{"id":"anglopersian-oil-company-limiteds-private-act-1919","name":"Anglo-Persian Oil Company Limited's (Private) Act 1919","slug":"anglo-persian-oil-company-limited-s-private-act-1919","collection":"act","jurisdiction":"wa","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":30017,"registerId":"wa-anglopersian-oil-company-limiteds-private-act-1919-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-01","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Anglo-Persian Oil Company Limited's (Private) Act 1919","content":"![Crest]()Western Australia\n\nAnglo-Persian Oil Company Limited’s (Private) Act 1919\n\n- **Reprinted under the *Reprints Act 1984* as**\n- **at 18 March 2016**\n\n\nWestern Australia\n\nAnglo-Persian Oil Company Limited’s (Private) Act 1919\n\nContents\n\n1. Short title 2\n\n2. Terms used 2\n\n3. Limits of Act 3\n\n4. Powers of Company 3\n\n5. Notice to be served and plan deposited before breaking up streets etc. 4\n\n6. Streets etc., broken up to be reinstated without delay 5\n\n7. Penalty for breaking up without notice or delay in reinstating 5\n\n8. In cases of delay other parties may reinstate and recover expenses 6\n\n9. Company to make compensation for any damage 6\n\n10. Power to local authority to alter situation of pipes etc. 6\n\n11. Penalties 7\n\n12. Damages for accidentally damaging works etc. 7\n\n13. Court in which proceedings to be taken 8\n\n14. Payment in lieu of rates etc. 8\n\n15. Act to be deemed Public Act 8\n\n16. Deposit 9\n\n17. Voidance of Act on default of commencement of works 9\n\nNotes\n\nCompilation table 10\n\nDefined terms\n\n  \n\n- Crest **Reprinted under the *Reprints Act 1984* as**\n- **at 18 March 2016**\n\n\nWestern Australia\n\nAnglo‑Persian Oil Company Limited’s (Private) Act 1919\n\nAn Act to grant to the Anglo‑Persian Oil Company, Limited, powers and provisions for the storage and supply of oil, and for other purposes.\n\nPreamble\n\nWhereas the construction of reservoirs and works as hereinafter provided, and the storage, supply, and distribution therein, therefrom, and thereby of oil and liquid fuel within the area hereinafter defined would be of public and local advantage: And whereas the Anglo‑Persian Oil Company, Limited, duly formed and registered as a limited company under the Companies Acts in England, has acquired or is entitled to acquire Fremantle Town Lots Numbers 1186, 1187, 1188, 1189, 1190, 1191, 1192, 1197, 1198, 1199, 1200, 1207, 1208, 1213, 1214, 1215, 1216, 1224, 1225, 1226, and 1227, and is willing and proposes at its own expense to construct and erect thereon the necessary reservoirs and works for the storage, supply, and distribution of oil and liquid fuel: And whereas it is desirable and expedient to grant to and confer upon the said Company the powers, rights, and privileges hereinafter appearing:\n\nBe it therefore enacted by the King’s Most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Council and Legislative Assembly of Western Australia, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows: —\n\n##### 1. Short title\n\nThis Act may be cited as the *Anglo‑Persian Oil Company Limited’s (Private) Act 1919* 1.\n\n##### 2. Terms used\n\nIn this Act, unless the context otherwise requires, —\n\n  Company means the Anglo‑Persian Oil Company, Limited, and shall include its assigns;\n\nlocal authority means within their respective jurisdictions the mayor and councillors of the Municipality of Fremantle 2, the Public Transport Authority of Western Australia, and the Fremantle Port Authority;\n\n  railway has the meaning defined by the *Government Railways Act 1904*;\n\n  street includes any street, highway, lane, public road, thoroughfare, passage, footpath, pavement, or place within the area hereinafter defined;\n\n  undertaking means the storage, supply, and distribution of oil and liquid fuel within the limits herein mentioned, and the making and constructing of all works connected therewith, and all other works authorised by this Act, and the doing of all things necessary or convenient therefor, subject to the provisions of this Act;\n\n  wharf includes any wharf, dock, quay, jetty, landing stage, or other landing place;\n\n  works means all buildings, erections, reservoirs, works, plant, machinery, apparatus, pipes, mains, connections, and all other works connected with and incidental to the undertaking or by this Act or in any other way authorised to be constructed or undertaken by the Company.\n\n  [Section 2 amended: No. 31 of 2003 s. 142(2).]\n\n##### 3. Limits of Act\n\nThe limits of this Act shall extend to and include the area within the boundaries of the Municipality of Fremantle 2 and also so much of the area of the lands and property vested in the Fremantle Port Authority 3 as is contained within the boundaries described in the first paragraph of the Schedule to the *Fremantle Harbour Trust Act 1902* 4, and also so much of the area of the lands that belongs to, or is under the care, control, or management of, the Public Transport Authority of Western Australia as adjoins or abuts on the lands and property of the Fremantle Port Authority 3 above described or lies between the same lands and property and the north‑western and western boundaries of the Municipality of Fremantle 2.\n\n[Section 3 amended: No. 31 of 2003 s. 142(3).]\n\n##### 4. Powers of Company\n\nSubject to the provisions and within the limits of this Act, the Company may —\n\n(a) erect, construct, lay down, establish, and fix all necessary works and do and perform all such other acts and things as may be thought necessary for storing, supplying, and distributing oil and liquid fuel in or under any street, or in, on, or under any railway, or wharf;\n\n(b) open, break up, and interfere with any street, railway, or wharf, and any sewer, drain, or tunnel within or under any street, railway, or wharf, and may lay down and place in, on, or under any street, railway, or wharf, mains, conduits, service pipes, and other works for the supply and distribution of oil and liquid fuel, and also may from time to time repair, alter, or remove the same and, for the purposes aforesaid, may remove or use all earth and material in or under such street, railway, or wharf:\n\nProvided that mains, conduits, and service pipes laid down or placed in or under any footpath shall only be laid down and placed across such footpath and not along the length thereof:\n\nProvided also that the power to open, break up, or interfere with any railway or wharf shall not be exercised without the consent of the Minister administering the *Government Railways Act 1904*, or the *Fremantle Harbour Trust Act 1902* 4, respectively, subject to such conditions as the Minister may deem expedient.\n\nProvided also that all plans and specifications for the construction of the necessary works for storing and supplying or distributing in or under any street shall first be submitted to and approved of by the Minister for Works.\n\n##### 5. Notice to be served and plan deposited before breaking up streets etc.\n\nBefore the Company proceeds to open, break up, or interfere with any street, railway, or wharf, sewer, drain, or tunnel it shall give to the local authority notice in writing of its intention so to do not less than 3 clear days before commencing such work, and shall, at the same time, deposit with the local authority a plan setting forth the extent to, and the manner in which, it proposes to carry out such work, and the time at which it is intended to commence the same, and (except as hereinafter provided) no street, railway, or wharf, sewer, drain, or tunnel shall be opened, broken up, or interfered with unless under the superintendence of the local authority and in accordance with the plan deposited as aforesaid:\n\nProvided always, that if no officer appointed by the local authority attends at the time fixed in such notice and remains during the opening, breaking up, or interference with any street, railway, or wharf, sewer, drain, or tunnel, the Company may perform the work specified in such notice and set out in such plan without such superintendence:\n\nProvided further that, in cases of emergency arising from accidents to or defects in the works necessitating the opening, breaking up of or interference with any street, railway, or wharf, sewer, drain, or tunnel, such accidents or defects may be repaired without previous notice and without the deposit of any plan, but such notice shall be given and such plan shall be deposited as soon as possible after the commencement of the work or the necessity for the same has arisen.\n\n##### 6. Streets etc., broken up to be reinstated without delay\n\nWhenever the Company opens, breaks up, or interferes with any street, railway, or wharf, sewer, drain, or tunnel it shall, with all convenient speed, complete the work and fill in the ground and reinstate and make good the same to the satisfaction of the local authority and carry away all rubbish occasioned by the work and, whilst any street, railway, or wharf shall be opened, broken up or interfered with, the Company shall cause the same to be properly guarded and sufficiently lighted for the warning of the public and shall, when and as required by the local authority, keep so much of any street, railway, or wharf as has been opened, broken up or interfered with in good repair for 6 months after replacing and making good the same.\n\n##### 7. Penalty for breaking up without notice or delay in reinstating\n\nIf the Company commits, permits, or suffers any act, delay, neglect, or omission contrary to the provisions of sections 5 and 6 it shall be guilty of an offence against this Act, and be liable to a penalty not exceeding $10 for every such offence, and an additional penalty of $2 for each day during which any such neglect, omission or delay shall continue after notice thereof by the local authority:\n\nProvided that nothing in this section contained shall relieve the Company from liability in respect of the right of action or remedy of any person for any act, delay, neglect, or omission on the part of the Company contrary to the provisions of sections 5 and 6.\n\n[Section 7 amended: No. 113 of 1965 s. 8.]\n\n##### 8. In cases of delay other parties may reinstate and recover expenses\n\nIf any such delay, neglect, or omission as aforesaid take place the local authority may cause the work so delayed, neglected, or omitted, to be executed and performed, and all expenses so incurred shall be repaid to such local authority by the Company:\n\nProvided that nothing in this section contained shall render it compulsory for the local authority to execute or perform any such work, or render it liable for delay, neglect, or failure so to do.\n\n##### 9. Company to make compensation for any damage\n\nThe Company shall do as little damage as may be in the execution of the powers conferred by this Act, and shall make compensation for any damage which may be done in the execution of such powers.\n\n##### 10. Power to local authority to alter situation of pipes etc.\n\nIf at any time the local authority deems fit, necessary, or expedient to require the Company to raise, sink, or otherwise alter the situation of any works which shall have been erected, constructed, laid down or fixed contrary to any of the provisions of this Act, or in breach of any condition imposed by the Minister as provided in section 4, or for any other reason, then the Company shall, within 10 days next after being required so to do by notice in writing, raise, sink, or otherwise alter the situation of such works accordingly, and in default it shall be lawful for the local authority to cause such works to be so raised, sunk, or the situation thereof otherwise altered and the expenses thereof shall, if rendered necessary by reason of a breach by the Company of any of the provisions of this Act or of any such condition as aforesaid or any other default of the Company, be borne and paid by the Company and shall, in any other case, be borne and paid by the local authority:\n\nProvided that if, in raising, sinking, or otherwise altering the situation of any of the works for any reason other than a breach by the Company of any of the provisions of this Act, any injury shall be done to the same by any person employed by the local authority, compensation shall be made by the local authority to the Company for such injury.\n\n##### 11. Penalties\n\nAny person who —\n\n(a) lays or causes to be laid any pipe to connect with any pipe belonging to the Company without the consent of the Company first had and obtained for that purpose; or\n\n(b) wilfully or by negligence removes, destroys, or damages any part of the works or other property of the Company; or\n\n(c) alters the index to any meter or other recording or measuring apparatus for registering the quantity of oil or liquid fuel supplied; or\n\n(d) erects or keeps erected any apparatus or fitting whereby oil or liquid fuel may be obtained from any part of the works of the Company without the consent in writing of the Company first had and obtained for that purpose;\n\nshall be guilty of an offence against this Act and shall, without prejudice to any other right or remedy of the Company to recover damages, be liable to a penalty not exceeding $10 for every such offence.\n\n[Section 11 amended: No. 113 of 1965 s. 8.]\n\n##### 12. Damages for accidentally damaging works etc.\n\nEvery person who unlawfully or wrongfully breaks, throws down, or damages any of the works the property of the Company or under its control, shall pay to the Company full compensation for such damage, which compensation may be recovered by the Company in any Court of competent jurisdiction.\n\n##### 13. Court in which proceedings to be taken\n\nAll penalties in respect of offences under this Act may be recovered in a Court of Summary Jurisdiction.\n\n##### 14. Payment in lieu of rates etc.\n\nThe mains, service pipes, and other works of the Company in, on, or under any street shall be deemed to be rateable land, but in lieu of the provisions of the *Municipal Corporations Act 1906* 5 relating to the valuation of land and the making of rates in respect thereof, the Company shall pay to the Council in each and every year after 31 December 1921 a sum equal to 1/8 per centum of the amount actually received by the Company for the sale of the oil and liquid fuel conveyed through the said service pipes during the 12 months ending 31 December immediately preceding, or the sum of $200, whichever amount shall be the greater.\n\nThe amount to be payable by the Company under this section shall be paid by 2 half‑yearly payments on 1 January and 1 July in each and every year, and shall be in full satisfaction and discharge of all rates, and rents, if any, payable to the Council in respect of such mains, service pipes, lands, buildings, and works of the Company used exclusively in connection with the storage, supply, and distribution of oil and liquid fuel.\n\nIn this section, Council means the mayor and councillors of the Municipality of Fremantle 2.\n\n[Section 14 amended: No. 113 of 1965 s. 8.]\n\n##### 15. Act to be deemed Public Act\n\nThis Act shall be deemed and taken to be a Public Act, and shall be judicially taken notice of as such by all Judges, Justices, and others within the said State of Western Australia, without being specially pleaded.\n\n##### 16. Deposit\n\nThe money deposited by the Company with the Treasurer, in accordance with the Joint Standing Orders relating to Private Bills, shall be held by the Treasurer until completion of the work aforesaid and thereupon be returned to the Company.\n\n[Section 16 amended: No. 8 of 1925 s. 2.]\n\n##### 17. Voidance of Act on default of commencement of works\n\nIf the Company shall not commence, before 1 January 1922, any of the works authorised to be constructed or undertaken by the Company, this Act shall cease and determine.\n\n![dline]()\n\nNotes\n\n1 This reprint is a compilation as at 18 March 2016 of the *Anglo-Persian Oil Company Limited’s (Private) Act 1919* and includes the amendments made by the other written laws referred to in the following table. The table also contains information about any reprint.\n\nCompilation table\n\n| **Short title** | **Number and year** | **Assent** | **Commencement** |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| *Anglo‑Persian Oil Company Limited’s (Private) Act 1919* | 1919 (10 Geo. V Prvt Act) | 17 Dec 1919 | 17 Dec 1919 |\n| *Ministers’ Titles Act 1925* s. 2 | 8 of 1925   (16 Geo. V No. 8) | 24 Sep 1925 | 24 Sep 1925 |\n| *Decimal Currency Act 1965* | 113 of 1965 | 21 Dec 1965 | Act other than s. 4-9: 21 Dec 1965 (see s. 2(1));   s. 4-9: 14 Feb 1966 (see s. 2(2)) |\n| **Reprint of the *Anglo‑Persian Oil Company Limited’s (Private) Act 1919* as at 16 Aug 2002** (includes amendments listed above except the *Ministers’ Titles Act 1925*) | | | |\n| *Public Transport Authority Act 2003* s. 142 | 31 of 2003 | 26 May 2003 | 1 Jul 2003 (see s. 2(1) and *Gazette* 27 Jun 2003 p. 2384) |\n| **Reprint 2: The *Anglo-Persian Oil Company Limited’s (Private) Act 1919* as at   18 Mar 2016** (includes amendments listed above) | | | |\n\n\n2 As at the date of this reprint the Municipality of Fremantle is called the City of Fremantle.\n\n3 Formerly referred to the Fremantle Harbour Trust Commissioners, the name of which was changed to the Fremantle Port Authority by the *Fremantle Harbour Trust Act Amendment Act 1952*. The Fremantle Port Authority continues under the *Port Authorities Act 1999*. The reference was changed under the *Reprints Act 1984* s. 7(3)(h).\n\n4 The *Fremantle Harbour Trust Act 1902*, the short title of which was changed to *Fremantle Port Authority Act 1902*, was repealed by the *Port Authorities (Consequential Provisions) Act 1999*.\n\n5 Now see the *Local Government Act 1995*.\n\nDefined terms\n\n*[This is a list of terms defined and the provisions where they are defined. The list is not part of the law.]*\n\n**Defined term Provision(s)**\n\nCompany 2\n\nCouncil 14\n\nlocal authority 2\n\nrailway 2\n\nstreet 2\n\nundertaking 2\n\nwharf 2\n\nworks 2\n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"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"},"summary":{"complexity_score":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Scope cannot be assessed as the legislative text is unavailable. No comparison between original intent and enacted provisions is possible."},"complexity_factors":["The actual legislative text is completely unavailable — the page has been taken offline","No provisions, schedules, definitions, or operative clauses can be assessed","Complexity cannot be meaningfully rated without content; score of 1 reflects absence of analysable material, not simplicity of the law itself","Historical private Acts from 1919 can sometimes involve complex colonial-era legal frameworks, but this cannot be confirmed here"],"plain_english_summary":"The Anglo-Persian Oil Company Limited's (Private) Act 1919 is a Western Australian private Act naming Anglo-Persian Oil Company (later BP) and—though the text is currently unavailable—would historically have granted that company specific powers or permissions in WA (e.g., to acquire land, explore or operate). It likely has limited modern impact unless any century-old rights remain in force; obtain the full text from the WA legislation register or Parliamentary Counsel for legal certainty."},"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"Amendments updated institutional references and expanded the set of local authorities relevant to the Act (notably adding the Public Transport Authority) and modernised terminology in reprints, but did not alter the core substantive powers granted to the Company to construct, lay and operate oil storage and distribution works. See s.2 (amendment note) and the compilation table for amendment history."},"complexity_factors":["Narrow private Act focused on a defined geographic area (Municipality of Fremantle and specified port/transport lands) — s.3.","Multiple defined terms and institutional actors (Company, local authority as Council, Public Transport Authority, Fremantle Port Authority) increase governance nodes — s.2 (amended).","Consent and approval points create administrative discretion: Ministerial consent for works affecting railways/wharves and Minister for Works approval of plans — s.4.","Operational procedural requirements impose short timelines and compliance burdens: written notice and plan deposit 3 clear days before work, emergency exception, local supervision or default attendance rules — s.5; reinstatement and six‑month repair obligation — s.6.","Financial and liability regime mixes private liability and administrative remedies: compensation for damage, local authority may remedy default and recover costs, penalties for breaches and daily continuing fines — ss.6–9, 11; penalties updated by later amendment references.","Specific payment in lieu of rates formula ties annual payment to revenue from oil sold (1/8 per cent of receipts or $200, whichever greater) and fixes payment dates — s.14.","Enforcement channel is summary proceedings (Court of Summary Jurisdiction) and recovery of damages in competent courts — ss.12–13.","Temporal contingency: Act contains a voidance clause if works were not commenced by a fixed historical date (1 Jan 1922), creating a legacy interpretive issue — s.17.","Cross‑references to other Acts and historical amendments (Government Railways Act 1904; Fremantle Harbour Trust Act 1902; Municipal Corporations Act 1906; various reprints/amendments) require attention when applying modern equivalents — ss.2, 3, 4 and compilation notes."],"plain_english_summary":"This Act gives the Anglo‑Persian Oil Company Ltd statutory authority to build reservoirs and lay pipes to store, supply and distribute oil within the Fremantle area, including the power to open streets, railways and wharves subject to notice and plan approval. The company must reinstate works, pay compensation for damage, make an annual payment in lieu of local rates, obtain ministerial or local authority consents where required, and faces penalties and court enforcement for non‑compliance."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The legislation remains tightly focused on its original purpose: granting Anglo-Persian Oil Company infrastructure powers in Fremantle. While the company has since become BP and local authority names have changed (updated via the Reprints Act), the substantive scope—storage and distribution of oil/liquid fuel in the defined Fremantle area—has not expanded beyond the 1919 intent. The amendments have been purely mechanical (updating monetary penalties for decimal currency, changing names of government bodies, updating references to repealed Acts)."},"complexity_factors":["Only 17 sections, approximately 2,500 words total","7 defined terms in a single interpretation section (section 2)","Straightforward conditional logic with simple provisos ('Provided that...') rather than nested exceptions","Minimal cross-referencing—only references to 3-4 other Acts, mostly for definitions or ministerial powers","Clear procedural structure: powers → notice requirements → reinstatement obligations → penalties","Some archaic language ('per centum', 'assigns') but generally plain drafting for its era","Single subject matter (oil infrastructure in defined geographic area) without branching regulatory schemes"],"plain_english_summary":"This is a 1919 Western Australian law that gave special powers to the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (now BP) to build oil storage facilities and pipelines in Fremantle.\n\n**What it does:**\n- Allows the company to dig up streets, railways, and wharves in Fremantle to lay oil pipes and build storage tanks\n- Requires the company to give 3 days' notice before digging, and to repair any damage promptly\n- Lets local councils (now the City of Fremantle) supervise the work and force the company to move pipes if needed\n- Sets penalties (up to $10) for illegal connections to pipes, meter tampering, or damaging company property\n- Replaces normal council rates with a special payment: either 0.125% of oil sales or $200 per year, whichever is higher\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- The oil company (originally Anglo-Persian, now BP through corporate succession)\n- The City of Fremantle and Fremantle Port Authority\n- Anyone living or working in Fremantle where the company might dig up roads\n\n**Why it matters:**\nThis is a 'private Act'—special legislation passed for one specific company rather than general rules for everyone. It shows how early 20th-century governments granted exclusive infrastructure rights to oil companies. The Act is still technically in force (though amended), meaning BP retains these century-old powers to maintain fuel supply infrastructure in Fremantle."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/anglo-persian-oil-company-limited-s-private-act-1919","history":"/api/acts/anglo-persian-oil-company-limited-s-private-act-1919/history","analysis":"/api/acts/anglo-persian-oil-company-limited-s-private-act-1919/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/anglo-persian-oil-company-limited-s-private-act-1919/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/anglo-persian-oil-company-limited-s-private-act-1919/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/anglo-persian-oil-company-limited-s-private-act-1919/documents"}}