{"id":"C1908A00019","name":"Coast Defence Appropriation Act 1908","slug":"coast-defence-appropriation-act-1908","collection":"act","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"repealed","isInForce":false,"actNumber":"19 of 1908","makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":12380,"registerId":"commonwealth-C1908A00019-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-03-31","status":"Repealed","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Coast Defence Appropriation Act 1908","content":"COAST DEFENCE APPROPRIATION.\n\nNo. 19 of 1908.\n\nAn Act to grant and apply out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund the sum of Two hundred and fifty thousand pounds for Harbor and Coastal Defences.\n\n\\[Assented to 10th June, 1908.\\]\n\nPreamble.\n\nBE it enacted by the King’s Most Excellent Majesty, the Senate, and the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Australia, for the purpose of appropriating the grant originated in the House of Representatives, as follows:—\n\nShort title.\n\n1. This Act may be cited as the Coast Defence Appropriation Act 1908.\n\nAppropriation of £250,000 for Harbor and Coastal Defence.\n\n2. There shall be payable out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund, which is hereby appropriated accordingly for the purposes of the Trust Account established under the Audit Acts 1901–1906 and known as the Harbor and Coastal Defence (Naval) Account, the sum of Two hundred and fifty thousand pounds for Harbor and Coastal Defence (Naval) purposes.","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"kimi_summary":{"_metrics":{"model":"kimi-k2.5","source":"moonshot-batch","completionTokens":1362},"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The legislation remains exactly what its title suggests—a simple, one-off funding allocation for coastal defence. There are no amendments, expansions, or scope creep; it appropriates the stated amount and nothing more."},"complexity_factors":["Extremely short (only 2 operative sections)","No defined terms or interpretation section","Single, straightforward appropriation with no conditions, exceptions, or triggers","Minimal cross-referencing (only mentions Audit Acts to identify the trust account by name)"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this law does**\n\nThis law takes **£250,000** from the government's main bank account (called the Consolidated Revenue Fund) and sets it aside specifically for **naval harbor and coastal defences**.\n\n**Key details:**\n\n*   **The money:** A quarter of a million pounds was allocated (a significant sum in 1908) to a special trust account called the Harbor and Coastal Defence (Naval) Account.\n*   **The purpose:** To fund the protection of Australia's ports and coastlines—essentially building or upgrading forts, guns, and other military installations to defend against naval attacks.\n*   **Legal mechanism:** This is an \"appropriation\" (a formal legal permission to spend public money on a specific thing).\n\n**Why it matters:**\n\nAt the time, Australia was strengthening its military independence. This Act provided the cash to build physical defences for major ports, reflecting early 20th-century fears of naval invasion in the Pacific region."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/coast-defence-appropriation-act-1908","history":"/api/acts/coast-defence-appropriation-act-1908/history","analysis":"/api/acts/coast-defence-appropriation-act-1908/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/coast-defence-appropriation-act-1908/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/coast-defence-appropriation-act-1908/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/coast-defence-appropriation-act-1908/documents"}}