204   Proceedings for offences

(cf AC Act s 60, AI Act s 40)

(1)  Proceedings for an offence against this Act or the regulations are to be dealt with summarily before the Local Court.

(2)  Proceedings for an offence against this Act or the regulations may be commenced:

(a)  within but not later than 12 months after the date on which the offence is alleged to have been committed, or

(b)  within but not later than 6 months after the date on which evidence of the offence first came to the attention of any relevant authorised officer,

      whichever is the later time.

(3)  If subsection (2) (b) is relied on for the purpose of commencing proceedings for an offence, the court attendance notice must contain particulars of the date on which evidence of the offence first came to the attention of any relevant authorised officer and need not contain particulars of the date on which the offence was committed. The date on which evidence of the offence first came to the attention of any relevant authorised officer is the date specified in the court attendance notice, unless the contrary is established.

(4)  This section applies despite anything in the Criminal Procedure Act 1986 or any other Act.

(5)  In this section:

evidence of an offence means evidence of any act or omission constituting the offence.

relevant authorised officer means a person prescribed by the regulations as an authorised officer for the purposes of this definition.