Interpretation Act 2005 section 11

References in enactments to examples

Section 11 clarifies the legal status of examples that appear in legislation, ensuring they are treated as illustrative aids rather than as definitive or restrictive statements of what a provision covers.

• Where legislation includes an example of how a provision works, that example is illustrative only
• An example does not represent an exhaustive or complete account of what the provision covers
• An example may broaden the reader's understanding of the provision's meaning
• An example cannot be used to narrow or restrict the scope of the provision it accompanies