Despite section 19 of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901 , in this Act:
(a) a reference to the responsible Minister in relation to a relevant agency is a reference only to the most senior responsible Minister in relation to that agency; and
(b) a reference to the Prime Minister or the Attorney - General is a reference only to the Minister with that title; and
(c) a reference to the Defence Minister is a reference only to the most senior Defence Minister; and
(d) a reference to the Foreign Affairs Minister is a reference only to the most senior Foreign Affairs Minister; and
(e) a reference to the Minister responsible for administering the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Act 1979 is a reference only to the most senior such Minister.
Note: A reference to a Minister mentioned in this section may include a reference to a person acting as that Minister (see subsection 19(4) of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901 ).