{"id":"nsw:act-1900-050","name":"Commonwealth Arrangements Act 1900","slug":"commonwealth-arrangements-act-1900","collection":"act","jurisdiction":"nsw","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":"50 of 1900","makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":112165,"registerId":"nsw-act-1900-050-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-03","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Name of Act","content":"#### 1 Name of Act\n\n1 Name of Act\n\n> This Act may be cited as the [Commonwealth Arrangements Act 1900](/view/html/inforce/current/act-1900-050).","sortOrder":0},{"sectionNumber":"2","sectionType":"section","heading":"Power to permit use of Government House and public buildings","content":"#### 2 Power to permit use of Government House and public buildings\n\n2 Power to permit use of Government House and public buildings\n\n> Subject to such terms and conditions as may be deemed expedient, the Governor may, by agreement with the Governor-General for the Commonwealth or otherwise, make arrangements:\n> \n> > (a) for the use and occupation, by the Governor-General, of the Government House, Sydney, and the Governor’s residence at Moss Vale, and\n> \n> > (b) for the use and occupation by officers of the Commonwealth and the public for the purpose of transacting Commonwealth business of any part of any public building not used exclusively in connection with any department of the public service transferred to the Commonwealth.","sortOrder":1},{"sectionNumber":"3","sectionType":"section","heading":"Temporary assistance by public service","content":"#### 3 Temporary assistance by public service\n\n3 Temporary assistance by public service\n\n> Notwithstanding anything contained in any Act, it shall be lawful for any officer of the public service of New South Wales (other than a responsible Minister of the Crown) with the consent of the Governor to temporarily act within or without the Colony in any office or capacity in which he may be required to act for or on behalf of the Government of the Commonwealth.","sortOrder":2},{"sectionNumber":"4","sectionType":"section","heading":"Service in Commonwealth not to disqualify for State service","content":"#### 4 Service in Commonwealth not to disqualify for State service\n\n4 Service in Commonwealth not to disqualify for State service\n\n> The fact that any person is an officer of the Commonwealth shall not disqualify him from also executing the duties of any office in the public service of New South Wales.","sortOrder":3},{"sectionNumber":"5","sectionType":"section","heading":"Arrangement for performance of Commonwealth duties by officer not transferred","content":"#### 5 Arrangement for performance of Commonwealth duties by officer not transferred\n\n5 Arrangement for performance of Commonwealth duties by officer not transferred\n\n> Where an officer of the public service of New South Wales who is not transferred to the public service of the Commonwealth performs some duties for the Government of the Commonwealth, it shall be lawful for the Governor, by agreement with the Governor-General or otherwise, to make arrangements for determining:\n> \n> > (a) the rate of payment to be made by the Government of the Commonwealth for the services performed for the Commonwealth by such officer, and\n> \n> > (b) any matters which may require to be adjusted with regard to the performance of such duties by such officer.","sortOrder":4},{"sectionNumber":"6","sectionType":"section","heading":"Arrangement for performance of work or services and supply of articles to Government of Commonwealth","content":"#### 6 Arrangement for performance of work or services and supply of articles to Government of Commonwealth\n\n6 Arrangement for performance of work or services and supply of articles to Government of Commonwealth\n\n> It shall be lawful for the Governor at the request of the Governor-General to authorise and cause any work or services to be performed or any articles to be supplied for or for the use of the Government of the Commonwealth; and the Governor, by agreement with the Governor-General or otherwise, may make arrangements for determining:\n> \n> > (a) the rate of payment to be made by the Government of the Commonwealth for the performance of such work or services or the supply of such articles, and\n> \n> > (b) any matters which may require to be adjusted with regard to the performance of such work or services or the supply of such articles.","sortOrder":5}],"analysis":{"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[{"type":"other","section":"Status Information - Currency of version","severity":"low","reasoning":"The boilerplate update notice is meaningless for an Act with a single point-in-time version spanning from 1900 to the present day. While not a flaw in the Act's substantive provisions, it highlights the absurdity of maintaining as 'in force' a 1900 Act whose content is entirely invisible in the provided text.","confidence":0.55,"description":"The Act has a single version dated 17 November 1900 and has never been amended, yet the status page states legislation is 'usually updated within 3 working days after a change to the legislation.' This is trivially inapplicable to an Act that has had zero changes in over 125 years, raising the question of why an Act requiring no updates exists as a live instrument."},{"type":"other","section":"Act generally - substantive provisions","severity":"high","reasoning":"A legislative instrument certified under s 45C of the Interpretation Act 1987 as the correct form of the legislation, yet containing no substantive provisions whatsoever in the provided text, creates an analytical impossibility. If the Act genuinely has no operative sections (having been hollowed out or if its provisions were spent upon Federation in 1901), maintaining it as an 'in force' instrument is itself a legal absurdity.","confidence":0.72,"description":"The entire substantive content of the Commonwealth Arrangements Act 1900 is absent from the provided text. The document consists entirely of website navigation chrome, metadata, and status information, with zero operative legal provisions displayed. An Act with no visible provisions cannot be meaningfully analysed for internal logical consistency, yet it is certified as correct and 'in force' to date."},{"type":"self_contradicting","section":"Status Information - Authorisation / File last modified 10 February 2006","severity":"medium","reasoning":"Section 45C certification implies ongoing accuracy. A file unmodified since 2006 being certified as correct for a span ending in 2026 is either (a) consistent because nothing changed, making the Act a legal fossil, or (b) inconsistent because the certification process has not been applied for 20 years. Either reading produces an oddity.","confidence":0.6,"description":"The file is stated to have been last modified on 10 February 2006, yet the currency statement asserts the version is current 'to date' (accessed 3 April 2026). This means the authoritative compiled version has not been touched in approximately 20 years while simultaneously being held out as current. If no amendment has occurred, this is merely odd; if any amendment has occurred and the file was not updated, the certification of correctness under s 45C becomes suspect."},{"type":"retroactive_impossibility","section":"Title / Jurisdiction","severity":"medium","reasoning":"The Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act (UK) received royal assent on 9 July 1900, but the Commonwealth of Australia did not come into existence until 1 January 1901. A NSW Act of November 1900 purporting to make 'Commonwealth arrangements' is legislating for a legal entity that does not yet exist at the time of enactment, which is a logical curiosity even if it was valid anticipatory legislation.","confidence":0.78,"description":"The Act is titled 'Commonwealth Arrangements Act 1900' and is numbered 'No 50', indicating it is a NSW statute. However, it predates Federation (1 January 1901) and purports to make arrangements concerning the Commonwealth of Australia before that Commonwealth legally existed. An Act making arrangements for an entity not yet in existence at the time of enactment presents a retroactive impossibility in conceptual terms."}],"contradictions":[{"severity":"low","section_a":"Status Information - Currency of version ('Current version for 17 November 1900 to date')","section_b":"Status Information - File last modified 10 February 2006","confidence":0.65,"description":"The currency statement claims the version is authoritative from 17 November 1900 to the access date of 3 April 2026, implying continuous maintenance and correctness across 125+ years. The file modification date of 10 February 2006 directly contradicts any suggestion of ongoing curation, as the file has been static for approximately 20 years of that claimed coverage period."},{"severity":"high","section_a":"Status Information - Provisions in force ('The provisions displayed in this version of the legislation have all commenced')","section_b":"Substantive content of the Act (entirely absent from the provided text)","confidence":0.8,"description":"The status page asserts that provisions are displayed and have all commenced, yet no provisions are actually displayed in the document. The statement that commenced provisions are displayed is contradicted by the complete absence of any operative sections, definitions, or schedules in the provided text."}]},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The text itself sets out powers to make arrangements for building use, temporary provision of staff, works and supplies, and to fix payment rates and adjustments. There is no provision in the supplied text that narrows, widens or otherwise alters that core scope; using only this text, no change from the Act's operative scope is discernible."},"complexity_factors":["Inter‑jurisdictional decisionmaking: requires agreement or authorisation between the NSW Governor and the Governor‑General (ss 2, 5, 6), creating coordination requirements.","Broad executive discretion: terms and conditions are left to what 'may be deemed expedient' (s 2), and arrangements may be made 'by agreement or otherwise' (ss 2, 5, 6).","Staffing exceptions and consent rules: permits NSW public servants to act for the Commonwealth with Governor's consent, but excludes responsible Ministers (s 3); dual service is expressly allowed (s 4).","Payment and adjustment mechanics: the Act delegates rate‑setting and adjustment of matters to agreement (ss 5(a), 6(a)), leaving practical billing and accounting arrangements to negotiation.","Scope ambiguity in premises use: authorises use of parts of public buildings 'not used exclusively' by transferred departments (s 2(b)), requiring factual assessment of occupancy.","Operational logistics: temporary transfers of duties, supplies and works (ss 3, 5, 6) create administrative burdens for rostering, supervision and record‑keeping."],"plain_english_summary":"**Commonwealth Arrangements Act 1900**: This Act authorises the Governor of New South Wales, acting with or by agreement with the Governor‑General, to allow Commonwealth use of specified Government Houses and public buildings and to arrange for NSW public servants, works or supplies to be temporarily provided to the Commonwealth. It permits the Governor to set payment rates and other terms. Who pays: the Commonwealth for services and supplies; who decides: the Governor (in agreement with the Governor‑General); behaviour change: temporary deployment of staff and use of facilities under agreed terms."},"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":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Based on the available information, the Act has had only one version since its enactment on 17 November 1900 and has never been amended. This strongly suggests its scope has remained exactly as originally intended — a narrow transitional instrument dealing with arrangements between NSW and the incoming Commonwealth government at Federation."},"complexity_factors":["The actual substantive provisions of the Act are not included in the provided text, making full analysis impossible","Historical context requires understanding of pre-Federation constitutional arrangements between colonies and the new Commonwealth","Uncertainty around why a 125-year-old unchanged Act remains technically in force adds interpretive complexity","Intersection of state (NSW) and federal (Commonwealth) law creates potential jurisdictional layering","Score is kept low because the Act appears narrow in scope and has never been amended, suggesting limited operational complexity in practice"],"plain_english_summary":"The Commonwealth Arrangements Act 1900 (NSW) is a pre‑Federation state law enacted to manage New South Wales’ administrative transition to the new Commonwealth government. The version available contains no substantive provisions in the text shown, but it remains technically in force and unchanged since 1900.  \n\nIts significance is chiefly historical and constitutional—relevant to government agencies overseeing state–Commonwealth arrangements and of interest to legal historians, rather than to everyday Australians today."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This appears to be the original 1900 legislation maintaining its original narrow, transitional purpose. It was designed specifically to facilitate practical cooperation between NSW and the new Commonwealth government during Federation, and its six sections cover exactly that: building use, staff secondment, dual employment, and payment arrangements. There is no evidence of scope creep or expansion beyond these original administrative coordination mechanisms."},"complexity_factors":["Only 6 short sections with no subsections beyond single-level paragraphs (a) and (b)","No defined terms section or interpretation provisions","No cross-references to other legislation except generic 'Notwithstanding anything contained in any Act' in section 3","Simple conditional logic limited to basic qualifications ('Subject to such terms and conditions', 'with the consent of the Governor')","Straightforward administrative arrangements without nested exceptions or complex triggers","Legislation from 1900 using period language ('deemed expedient', 'lawful for the Governor') but structurally simple"],"plain_english_summary":"This is a very old New South Wales law from 1900 that helped set up practical working arrangements between the new Commonwealth (federal) government and New South Wales just before or after Federation.\n\n**What it does:**\n- **Lets NSW lend buildings to the Commonwealth**: The NSW Governor can arrange for the Governor-General (the Queen's representative at federal level) to use Government House in Sydney and the Governor's country residence at Moss Vale. The Commonwealth can also use parts of NSW public buildings for federal business.\n\n- **Lets NSW public servants work for the Commonwealth temporarily**: NSW government officers can be seconded (loaned) to work for the federal government, either in Australia or overseas, as long as the NSW Governor agrees.\n\n- **Protects dual employment**: Someone can work for both the federal and NSW governments at the same time without losing their NSW job.\n\n- **Sorts out payment for shared staff**: If a NSW officer does work for the Commonwealth without officially transferring to federal employment, the two governments can agree on how much the Commonwealth pays for that work.\n\n- **Lets NSW do work for the Commonwealth**: NSW can perform services or supply goods to the federal government and get paid for it.\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- NSW public servants who might work for the Commonwealth\n- The Governors of NSW and the Governor-General\n- Government departments coordinating between state and federal levels\n\n**Why it matters:**\nThis was transitional legislation for the birth of Australian Federation in 1901. Before the Commonwealth built its own public service and infrastructure, it relied heavily on existing state resources. This law provided the legal basis for NSW to share its buildings, staff, and services with the new federal government during the handover period."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/commonwealth-arrangements-act-1900","history":"/api/acts/commonwealth-arrangements-act-1900/history","analysis":"/api/acts/commonwealth-arrangements-act-1900/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/commonwealth-arrangements-act-1900/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/commonwealth-arrangements-act-1900/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/commonwealth-arrangements-act-1900/documents"}}