF
apportionable claim 5AI(1)
approved 21(3)
carry out road work 5Z(1)
child 5I(16)
client 16
commencement day 5A(5), 5R(5), 5V(5), 5AC(6), 5AG(5)
concurrent wrongdoer 5AI(1)
consequential mental harm 5Q
convicted 21(3)
dangerous recreational activity 5E
defendant 5H(1), 5I(1), 5O(1), 5P(1), 5S(1)
emergency assistance 5AB
excluded concurrent wrongdoer 5AJA(1)
factual causation 5C(1)(a)
fee 20(4)
good samaritan 5AB
harm 3
health professional 5PA
hospital 16
incompetent person 5I(16)
inherent risk 5E
injured person 5C(3)
insurer 19(8)(e)
intoxicated 5L(4)
law practice 16
legal practitioner 16
loss of earnings 11(2)
LPI 4(2)(a)
medical qualifications 5AB
medically qualified good samaritan 5AB
mental harm 5Q
misconduct 21(3)
non-pecuniary loss 9(4)
obvious risk 5E, 5M
other person 5AKA(1)(a)
person attending 19(11)
person having contact 19(11)
person obtaining information 19(11)
personal injury 3
personal injury damages 3
plaintiff 5H(1), 5I(1), 5O(1), 5S(1)
policy decision 5U
potential claimant 16
printed publication 16
public body or officer 5U
public place 16
publish 16
pure mental harm 5Q
recreational activity 5E
recreational services 5J(7)
road 5Z(1)
roads authority 5Z(1)
scope of liability 5C(1)(b)
structured settlement 14
the preceding financial year 4(1)
the relevant Act 21(1)(a)
the relevant financial year 4(1)
the relevant quarter 12(6)
tortfeasor 5C(1)