{"id":"tas:act-1901-002","name":"Presbyterian Church of Australia Act 1901","slug":"presbyterian-church-of-australia-act-1901","collection":"act","jurisdiction":"tas","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":"2 of 1901","makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":110763,"registerId":"tas-act-1901-002-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-03","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Basis of Union and Articles of Agreement to have effect of law","content":"### 1 Basis of Union and Articles of Agreement to have effect of law\n\n> *\\[Section 1 Amended by No. 36 of 1958, s. 5 \\]*From and after the twenty-fourth day of July 1901, the [Basis of Union and Articles of Agreement](#JS1@EN) set forth in the [schedule](#JS1@EN) shall have the full force and effect of law; and, except as therein provided, nothing done in accordance with the provisions of the said [Basis of Union and Articles of Agreement](#JS1@EN) shall have the effect of divesting the Presbyterian Church of Tasmania, or any congregation, body, or person, or the trustees of the property of the Presbyterian Church of Tasmania, or the trustees or trustee for any such congregation, body, or person, of any property situated within the State of Tasmania or subject to the jurisdiction of that State, which is or shall be held in trust for any of the said Churches, or for any congregation or body in connection therewith.","sortOrder":0},{"sectionNumber":"2","sectionType":"section","heading":"Acts to be read together","content":"### 2 Acts to be read together\n\n> Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to in any way repeal or affect the provisions of the [Presbyterian Church Act 1896](/view/html/inforce/2026-04-12/act-1896-008) (60 *Victoriæ* No. 8), save in such respects, if any, as the same is affected by the said [Basis of Union and Articles of Agreement](#JS1@EN) ; and the said Union shall be regarded as having been effected under [section eighteen of the said Act](/view/html/inforce/2026-04-12/act-1896-008#GS18@EN) .","sortOrder":1},{"sectionNumber":"3","sectionType":"section","heading":"Short title","content":"### 3 Short title\n\n> This Act may be cited as the [Presbyterian Church of Australia Act 1901](/view/html/inforce/2026-04-12/act-1901-002) .","sortOrder":2},{"sectionNumber":"SCHEDULE 1 - Basis of Union","sectionType":"part","heading":"SCHEDULE 1 - Basis of Union","content":"# SCHEDULE 1 - Basis of Union SCHEDULE 1 - Basis of Union\n\n[![graphic image](/image/SG0135.gif)](/image/SG0135.gif)\n\n[![graphic image](/image/SG0136.gif)](/image/SG0136.gif)\n\n[![graphic image](/image/SG0137.gif)](/image/SG0137.gif)\n\n[![graphic image](/image/SG0138.gif)](/image/SG0138.gif)\n\n[![graphic image](/image/SG0139.gif)](/image/SG0139.gif)","sortOrder":3}],"analysis":{"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The legislation remains tightly focused on its original purpose: giving legal effect to the 1901 church union agreement and protecting Tasmanian property interests. No evidence of scope creep."},"complexity_factors":["Only 3 operative sections plus a schedule","Single defined concept (Basis of Union and Articles of Agreement)","No nested exceptions or conditional logic chains","Straightforward property protection clause with simple geographic limitation","Schedule content appears to be image-based and not transcribed in text","Minimal cross-referencing (only to one prior Act and one section)"],"plain_english_summary":"This 1901 Tasmanian law gives legal force to the agreement that created the Presbyterian Church of Australia. It makes the 'Basis of Union and Articles of Agreement' (the founding document that merged several Presbyterian churches) legally binding. The law protects property rights—ensuring that when churches merged, existing property held in trust for Tasmanian congregations couldn't be taken away. It also works alongside an earlier 1896 law rather than replacing it."},"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":4,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"Section 1 carries an amendment note (No. 36 of 1958, s.5), indicating the Act’s text has been altered since 1901. The Act’s core effect is to treat the Basis of Union and Articles as law while expressly preserving existing property trusts in Tasmania (s1) and maintaining the 1896 Act except where affected (s2), so its operative scope is constrained by both the schedule’s content and the earlier statute."},"complexity_factors":["Incorporation by reference: the schedule (Basis of Union and Articles of Agreement) is given ‘full force and effect of law’, which imports an external, potentially detailed governance document into statute.","Property-protection carve-out (s1): specifies retention of existing trust and property rights in Tasmania, requiring reconciliation between church rules and civil trust law.","Cross-reference to prior statute (s2): the Act preserves the 1896 Act except where affected, and treats the union as effected under section 18 of that Act, creating interdependence between statutes.","Amendment history note (s1): an amendment is recorded (1958), indicating temporal changes that may affect interpretation.","Sparse operative text: few sections create reliance on the schedule and external Act for substantive rules, increasing interpretive work for courts and administrators."],"plain_english_summary":"This Act makes the Presbyterian Church’s Basis of Union and Articles of Agreement legally binding from 24 July 1901, so those internal governance rules can be enforced by civil law. It preserves property in Tasmania held in trust for the Church, its congregations and trustees (s1). It also preserves the earlier Presbyterian Church Act 1896 except where altered by the Basis of Union, and treats the union as effected under section 18 of that Act (s2)."},"summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Based on the available information, the Act appears to have remained in its original scope since 1901, with no significant amendments indicated. The version has been current since at least 1 February 1997 without substantive change, suggesting the original intent — to legally recognise and incorporate the Presbyterian Church of Australia in Tasmania — has not been broadened or narrowed over time."},"complexity_factors":["The legislation text provided is extremely brief — mostly administrative metadata rather than substantive provisions","Religious incorporation Acts of this era tend to follow straightforward templates with limited technical complexity","No amending instruments appear to have substantially altered the original scope","Single-subject legislation focused on one denomination's legal status","The Act is over 120 years old and likely uses plain, settled legal language typical of early federation-era drafting"],"plain_english_summary":"The Presbyterian Church of Australia Act 1901 (Tasmania) is a historic law that formally recognises the Presbyterian Church in Tasmania as a legal entity, enabling it to own property, enter contracts and have its assets and internal governance protected under Tasmanian law.  \n\nIt affects church members, donors and anyone dealing with the institution by providing legal certainty for property, donations and organisational affairs—reflecting an era when Parliament routinely incorporated religious bodies."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/presbyterian-church-of-australia-act-1901","history":"/api/acts/presbyterian-church-of-australia-act-1901/history","analysis":"/api/acts/presbyterian-church-of-australia-act-1901/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/presbyterian-church-of-australia-act-1901/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/presbyterian-church-of-australia-act-1901/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/presbyterian-church-of-australia-act-1901/documents"}}