The legislation provides exemptions for persons in the course of conducting his or her business or for the purpose of or in the course of his or her employment plus for members of astronomical societies engaged in Astronomy. It applies to any hand-held laser pointer >1mW regardless of the wavelength of the beam. The South Australian legislation is typical of the state based legislation dealing with laser pointers.
If using a laser pointer in other States, astronomers are recommended to seek local advice before operating a laser pointer. The Astronomical Society of South Australia makes no warrant as to the legality of any use of a laser pointer in South Australia.
Note: It is the responsibility of any person using a laser pointer to confirm that their use or possession is permitted by the relevant part of the Act. This Guideline has been prepared to assist ASSA members using laser pointers to understand the changes to the use of laser pointers and is provided for information only and should not be regarded as legal advice. Under the South Australian Summary Offences Act 1953, hand held laser pointers with an output greater than 1 milliwatt are prohibited weapons. the eye is particularly sensitive to the green colour of the laser pointer.green light is scattered away from the beam direction by air molecules and dust particles (so you can see the beam from the side).typical green laser pointers deliver at least 5 milliwatts (mW) of power.The beam is bright and clearly visible for several reasons: On public astronomy nights, the narrow beam from the laser pointer can be used to unambiguously point to celestial objects. Green laser pointers are useful astronomical tools.