{"id":"national-trust-of-south-australia-act-1955","name":"National Trust of South Australia Act 1955","slug":"national-trust-of-south-australia-act-1955","collection":"act","jurisdiction":"sa","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":106060,"registerId":"sa-national-trust-of-south-australia-act-1955-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-03","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"National Trust of South Australia Act 1955","content":"South Australia\nNational Trust of South Australia Act 1955\nAn Act to constitute and incorporate a body to be known as The National Trust of South Australia, to prescribe the powers of the said body, and to provide for the preservation and maintenance of places and of chattels of any description of national historical artistic or scientific interest or natural beauty, and for purposes incidental thereto.\n\nContents\n1\tShort title\n2\tInterpretation\n3\tConstitution of National Trust\n4\tMembership of National Trust\n5\tObjects of Trust\n6\tThe Council\n7\tExemption from rates and taxes\n8\tPower of Council to make regulations\n9\tRules and by-laws\nLegislative history\n\nThe Parliament of South Australia enacts as follows:\n1—Short title\nThis Act may be cited as the National Trust of South Australia Act 1955.\n2—Interpretation\nIn this Act, unless the context otherwise requires or some other meaning is clearly intended—\nThe National Trust means The National Trust of South Australia constituted and incorporated by this Act;\nthe Council means the Council of the National Trust;\ncouncillor means member of the Council.\n3—Constitution of National Trust\n\t(1)\tThere shall be constituted a body to be called The National Trust of South Australia.\n\t(2)\tThe National Trust shall be a body corporate with perpetual succession and a common seal and may, in its corporate name, sue and be sued, purchase, hold and dispose of land and any estate or interest therein and all other property both real and personal of whatsoever kind and wheresoever situate for the purposes of this Act, and may exercise all powers and functions whatsoever of an incorporated body subject at all times and in all things to the rules of the National Trust for the time being in force.\n4—Membership of National Trust\nThe National Trust shall consist of—\n\t(a)\tthe persons and bodies corporate who are for the time being members of the National Trust in accordance with the rules of the National Trust;\n\t(b)\tthe persons, for the time being, holding office as nominated councillors of the National Trust.\n5—Objects of Trust\n\t(1)\tThe National Trust is established for the purposes of promoting—\n\t(a)\tthe preservation and maintenance for the benefit of the people of South Australia of lands and buildings of beauty or historic, scientific, artistic, or architectural interest and, as regards lands, the preservation (so far as practicable) of their natural aspect features and animal and plant life;\n\t(b)\tthe protection and augmentation of the amenities of such lands and buildings and their surroundings;\n\t(c)\tthe preservation of furniture and pictures and chattels of national, historic, artistic, or scientific interest;\n\t(d)\tthe access to and enjoyment of such lands, buildings, and chattels by the public;\n\t(e)\tthe protection and heritage conservation of Ayers House (in accordance with any requirements under the Ayers House Act 2024).\n\t(2)\tIn this section, Ayers House has the same meaning as in the Ayers House Act 2024.\n6—The Council\nThe affairs of the National Trust and the business and management thereof shall be administered, managed, and conducted by a council to be called The Council of the National Trust, which shall be constituted in manner prescribed in the rules under this Act, and shall have the powers and duties therein set forth.\n7—Exemption from rates and taxes\n\t(1)\tNo taxes, rates (except water rates) or other imposts shall be payable under any law of the State on or in respect of any real estate or leasehold property belonging to the National Trust.\n\t(2)\tSuccession duty shall not be payable in respect of any property derived by, or accruing to the National Trust.\n\t(3)\tAn instrument or agreement by which any real or personal property is assured to or vested in the National Trust for purposes of this Act or agreed to be so assured or vested shall be exempt from stamp duty.\n8—Power of Council to make regulations\n\t(1)\tThe Council may make regulations for all or any of the following purposes:\n\t(a)\tfor ensuring the safety and the preservation of and preventing damage to or destruction of any real or personal property vested in or under the control and management of the National Trust;\n\t(b)\tfor regulating traffic and for ensuring orderly conduct on the part of visitors on any property of the National Trust;\n\t(c)\tfor fixing the hours during which any property of the National Trust or any building or structure on any property shall be open to the public;\n\t(d)\tfor fixing the payment to be made for entrance to any property of the National Trust or any building or structure on any property and for providing for the exclusion or removal from any property of the National Trust or on any part thereof or building or structure thereon of persons who have not made the prescribed payment, or who behave in a disorderly manner;\n\t(e)\tfor preventing trespassing on any property of the National Trust;\n\t(f)\tfor preventing persons from injuring, destroying, taking, removing, or in any way interfering with animals, birds, trees, and plants on any property of the National Trust;\n\t(g)\tprescribing any other matter which it is necessary or convenient to prescribe for the purpose of the administration and enforcement of this Act;\n\t(h)\tdeclaring that any breach or non-observance of a regulation shall be an offence and prescribing fines recoverable summarily, but not exceeding forty dollars for any such offence.\n\t(2)\tAll regulations made under this section shall be submitted to the Governor for confirmation before being published in the Gazette or laid before Parliament and shall not be so published or laid before Parliament or have any effect unless confirmed by the Governor.\n\t(3)\tSection 38 of the Acts Interpretation Act 1915, as amended, shall apply to regulations made under this section.\n9—Rules and by-laws\n\t(1)\tRules and by-laws may be made by the Council for any of the purposes for which the Council had power to make rules and by-laws immediately before the commencement of the National Trust of South Australia Act Amendment Act 1975, and for any other purposes declared by proclamation from time to time to be purposes for which rules or by-laws, as the case may be, may be made by the Council under this Act.\n\t(2)\tThe Council shall, within a period of six months after the commencement of that Act or such further time as the Minister may in writing allow, make a new set of rules and a new set of by-laws under and for the purposes of this Act and, until such sets of rules and by-laws have been made and have taken effect, the rules and by-laws contained in, or made pursuant to, this Act, as amended pursuant to this Act and in force immediately before such commencement shall, notwithstanding the repeal of the schedule hereto, as amended, continue to be the rules and by-laws of the National Trust for the purposes of this Act.\n\t(3)\tSubject to this section, but without limiting the application of section 39 of the Acts Interpretation Act 1915, as amended, section 38 of that Act shall apply to and in relation to rules and by-laws made by the Council under this section; but no such rule or by-law shall take effect unless and until that rule or by-law, as the case may be, has first received the concurrence of two-thirds of the whole number of members of the Council and the rule or by-law has by resolution of a general meeting of the National Trust been approved by the National Trust.\nLegislative history\nNotes\n\t•\tPlease note—References in the legislation to other legislation or instruments or to titles of bodies or offices are not automatically updated as part of the program for the revision and publication of legislation and therefore may be obsolete.\n\t•\tEarlier versions of this Act (historical versions) are listed at the end of the legislative history.\n\t•\tFor further information relating to the Act and subordinate legislation made under the Act see the Index of South Australian Statutes or www.legislation.sa.gov.au.\nPrincipal Act and amendments\nNew entries appear in bold.\nYear\nNo\nTitle\nAssent\nCommencement\n1955\n43\nThe National Trust of South Australia Act 1955\n8.12.1955\n8.12.1955\n1975\n109\nNational Trust of South Australia Act Amendment Act 1975\n20.11.1975\n20.11.1975\n2024\n11\nAyers House Act 2024\n18.4.2024\nSch 1 (cl 1)—1.7.2024 (Gazette 13.6.2024 p1429)\nProvisions amended since 3 February 1976\nNew entries appear in bold.\nProvision\nHow varied\nCommencement\ns 5\n\n\ns 5(1)\namended by 11/2024 Sch 1 cl 1(1)\n1.7.2024\ns 5(2)\ninserted by 11/2024 Sch 1 cl 1(2)\n1.7.2024\nHistorical versions\n20.11.1975\n\n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":4,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"The Act's core scope—preserving and providing public access to lands, buildings and chattels of heritage or scientific interest—remains. The 2024 amendment expressly adds Ayers House as a named object of the Trust and ties Trust duties to the Ayers House Act 2024 (see s 5(1)(e) and s 5(2) and the legislative history entry for 2024), thereby expanding the Act's specified remit to include that property and formalising its treatment under a separate Act."},"complexity_factors":["Cross-reference and specific addition of Ayers House (s 5(1)(e), s 5(2); legislative history entry for 2024 amendment)","Broad corporate powers to acquire, hold and dispose of real and personal property (s 3)","Council given wide discretion to make regulations for safety, access, conduct and fees, but regulations must be confirmed by the Governor before effect (s 8(1)-(3))","Rule‑making by Council subject to internal voting and general meeting approval (two‑thirds of Council and National Trust resolution required) (s 9(3))","Financial exemptions that change incentives for donors, owners and estate planning (exemption from most rates, succession duty and stamp duty on instruments vesting property in the Trust) (s 7(1)-(3))","Transitional requirement to remake rules after the 1975 amendment and continuity of existing rules until replaced (s 9(2))","Penalties for regulatory breaches capped at a modest fine (not exceeding forty dollars) — affects enforcement design (s 8(1)(h))","References to the Acts Interpretation Act 1915 (application of section 38 and section 39) create interpretive links outside this Act (s 8(3), s 9(3))"],"plain_english_summary":"Creates and incorporates The National Trust of South Australia to acquire, hold and manage property of heritage, natural, artistic or scientific interest. The Trust’s Council administers the Trust, can set opening hours and entrance charges, and makes rules; regulations the Council makes require Governor confirmation. Property held by the Trust is exempt from most state rates, succession duty and stamp duty on transfers. A 2024 amendment expressly adds Ayers House as a protected object and links Trust duties to the Ayers House Act 2024."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"The original 1955 Act established a general heritage conservation body with broad purposes. While the core mission remains, the 2024 amendment added a specific statutory responsibility for Ayers House (section 5(1)(e)), creating a targeted obligation that goes beyond the Trust's original general preservation powers. This represents a modest expansion from a general-purpose heritage body to one with specific statutory duties for particular named assets."},"complexity_factors":["Only 3 defined terms in the interpretation section ('The National Trust', 'the Council', 'councillor')","Straightforward structure with 9 short sections, no nested numbering beyond subsections","Minimal cross-referencing — only references to the Ayers House Act 2024 (added 2024) and the Acts Interpretation Act 1915","Simple conditional logic: regulations require Governor's confirmation (section 8), rules require two-thirds Council approval plus general meeting resolution (section 9)","No exceptions to exceptions or deeply nested provisos","Legislative history shows only two amendments in nearly 70 years (1975 and 2024), indicating stable, narrow scope","1975 amendment largely procedural (updating rules/by-laws framework); 2024 amendment adds single specific heritage item (Ayers House)"],"plain_english_summary":"This law creates **The National Trust of South Australia** — a government-established organisation dedicated to protecting South Australia's heritage.\n\n**What it does:**\n- **Establishes a legal body** (a 'body corporate') that can own property, enter contracts, and sue or be sued — essentially giving the Trust the legal powers of a person or company\n- **Sets the Trust's mission:** to preserve historic buildings, beautiful landscapes, and valuable objects (furniture, art, scientific items) for the public benefit\n- **Creates a governing Council** to run the Trust's affairs\n- **Gives tax breaks** — the Trust doesn't pay land taxes, rates (except water), stamp duty on property transfers, or succession duty on inherited property\n- **Lets the Council make rules** about visitor behaviour, opening hours, entry fees, and protecting Trust property from damage or trespass\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- Anyone who visits Trust properties (historic houses, gardens, etc.)\n- People who donate property or money to the Trust\n- The Council members who govern the Trust\n\n**Why it matters:**\nThis is the legal foundation that allows the National Trust to operate as a major heritage conservation body in South Australia. Without this Act, the Trust couldn't legally own historic buildings, receive tax-exempt donations, or make enforceable rules to protect heritage sites. The 2024 amendment specifically added responsibility for **Ayers House** — a significant historic building in Adelaide — showing the Act continues to evolve to protect important heritage assets."},"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"},"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"summary":{"complexity_score":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Scope assessment is not possible as no legislative text was provided. The content retrieved was solely a website error page from the South Australian legislation portal, with no provisions, schedules, or amendments available for review."},"complexity_factors":["No legislative content was retrievable — the source URL returned a 404-style Page Not Found error","Complexity cannot be meaningfully assessed without access to the actual text of the Act","Score of 1 reflects absence of content rather than simplicity of the legislation itself"],"plain_english_summary":"**No legislation could be retrieved for analysis.**\n\nThe link provided for the *National Trust of South Australia Act 1955* returned a **Page Not Found** error from the South Australian legislation website. This appears to be a broken or outdated hyperlink, likely affected by a website update that occurred on 24 March 2026.\n\n**What this means for you:** No meaningful legal analysis of the Act can be provided based on the content supplied. If you need to read or understand the *National Trust of South Australia Act 1955*, try:\n- Visiting [www.legislation.sa.gov.au](https://www.legislation.sa.gov.au) directly and searching for the Act by name\n- Contacting the SA Office of Parliamentary Counsel at OPCWeb@sa.gov.au\n- Checking if the Act has been repealed or replaced by newer legislation"}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/national-trust-of-south-australia-act-1955","history":"/api/acts/national-trust-of-south-australia-act-1955/history","analysis":"/api/acts/national-trust-of-south-australia-act-1955/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/national-trust-of-south-australia-act-1955/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/national-trust-of-south-australia-act-1955/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/national-trust-of-south-australia-act-1955/documents"}}