{"id":"agent-general-act-1901","name":"Agent-General Act 1901","slug":"agent-general-act-1901","collection":"act","jurisdiction":"sa","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":31491,"registerId":"sa-agent-general-act-1901-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-01","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Agent-General Act 1901","content":"South Australia\nAgent-General Act 1901\nAn Act to regulate the appointment and tenure of office of Agent-General.\n\nContents\n1\tShort title\n3\tAppointment\n4\tDuties\n5\tSalary and allowances of Agent-General\n6\tTerm of office\nLegislative history\n\nThe Parliament of South Australia enacts as follows:\n1—Short title\nThis Act may be cited as the Agent-General Act 1901.\n3—Appointment\nThe Governor may appoint any person to be Agent-General for South Australia in the United Kingdom.\n4—Duties\nThe office of Agent-General shall be in the department of the Premier, and any person heretofore or hereafter appointed to such office shall be under the supervision, control and direction of the Premier, and shall do all things in the United Kingdom in relation to South Australia that the Premier of the State may direct, or which may be necessary and proper to be done in the best interests of the State.\n5—Salary and allowances of Agent-General\n\t(1)\tThe Agent-General shall be paid such salary and allowances as the Governor may from time to time determine.\n\t(3)\tThe salary and allowances referred to in subsection (1) of this section shall be a charge on the General Revenue of the State which is hereby to the necessary extent appropriated accordingly.\n6—Term of office\n\t(1)\tSubject to this section, a person appointed as Agent-General shall hold office for a term, not exceeding five years, specified in the instrument of appointment.\n\t(3)\tThe Agent-General may at any time be suspended or removed from office by the Governor.\nLegislative history\nNotes\n\t•\tFor further information relating to the Act and subordinate legislation made under the Act see the Index of South Australian Statutes or www.legislation.sa.gov.au.\nLegislation repealed by principal Act\nThe Agent-General Act 1901 repealed the following:\nThe Agent-Generals Act 1889\nPrincipal Act and amendments\nNew entries appear in bold.\nYear\nNo\nTitle\nAssent\nCommencement\n1901\n769\nAgent-General Act 1901\n21.12.1901\n21.12.1901\n1927\n1800\nAgent-General Act Amendment Act 1927\n16.11.1927\n16.11.1927\n1934\n2168\nStatute Law Revision Act 1934\n15.11.1934\n15.11.1934\n1941\n6\nAgent-General Act Amendment Act 1941\n11.9.1941\n11.9.1941\n1945\n4\nAgent-General Act Amendment Act 1945\n1.11.1945\n1.11.1945\n1948\n6\nAgent-General Act Amendment Act 1948\n26.8.1948\n26.8.1948\n1949\n54\nAgent-General Act Amendment Act 1949\n8.12.1949\n8.12.1949\n1953\n10\nAgent-General Act Amendment Act 1953\n22.10.1953\n22.10.1953\n1955\n3\nStatutes Amendment (Public Salaries) Act 1955\n23.6.1955\n23.6.1955\n1957\n3\nStatutes Amendment (Public Salaries) Act 1957\n21.2.1957\n20.12.1954: s 15(3)\n1959\n10\nStatutes Amendment (Public Salaries) Act 1959\n5.11.1959\n5.11.1959\n1960\n22\nStatutes Amendment (Public Salaries) Act (No. 2) 1960\n15.9.1960\n15.9.1960\n1963\n51\nStatutes Amendment (Public Salaries) Act 1963\n28.11.1963\n28.11.1963\n1964\n44\nStatutes Amendment (Public Salaries) Act 1964\n22.10.1964\n22.10.1964\n1965\n29\nStatutes Amendment (Public Salaries) Act 1965\n25.11.1965\n25.11.1965\n1967\n38\nStatutes Amendment (Public Salaries) Act 1967\n14.9.1967\n14.9.1967\n1969\n83\nStatutes Amendment (Public Salaries) Act 1969\n11.12.1969\n11.12.1969\n1970\n8\nStatutes Amendment (Public Salaries) Act 1970\n27.8.1970\n27.8.1970\n1971\n8\nAgent-General Act Amendment Act 1971\n1.4.1971\n1.4.1971: s 2\n1972\n76\nStatutes Amendment (Public Salaries) Act 1972\n28.9.1972\n28.9.1972\n1973\n21\nAgent-General Act Amendment Act 1973\n20.9.1973\n20.9.1973 (Gazette 20.9.1973 p2053)\n1975\n19\nStatutes Amendment (Public Salaries) Act 1975\n27.3.1975\n27.3.1975\n1985\n59\nStatutes Amendment (Remuneration) Act 1985\n30.5.1985\n13.6.1985 (Gazette 13.6.1985 p2132)\n1986\n36\nAgent-General Act Amendment Act 1986\n28.8.1986\n28.8.1986\n1990\n18\nStatutes Repeal and Amendment (Remuneration) Act 1990\n19.4.1990\n19.4.1990 (Gazette 19.4.1990 p1136)\nProvisions amended since 3 February 1976\n\t•\tLegislative history prior to 3 February 1976 appears in marginal notes and footnotes included in the consolidation of this Act contained in Volume 1 of The Public General Acts of South Australia 1837-1975 at page 259.\nNew entries appear in bold.\nEntries that relate to provisions that have been deleted appear in italics.\nProvision\nHow varied\nCommencement\ns 2\nomitted under Legislation Revision and Publication Act 2002\n\ns 5\n\n\ns 5(1)\namended by 59/1985 s 3(a)\n13.6.1985\n\namended by 18/1990 s 5\n19.4.1990\ns 5(2)\ndeleted by 59/1985 s 3(b)\n13.6.1985\ns 6\n\n\ns 6(1)\nsubstituted by 36/1986 s 2\n28.8.1986\ns 6(2)\ndeleted by 36/1986 s 2\n28.8.1986\n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The Act remains narrowly focused on establishing the Agent‑General post, who appoints and supervises it, its pay source, and the term/ removal rules (ss 3–6). Amendments over time have updated remuneration provisions and the term wording, but the statute has not materially grown beyond its original purpose of regulating appointment and tenure of the Agent‑General representing South Australia in the United Kingdom."},"complexity_factors":["Very short Act (6 numbered provisions listed; operative provisions are ss 1, 3–6)","No defined terms section; minimal statutory vocabulary","Principal discretionary powers concentrated in a few provisions (Governor appoints/removes s 3, s 6(3); Governor fixes pay s 5(1); Premier directs activities s 4)","Simple conditional logic: fixed maximum term up to five years (s 6(1)) coupled with at‑will removal (s 6(3))","Cross‑references limited to office placement in Premier's department and charge on General Revenue (s 4, s 5(3))","Long legislative amendment history noted, but present text is concise (historical amendments affect details of remuneration and term but do not materially complicate the current text)"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this law does (mechanically)\n\n- Creates the office of Agent-General for South Australia in the United Kingdom and sets out how the office is filled, paid and supervised. (ss 1, 3–6)\n\n- The Governor appoints the Agent‑General. (s 3)\n\n- The Agent‑General sits in the Premier's department and must act under the Premier's supervision, control and direction in carrying out tasks in the United Kingdom that the Premier directs or that are \"necessary and proper\" for the State's interests. (s 4)\n\n- The Governor determines the Agent‑General's salary and allowances; those payments are charged on (paid from) the State's General Revenue. (s 5(1), s 5(3))\n\n- Appointments are for a term up to five years (the term is specified in the appointment instrument), but the Governor may suspend or remove the Agent‑General at any time. (s 6(1), s 6(3))\n\n\nWho is affected\n\n- The State of South Australia (the Crown) — through its budget (General Revenue) — pays the Agent‑General's salary and supports the office. (s 5(3))\n- The Governor and the Premier — the Governor appoints and may remove or suspend; the Premier directs and supervises the office's work. (ss 3–4, 6(3))\n- The person appointed as Agent‑General and any third parties who are the subject of the Agent‑General's representations or support in the United Kingdom (for example, State agencies or private businesses that the Agent‑General assists).\n\n\nWhy it matters (claimed purpose and practical effects)\n\n- The explicit statutory purpose is to provide a formal representative for South Australia in the United Kingdom and to regulate that officer's appointment, authority and remuneration (title and ss 3–6). The law vests operational direction in the Premier so that the office acts on instructions from the State executive (s 4).\n\n- Who pays: taxpayers (General Revenue) finance the office; the statute makes the salary and allowances a charge on the General Revenue (s 5(3)).\n\n- Who decides and how decisions affect behaviour: the Governor has appointment and removal power (ss 3, 6(3)); the Premier controls day‑to‑day direction and the scope of work performed in the UK (s 4). That combination gives political principals (Premier and Governor) both selection/removal and operational control.\n\n\nPractical trade‑offs, incentives and implementation notes\n\n- Discretion and centralisation: the Premier's supervisory role (s 4) concentrates choice about what the Agent‑General does. That enables the State to prioritise official objectives, but it also means the office's activity allocation is politically directed rather than driven by an independent statutory mandate.\n\n- Budgetary cost and concentration of benefit: the salary/allowances are paid from general State funds (s 5(3)), so the costs are borne broadly by taxpayers. The direct benefits of the office (assistance, representation, market access work in the UK) are likely to be concentrated on particular agencies or firms the office assists — the statute gives no formula or limits on whom the Agent‑General may assist beyond the Premier's directions (s 4).\n\n- Tenure and operational risk: appointments have a maximum term of five years (s 6(1)) but can be ended at any time by the Governor (s 6(3)). That creates potential uncertainty for the officeholder and may affect continuity of relationships and contracts in the UK.\n\n- Administrative simplicity and compliance burden: the Act is short and prescribes limited administrative requirements — appointment, supervision and payment — so compliance and bureaucratic complexity are low. The Act does not create licensing, reporting, or procurement obligations for third parties.\n\n- Effects on private enterprise and markets: the Act authorises a State representative to act in the UK under Executive direction (s 4). It therefore can facilitate or inhibit individual businesses' international activities only to the extent the Premier directs the Agent‑General to assist them. The statute does not itself grant regulatory powers over private markets, nor does it set fees, taxes or trade restrictions.\n\n\nConcrete mechanisms that could produce asymmetric outcomes\n\n- Concentrated benefits: because the Premier decides where the Agent‑General works, particular businesses or sectors that receive attention may gain a valuable, targeted service paid for from general revenue (s 4, s 5).\n\n- Capture or favoritism risk: the statute's silence on decision criteria and transparency (s 4) gives the executive discretion that could be exercised to favour certain interests; the mechanism is the Premier's direction of the office's activities.\n\n- Limited safeguards: the Act contains no statutory reporting, conflict‑of‑interest rules, or procedural constraints on removal — the Governor may remove or suspend at will (s 6(3)).\n\n\nSource citations\n\n- Appointment: s 3\n- Supervision and duties: s 4\n- Salary/allowances and appropriation: s 5(1), s 5(3)\n- Term and removal: s 6(1), s 6(3)\n\n\nOverall, the law establishes a State representative post in the UK, places operational control with the Premier, funds the office from the State's general revenue, and permits finite but not guaranteed tenure for the officeholder. The main costs are the salary and operational expenses borne by taxpayers; the main decision‑makers are the Governor (appointment/removal and salary) and the Premier (direction and supervision)."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The Act remains tightly focused on its original purpose: regulating a single office (Agent-General). While numerous amendments have updated salary mechanisms and deleted obsolete provisions (notably section 2 and various salary subsections), the core scope has not expanded. The Act has actually contracted through deletions rather than grown."},"complexity_factors":["Extremely short — only 4 operative sections (1, 3, 4, 5, 6) with many subsections deleted","No defined terms section — ordinary words used in ordinary senses","Minimal cross-referencing — only internal references to subsections within the same section","Simple conditional logic — only basic qualifications like 'subject to this section'","Straightforward command structure — 'shall' duties without nested exceptions","Legislative history is longer than the actual law"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this law does:**\n\nThis is a short, century-old South Australian law that sets up the job of \"Agent-General\" — essentially South Australia's representative in the United Kingdom. Think of it as creating an official spokesperson and lobbyist for the state based in London.\n\n**Who it affects:**\n\n- **The Agent-General** — the person appointed to the role (originally to promote South Australia's interests in Britain)\n- **The Premier** — who controls what the Agent-General does\n- **The Governor** — who hires, fires, and sets pay\n\n**Key rules:**\n\n- **Appointment:** The Governor picks who gets the job\n- **Boss:** The Agent-General answers to the Premier and does whatever the Premier directs, plus anything necessary for South Australia's interests in the UK\n- **Pay:** Set by the Governor, paid from state revenue\n- **Term:** Up to 5 years per appointment, but can be sacked at any time by the Governor\n\n**Why it matters (historically):**\n\nThis law dates from 1901, when Australian colonies still maintained strong ties with Britain. The Agent-General was crucial for trade, immigration, and maintaining relationships with the \"mother country.\" While the role has diminished in importance over time, this Act remains on the books as a piece of living legal history.\n\n**Note on the text:** The version shown has been heavily edited over time — you'll notice sections 2, 5(2), and 6(2) have been deleted, and various salary provisions have been repeatedly updated through the decades."},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"A positive credit balance is required for all requests, including BYOK, so fallback providers remain available. Add credits at https://vercel.com/d?to=%2F%5Bteam%5D%2F%7E%2Fai%3Fmodal%3Dtop-up to continue.","source":"analysis-cron"},"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"summary":{"complexity_score":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Scope cannot be assessed as no legislative text was provided. The document supplied contains only a website error page, not the text of the Agent-General Act 1901 (SA)."},"complexity_factors":["No legislative text was retrievable — the source URL returned a 404 error","Unable to assess complexity of the actual Act without its content","Website migration (pre-24 March 2026 links now broken) caused the retrieval failure"],"plain_english_summary":"**No legislation could be analysed.**\n\nThe link or document provided did not return any actual legislative text. Instead, it returned a **404 'Page Not Found' error** from the South Australian legislation website (legislation.sa.gov.au).\n\nThis appears to have happened because a bookmark or hyperlink created before **24 March 2026** is now incompatible with the updated website.\n\n**What this means for you:**\n- There is no law text available to summarise.\n- If you are trying to find the *Agent-General Act 1901* (SA), try searching directly at [legislation.sa.gov.au](https://www.legislation.sa.gov.au) using the site's search function.\n- If you believe this is a website error, you can report it to: OPCWeb@sa.gov.au"}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/agent-general-act-1901","history":"/api/acts/agent-general-act-1901/history","analysis":"/api/acts/agent-general-act-1901/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/agent-general-act-1901/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/agent-general-act-1901/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/agent-general-act-1901/documents"}}