12. Duties of Fire Authorities---(1) It shall be the duty of every
 Fire Authority to promote and carry out fire control measures including
 a written fire plan in its district.

   (2) Any Fire Authority may, in its discretion, promote and carry out
 such fire control measures as it thinks fit in any area or place
 adjoining its district in which there is no Fire Authority, and for that
 purpose it may do any thing which it could do if it were the Fire
 Authority for that area or place.

   (3) Subject to the prior approval of the Minister [of Forestry] and
 publication in the Gazette, any Fire Authority may make, amend, or
 revoke bylaws for the purposes of subsection (1) of this section, and,
 subject to the like approval, may enforce the same as if breaches
 thereof were offences under this Act; and such bylaws may include
 provision for costs, expenses, and charges, and for salaries and
 administration.

   (4) Every Fire Authority shall keep in the prescribed form and shall
 maintain up-to-date a register or registers showing from time to time---
   (a) The boundaries of the district it administers, whether by
         reference to an accompanying plan or otherwise as sufficiently
         described:
   (b) A record of all arrangements or agreements made for any period of
         not less than one year pursuant to section 14 or section 16 of
         this Act and notified to it:
   (c) All specially protected property in the district:
   (d) All forest areas and fire safety margins in the district:
   (e) All restricted or prohibited fire seasons in the district, and the
         areas affected thereby:
   (f) All approvals given under section 31 of this Act:
   (g) The prescribed current fire plan or fire plans and bylaws of the
         Fire Authority:
   (h) Such other fire control measures as the Fire Authority may
         consider should be on public record or as may from time to time
         be prescribed,---

 which register or registers shall be conveniently available at the
 principal office of the Fire Authority for public perusal during office
 hours without fee:

   Provided that the failure or omission of any Fire Authority to comply
 with the requirements of this subsection shall not invalidate any fire
 control measure.

   (5) Notwithstanding any provision or rule of law to the contrary, the
 carrying out by any Fire Authority of any fire control measure shall not
 in any proceedings be called into question by reason only that it has
 not been exercised, approved, or authorised in writing or under seal.
     Cf. 1955, No. 44, s. 12

       In subs. (3) the words ``of Forestry'' were inserted by s. 2 (1)
     (a) of the Forest and Rural Fires Amendment Act 1987.