{"id":"coal-miners-welfare-regulations-1948","name":"Coal Miners' Welfare Regulations 1948","slug":"coal-miners-welfare-regulations-1948","collection":"regulation","jurisdiction":"wa","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":174322,"registerId":"wa-coal-miners-welfare-regulations-1948-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-05","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Coal Miners' Welfare Regulations 1948","content":"![Crest]()Western Australia\n\nCoal Miners’ Welfare Act 1947\n\nCoal Miners’ Welfare Regulations 1948\n\nWestern Australia\n\nCoal Miners’ Welfare Regulations 1948\n\nContents\n\n1. Citation 1\n\n2. The Coal Miners’ Welfare Fund 1\n\n2A. Mine owner’s contributions to Fund 1\n\n3. Mine owner’s duties 1\n\n4. Membership of Board 2\n\n5. Board to authorise Fund payments 2\n\n6. Minister to have Board minutes 2\n\n7. Common seal 2\n\n8. Expenses of Board 2\n\nNotes\n\nCompilation table 3\n\n  \n\nWestern Australia\n\nCoal Miners’ Welfare Act 1947\n\nCoal Miners’ Welfare Regulations 1948\n\n##### 1. Citation\n\nThese regulations may be cited as the *Coal Miners’ Welfare Regulations 1948* 1.\n\n##### 2. The Coal Miners’ Welfare Fund\n\nThe Board shall establish and operate the Fund in such account as is approved by the Treasurer.\n\n[Regulation 2 inserted: Gazette 20 Jan 1989 p. 143.]\n\n##### 2A. Mine owner’s contributions to Fund\n\nThe sum to be paid under section 6 is equivalent to 2 cents per tonne.\n\n[Regulation 2A inserted: Gazette 16 Jan 1987 p. 118.]\n\n##### 3. Mine owner’s duties\n\nThe owner of every coal mine shall forward to the Under Treasurer in the months of January and July of each year a statement showing the tonnage of coal produced during the preceding 6 months respectively ending on the last day of the preceding month of December or June, as the case may be, together with the amount payable to the Fund in relation to such tonnage as provided in section 6 of the Act. The owner shall at the same time forward a copy of the statement to the secretary of the Board.\n\n##### 4. Membership of Board\n\nFor the purposes of section 9(1)(b) of the Act, the Mining and Energy Union, Western Australian District Branch, is prescribed.\n\n[Regulation 4 inserted: SL 2024/19 r. 4.]\n\n##### 5. Board to authorise Fund payments\n\nNo accounts are to be paid out of the Fund unless payment has been previously authorised by the Board.\n\n##### 6. Minister to have Board minutes\n\nThe secretary shall forward copies of minutes of all meetings of the Board to the Minister for his information.\n\n##### 7. Common seal\n\nThe common seal of the Board shall be kept in the custody of the Chairman or of such other member of the Board as the Board may determine, and shall not be affixed to any instrument or writing except in the presence of the Board.\n\n##### 8. Expenses of Board\n\nWhenever any member of the Board suffers any loss of wages as a result of carrying out any business of the Board or whilst travelling in connection therewith he shall be recouped to the extent thereof from the Fund. In the event of any business of the Board necessitating travel by such member, the equivalent of a first class return rail fare together with travelling allowance at the rate of $2.50 per day shall also be payable from the Fund to such member.\n\n[Regulation 8 inserted: Gazette 7 Dec 1951 p. 3370; amended: Act No. 113 of 1965 s. 8(1).]\n\n![]()\n\nNotes\n\nThis is a compilation of the *Coal Miners’ Welfare Regulations 1948* and includes amendments made by other written laws. For provisions that have come into operation, and for information about any reprints, see the compilation table.\n\nCompilation table\n\n| **Citation** | **Published** | **Commencement** |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| *Coal Miners’ Welfare Regulations 1948* | 8 Oct 1948 p. 2407 | 8 Oct 1948 |\n|  | 7 Dec 1951 p. 3370 | 7 Dec 1951 |\n|  | 20 Mar 1953 p. 543 | 20 Mar 1953 |\n| **Reprint of the *Coal Miners’ Welfare Regulations 1948* authorised 5 Nov 1964** (published in *Gazette* 11 Nov 1964 p. 3731-2) (includes amendments listed above) | | |\n| *Decimal Currency Act 1965* assented to 21 Dec 1965 | | s. 4-9: 14 Feb 1966 (see s. 2(2)); balance: 21 Dec 1965 (see s. 2(1)) |\n| *Coal Miners’ Welfare Amendment Regulations 1987* | 16 Jan 1987 p. 118 | 16 Jan 1987 (see r. 2 and *Gazette* 16 Jan 1987 p. 82) |\n| *Coal Miners’ Welfare Amendment Regulations 1989* | 20 Jan 1989 p. 143 | 20 Jan 1989 |\n| **Reprint of the *Coal Miners’ Welfare Regulations 1948* as at 20 Sep 2002**   (includes amendments listed above) | | |\n| *Coal Miners’ Welfare Amendment Regulations 2024* | SL 2024/19 21 Feb 2024 | r. 1 and 2: 21 Feb 2024 (see r. 2(a));   Regulations other than r. 1 and 2: 22 Feb 2024 (see r. 2(b)) |\n\n\n© State of Western Australia 2024.\n\nThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence (CC BY 4.0). To view relevant information and for a link to a copy of the licence, visit www.legislation.wa.gov.au.\n\nAttribute work as: © State of Western Australia 2024.\n\nBy Authority: GEOFF O. LAWN, Government Printer\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"},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"Yes. Subsequent amendments have altered operational scope: regulation 2A (1987) fixes the contribution at 2 cents per tonne, changing the Fund’s revenue rule; regulation 4 (2024) prescribes the Mining and Energy Union for Board membership, altering composition. Other amendments specify account custody and member reimbursement, narrowing original operational detail (regs 2, 2A, 4, 8)."},"complexity_factors":["Fixed per‑tonne levy (2 cents) set by regulation 2A — simple arithmetic but ties revenue directly to production (reg 2A).","Biannual reporting duty on mine owners to the Under Treasurer and copy to the Board creates recurring compliance obligations (reg 3).","Centralised disbursement control requires prior Board authorisation for all payments from the Fund, concentrating spending discretion (reg 5).","Board composition is statutorily influenced by prescription of a specific union, affecting stakeholder representation and appointment dynamics (reg 4).","Treasurer approval of the Fund account places Treasury control over the Fund’s banking/administration (reg 2).","Mandatory transmission of Board minutes to the Minister creates an oversight channel and recordkeeping duty (reg 6).","Specified custody and use of the common seal impose formal execution requirements on Board instruments (reg 7).","Prescribed reimbursement rules for Board members (lost wages, first‑class rail fare equivalent, $2.50/day) add precise administrative payment obligations (reg 8)."],"plain_english_summary":"These regulations set up and govern a Coal Miners’ Welfare Fund: mine owners must pay a per‑tonne levy and file tonnage statements twice a year, while a Board controls authorisation of all Fund payments. The rules also fix administrative details — where the Fund is held, who sits on the Board, reporting to the Minister, and reimbursing Board members for lost wages and travel."},"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"summary":{"complexity_score":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Scope cannot be assessed as no legislative content was retrievable. The page is no longer available on the Western Australian legislation website, and no text of the regulations was returned for analysis."},"complexity_factors":["No legislative content was available for analysis — the source URL returned a 404-style error page rather than any legislative text","Impossible to assess technical complexity, cross-references, or regulatory burden without access to the actual instrument"],"plain_english_summary":"The online text of the Coal Miners' Welfare Regulations 1948 (WA) could not be retrieved — the legislation page returns an error, so the instrument wasn’t available for analysis. If you need the regulations, search the Western Australian legislation site or contact the Parliamentary Counsel’s Office; the missing page may reflect repeal, consolidation, or obsolescence. Historically the instrument would have governed welfare for coal miners in WA, a sector now much diminished."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The regulations remain tightly focused on their original purpose: establishing the mechanics of the Coal Miners' Welfare Fund (contributions, administration, and Board operations). While amended several times since 1948, these changes have been technical updates (decimal currency conversion, specific union name changes, updating account procedures) rather than expansions into new policy areas. The scope has not grown beyond the original welfare fund framework established in 1948."},"complexity_factors":["Only 8 regulations total, with minimal cross-referencing","No defined terms section — terms rely on the parent Act (Coal Miners' Welfare Act 1947)","Simple conditional logic (e.g., 'No accounts are to be paid... unless')","Straightforward administrative provisions (reporting dates, payment rates)","Single monetary value specified (2 cents per tonne) with no complex calculations","Recent amendments are minor updates (union name change, account establishment) rather than structural overhauls"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this legislation does:**\n\nThese regulations set up the practical rules for running the **Coal Miners' Welfare Fund** in Western Australia — a pool of money collected from coal mine owners to support the wellbeing of coal miners.\n\n**Key things the rules cover:**\n\n*   **Money in:** Coal mine owners must pay **2 cents for every tonne of coal** they produce into the Fund (this is called a *levy*). They must send statements twice a year (January and July) showing how much coal they dug up and how much money they owe.\n*   **Money out:** The **Board** (a group set up to manage the Fund) decides how the money is spent. No payments can be made without the Board's approval.\n*   **Who runs it:** The Board includes representatives from the **Mining and Energy Union** (specifically the WA branch), ensuring workers have a say in how the money is used.\n*   **Administration:** The Board must keep minutes of meetings and send copies to the Minister. They also have an official *common seal* (a stamp used to make official documents legally valid) that must be used properly.\n*   **Fair treatment of Board members:** If Board members lose wages because they're doing Board work or travelling for Board business, the Fund pays them back. They also get travel expenses — originally set at first-class train fares plus $2.50 per day (though this amount is clearly outdated).\n\n**Who it affects:**\n\n*   **Coal mine owners** — must pay the levy and file paperwork.\n*   **Coal miners** — benefit from welfare programs funded by the levy.\n*   **The Board members** — manage the Fund.\n*   **The Mining and Energy Union** — has a seat at the table.\n\n**Why it matters:**\n\nThis is a piece of **industrial heritage legislation** from the post-war era (1948) that still operates today. It creates a sustainable funding mechanism for miner welfare by making mine owners contribute based on production volume. The recent 2024 amendment (updating the union name) shows the framework is still active, even as the coal industry declines."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/coal-miners-welfare-regulations-1948","history":"/api/acts/coal-miners-welfare-regulations-1948/history","analysis":"/api/acts/coal-miners-welfare-regulations-1948/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/coal-miners-welfare-regulations-1948/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/coal-miners-welfare-regulations-1948/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/coal-miners-welfare-regulations-1948/documents"}}