When you look at the Civil Aviation Act 2023, you see it has parts that start at different times. You find that some parts, like the ones related to clauses 7 to 11 and 38 of Schedule 1, start the day after the Act is agreed to by the Royal assent. The Royal assent is when the government officially agrees to the Act.

The rest of the Act starts on a date chosen by the Governor-General, who makes this choice using an Order in Council. You can think of an Order in Council like a official decision made by the government. If a part of the Act has not started yet, it will start 24 months after the Royal assent.

When the Governor-General makes an Order in Council, it is a type of secondary legislation, which means it is a law made under another law. You can learn more about secondary legislation and how it is published in Part 3 of the Legislation Act 2019.