{"id":"C1972A00091","name":"Loan (War Service Land Settlement) Act 1972","slug":"loan-war-service-land-settlement-act-1972","collection":"act","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":"91 of 1972","makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":2482,"registerId":"commonwealth-C1972A00091-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-03-29","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Loan (War Service Land Settlement) Act 1972","content":"---\nmeta-content-style-type: text/css\nmeta-content-type: application/xhtml+xml; charset=utf-8\n---\n\n?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\" standalone=\"no\"?>\n\n![](image.001.png)\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nLoan (War Service Land Settlement) Act 1972\n\n \n\nNo. 91 of 1972\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nAn Act to authorize the Raising and Expending of a sum not exceeding Six million five hundred thousand dollars for a Defence Purpose, namely, Financial Assistance to the States of South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania in connexion with War Service Land Settlement\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nContents\n\n[1 Short title](#_Toc424221582)\n\n[2 Commencement](#_Toc424221583)\n\n[3 Authority to borrow $6,500,000](#_Toc424221584)\n\n[4 Application of moneys](#_Toc424221585)\n\n \n\n![](image.001.png)\n\n \n\n \n\nLoan (War Service Land Settlement) Act 1972\n\n \n\nNo. 91 of 1972\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nAn Act to authorize the Raising and Expending of a sum not exceeding Six million five hundred thousand dollars for a Defence Purpose, namely, Financial Assistance to the States of South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania in connexion with War Service Land Settlement\n\n[Assented to 18 October 1972]\n\nBe it enacted by the Queen’s Most Excellent, Majesty, the Senate, and the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Australia, as follows:—\n\n##### 1  Short title\n\n  This Act may be cited as the Loan (War Service Land Settlement) Act 1972.\n\n##### 2  Commencement\n\n  This Act shall come into operation on the day on which it receives the Royal Assent.\n\n##### 3  Authority to borrow $6,500,000\n\n  The Treasurer may, from time to time, in accordance with the provisions of the Commonwealth Inscribed Stock Act 1911‑1966, or in accordance with the provisions of any Act authorizing the issue of Treasury Bills, borrow moneys not exceeding in the whole Six million five hundred thousand dollars.\n\n##### 4  Application of moneys\n\n  Moneys borrowed under this Act shall be issued and applied only for the expenses of borrowing and for the purpose of financial assistance to the States of South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania in accordance with subsection (1) of section 2 of the States Grants (War Service Land Settlement) Act 1952‑1953.\n\n \n\n \n\n \n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The Act remains tightly scoped to its original purpose: authorising a specific loan amount for war service land settlement assistance to three named states. There is no evidence of scope creep — the legislation does exactly what its title and preamble state, with no additional provisions or expanded purposes."},"complexity_factors":["Only 4 sections total","No defined terms section","Single, clear purpose with no exceptions or conditions","Only one cross-reference (to the States Grants (War Service Land Settlement) Act 1952-1953)","No nested logic or procedural requirements beyond basic borrowing authority"],"plain_english_summary":"This is a short, straightforward law from 1972 that lets the Australian Government borrow up to $6.5 million to help three states — South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania — with **War Service Land Settlement**.\n\n**What is War Service Land Settlement?**\nAfter World War II, the government set up schemes to help returned soldiers (servicemen and women) get onto the land as farmers. The states ran these programs, but needed federal money to do it. This Act is one of many that provided that funding.\n\n**What does this Act actually do?**\n- **Authorises borrowing**: It gives the Treasurer power to borrow up to $6.5 million by issuing government bonds (under the Commonwealth Inscribed Stock Act) or short-term Treasury Bills.\n- **Restricts how the money is used**: The borrowed funds can only be used for:\n  - The costs of arranging the loan itself (like administrative fees), and\n  - Financial assistance to those three specific states for their soldier settlement schemes.\n\n**Who does it affect?**\nPrimarily the three state governments receiving the funds, and the returned servicemen and women participating in land settlement programs in those states. It also affects the Commonwealth Treasury, which had to raise the loan.\n\n**Why does it matter?**\nThis Act is part of Australia's post-WWII reconstruction effort. It shows how the federal government used its borrowing power to fund state-run programs for veterans, helping them transition to civilian life through agriculture."},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"Unauthenticated. Configure AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY or use a provider module. Learn more: https://ai-sdk.dev/unauthenticated-ai-gateway","source":"analysis-cron"},"summary":{"complexity_score":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This Act is a narrow, one-purpose instrument that does exactly what its title says — authorises a loan for War Service Land Settlement. With only 4 sections and no amendments apparent in this version, there is no evidence of scope creep or expansion beyond its original intent. It was conceived and remains a simple borrowing authority tied to a specific, pre-existing scheme."},"complexity_factors":["Only 4 sections in total — among the shortest Acts in the Commonwealth statute book","No defined terms or interpretation section","No conditional logic or exceptions","No cross-referencing to other provisions within the Act","Single, clearly stated monetary figure ($6.5 million) with a single stated purpose","Straightforward structure: title, commencement, borrow authority, spending rule"],"plain_english_summary":"The Act authorises the Commonwealth to borrow $6.5 million and requires that the money be used for the War Service Land Settlement scheme. It directly supports returned servicemen and women entering farming, channels funds from the Commonwealth to state-administered settlement work, and gives Parliament’s legal authority for this specific borrowing and expenditure."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The Act confines authority to borrow to a stated cap and to apply proceeds only for borrowing expenses and specified financial assistance to SA, WA and TAS in connection with War Service Land Settlement, referencing s2(1) of the States Grants (War Service Land Settlement) Act 1952–53. There is no language in this instrument that expands or narrows that stated purpose beyond the referenced Acts."},"complexity_factors":["Very short, self-contained statute with four sections — limited structural complexity (ss 1–4).","Single financial ceiling: capped borrowing amount of $6,500,000 reduces fiscal uncertainty (s3).","Cross-references to existing borrowing regimes (Commonwealth Inscribed Stock Act 1911–1966 and Acts authorising Treasury Bills) require procedural compliance but not new rules (s3).","Application of funds is confined to a single, legislated purpose and to prescribed grants under the States Grants (War Service Land Settlement) Act 1952–53, so substantive allocation mechanics sit in that earlier Act (s4).","Administrative discretion for timing and form of borrowing rests with the Treasurer, introducing routine executive decision-making rather than new regulatory frameworks (s3).","Compliance burden is low on private parties; primary obligations are public accounting and intergovernmental transfer processes under the referenced States Grants Act (s4)."],"plain_english_summary":"This Act authorises the Treasurer to borrow up to $6,500,000 under existing Commonwealth borrowing powers and to apply those moneys only for borrowing costs and for financial assistance to South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania in connection with War Service Land Settlement (see ss 3–4).\n\nThe Commonwealth will incur the debt (ultimately borne by taxpayers); the Treasurer decides timing and form of borrowing (s3). Payments must be made in accordance with the allocation rules in s2(1) of the States Grants (War Service Land Settlement) Act 1952–53, so implementation depends on that Act (s4)."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/loan-war-service-land-settlement-act-1972","history":"/api/acts/loan-war-service-land-settlement-act-1972/history","analysis":"/api/acts/loan-war-service-land-settlement-act-1972/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/loan-war-service-land-settlement-act-1972/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/loan-war-service-land-settlement-act-1972/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/loan-war-service-land-settlement-act-1972/documents"}}