{"id":"C1956A00018","name":"Salaries Adjustment Act 1956","slug":"salaries-adjustment-act-1956","collection":"act","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":"18 of 1956","makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":1411,"registerId":"C1956A00018","compilationNumber":"0","startDate":"1956-05-12","status":"InForce","reasons":[],"registeredAt":"2013-01-23T20:43:28.470Z"},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Short title","content":"##### 1 Short title\n\n  This Act may be cited as the Salaries Adjustment Act 1956.","sortOrder":0},{"sectionNumber":"2","sectionType":"section","heading":"Commencement","content":"##### 2 Commencement\n\n  This Act shall come into operation on the day on which it receives the Royal Assent.","sortOrder":1},{"sectionNumber":"3","sectionType":"section","heading":"Validation of certain re-classifications","content":"##### 3 Validation of certain re-classifications\n\n  (1) The variations in the salaries, or limits of salary, of offices or positions specified in the first column of the Schedule to this Act made by the authorities respectively specified in the second column of that Schedule on the dates respectively specified in the third column of that Schedule shall be deemed to have been lawfully made and shall have effect, and shall be deemed to have had effect from and including the dates respectively specified in the fourth column of that Schedule, as a re-classification of those offices or positions.\n  (2) An office or position so re-classified shall be deemed not to have become vacant by reason of the re-classification.\n  (3) Regulations may be made under the Public Service Act 1922-1955 for purposes of or in relation to a re-classification referred to in subsection (1) of this section of offices to which that Act applies and regulations so made shall be deemed to have come into operation on the tenth day of January, One thousand nine hundred and fifty-six.\n  (4) Any action taken before the commencement of this Act by an authority specified in the second column of the Schedule to this Act for purposes of or in relation to a re-classification referred to in subsection (1) of this section shall be deemed to have been lawfully taken, and, if the authority specified a date as the date from which that action should be deemed to have had effect, to have had effect from that date.\n  (5) The action referred to in the last preceding subsection includes, in the case of an office or position having varied limits of salary applicable to it by virtue of a re-classification referred to in subsection (1) of this section, action to determine:\n    (a) the rate of salary, within those limits, which the occupant of that office or position was entitled to be paid as from the date specified in the fourth column of the Schedule to this Act in relation to that office or position; and\n    (b) the date as from which the occupant of that office or position would become eligible to be granted his first increment of salary after the date so specified.","sortOrder":2},{"sectionNumber":"4","sectionType":"section","heading":"Superannuation","content":"##### 4 Superannuation\n\n  For the purposes of the Superannuation Act 1922-1955, any increased contributions payable in pursuance of paragraph (a), (b) or (d) of subsection (4) of section thirteen of that Act:\n    (a) by reason of payment of salaries:\n    (i) to officers of the Public Service of the Commonwealth at rates as varied in accordance with the last preceding section;\n    (ii) to officers of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization at rates as varied by the Executive of that Organization on the third day of January, One thousand nine hundred and fifty-six, or at rates fixed by the Determination No. 23 of 1955 made by the Public Service Arbitrator on the twentieth day of June, One thousand nine hundred and fifty-five, as varied by the Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration;\n    (iii) to officers of the Australian Broadcasting Commission at rates fixed by the Determination referred to in the last preceding subparagraph, as so varied; or\n    (iv) to persons employed under paragraph (c) of subsection (1) of section forty-one of the Naval Defence Act 1910-1952 at rates as varied on the eighteenth day of January, One thousand nine hundred and fifty-six;\n    shall be deemed to have been payable as from the sixteenth day of December, One thousand nine hundred and fifty-five; and\n    (b) by reason of payment of salaries to officers of the Public Service of the Commonwealth at rates fixed by the Determination No. 44 of 1954 made by the Public Service Arbitrator on the thirteenth day of September, One thousand nine hundred and fifty-four, as varied by the Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration, shall be deemed to have been payable as from the seventh day of March, One thousand nine hundred and fifty-six.","sortOrder":3},{"sectionNumber":"The Schedule","sectionType":"part","heading":"The Schedule","content":"# The Schedule\n\nSection 3\n\n| First ColumnOffices and Positions                                                  | Second ColumnAuthority                                                      | Third ColumnDate of Resolution    | Fourth ColumnDate of Effect      |\n| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------- | -------------------------------- |\n| Offices in the several Departments of State of the Commonwealth                    | Public Service Board                                                        | Tenth day of January, 1956        | Tenth day of January, 1956       |\n| Offices in the Department of the Senate                                            | The President of the Senate                                                 | Ninth day of March, 1956          | Tenth day of January, 1956       |\n| Offices in the Department of the House of Representatives                          | The Speaker of the House of Representatives                                 | Ninth day of March, 1956          | Tenth day of January, 1956       |\n| Offices in the Department of the Parliamentary Library                             | The President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives | Ninth day of March, 1956          | Tenth day of January, 1956       |\n| Offices in the Department of the Parliamentary Reporting Staff                     | The President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives | Ninth day of March, 1956          | Tenth day of January, 1956       |\n| Offices in the Joint House Department                                              | The President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives | Ninth day of March, 1956          | Tenth day of January, 1956       |\n| Positions in the Service of the Overseas Telecommunications Commission (Australia) | Overseas Telecommunications Commission (Australia)                          | Third day of February, 1956       | Eighteenth day of February, 1956 |\n| Positions in the Commonwealth Bank Service                                         | Commonwealth Bank of Australia                                              | Twenty-fifth day of January, 1956 | First day of July, 1955          |","sortOrder":4}],"analysis":{"summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This Act appears to be a tightly scoped, one-purpose validating instrument. It was designed specifically to retrospectively approve certain public service reclassifications and align superannuation entitlements accordingly. There is no evidence of scope creep — the structure (4 sections and a Schedule) is consistent with its original narrow administrative purpose, and it has not been expanded beyond that intent."},"complexity_factors":["Very short Act with only 4 substantive sections plus a Schedule","Narrow and specific subject matter limited to salary reclassifications and superannuation adjustments","Minimal defined terms — no apparent interpretation section","No conditional logic or nested exceptions","Cross-references to other legislation (likely the Superannuation Act and Public Service Act) implied but not elaborated upon in the text provided","Retrospective (validating) operation adds a minor layer of legal complexity but is straightforward in effect"],"plain_english_summary":"This short 1956 Act retrospectively validates certain re‑classifications of Commonwealth public service positions and ensures superannuation entitlements reflect those salary adjustments. It affects the public servants whose roles were re‑classified and the administrators managing their retirement benefits. The Act’s purpose was to cure any legal defects in earlier administrative pay decisions and provide legal certainty to employees and the government."},"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":4,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The Act does not expand who may be re‑classified or add new categories of employee. It confines its effect to validating specific past re‑classifications and making specified superannuation contributions payable from stated retrospective dates for the offices and authorities listed in the Schedule (see s 3 and s 4). Its effect is corrective and declaratory rather than an enlargement of coverage."},"complexity_factors":["Retroactive/deeming provisions that change legal effect and operative dates (see s 3(1)–(4) and s 4) increase interpretive complexity.","Cross‑references to other statutes and external instruments (Public Service Act 1922–1955, Superannuation Act 1922–1955, named Determinations and court variations) require reading multiple sources to understand full effect (see s 3(3) and s 4).","A Schedule that maps different offices, authorities and distinct resolution/effect dates (Schedule to s 3) creates administratively varied consequences across agencies.","Delegated regulation power with a deemed commencement date for regulations under the Public Service Act (s 3(3)) introduces timing and implementation questions.","Operational tasks imposed on employers and officials—calculating back pay, setting incremental dates, and adjusting superannuation contributions—create compliance and record‑keeping burden (see s 3(5) and s 4).","Deeming that re‑classification does not cause vacancy affects employment status and succession rules (s 3(2)).","Validation of past actions taken by named authorities (s 3(4)) creates legal certainty but requires review of earlier administrative decisions."],"plain_english_summary":"This Act retroactively validates specified salary re‑classifications for the Commonwealth departments, parliamentary offices and certain statutory services listed in its Schedule, treats those changes as having legal effect from the dates shown, and provides that such re‑classification does not create a vacancy. It also declares certain increased employer superannuation contributions (linked to those salary changes and named determinations) to be payable from specified earlier dates. Affected parties are the listed employees and the employing authorities who must calculate and pay any backdated salary or superannuation adjustments."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The legislation remains tightly focused on its original purpose: validating specific salary reclassifications made in early 1956 and addressing the superannuation consequences of those changes. The scope has not expanded beyond this narrow administrative validation function."},"complexity_factors":["Short length (4 sections plus Schedule)","Minimal defined terms (relies on external Acts like Public Service Act 1922-1955 and Superannuation Act 1922-1955 for definitions)","Simple conditional structure (primarily validation and deeming provisions)","Heavy reliance on external Schedule table for substantive content (8 rows of specific offices, authorities, and dates)","Some nested subparagraphs in section 4 dealing with different categories of officers and varying deeming dates for superannuation contributions","Cross-references to three other Acts (Public Service Act, Superannuation Act, Naval Defence Act) but these are straightforward citations"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this law does:**\n\nThis Act fixes a paperwork problem from 1956. Several government bodies had already increased salaries for public servants and other Commonwealth employees, but there was a legal question about whether those pay rises were properly authorised. This law looks backwards in time and says: \"Yes, those salary changes were legal, and they take effect from the dates specified.\"\n\n**Who it affects:**\n\n*   **Public servants** in Commonwealth government departments\n*   **Parliamentary staff** (Senate, House of Representatives, Parliamentary Library, reporting staff, and joint house staff)\n*   **Employees** of the Overseas Telecommunications Commission and the Commonwealth Bank\n*   **Superannuation (pension) contributors** whose retirement contributions increased because of these salary changes\n\n**Key things the law does:**\n\n*   **Validates past actions:** It confirms that salary reclassifications made by various authorities in early 1956 were lawful, even if there were technical doubts.\n*   **Prevents job vacancies:** It clarifies that when someone's job was reclassified with a higher salary, their position didn't become \"vacant\" (which could have caused employment disputes).\n*   **Backdates superannuation:** It ensures that higher superannuation contributions resulting from these pay rises are deemed to have started from December 1955 or March 1956 (depending on the specific pay rise), so employees don't miss out on pension benefits.\n*   **Covers multiple organisations:** The Schedule lists exactly which bodies made which decisions on which dates, with specific effective dates for each group of employees.\n\n**Why it matters:**\n\nWithout this law, thousands of public servants might have faced uncertainty about whether their recent pay rises were legal, and whether their superannuation contributions were calculated correctly. It provides legal certainty for administrative decisions that had already been made but needed parliamentary rubber-stamping."},"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"}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/salaries-adjustment-act-1956","history":"/api/acts/salaries-adjustment-act-1956/history","analysis":"/api/acts/salaries-adjustment-act-1956/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/salaries-adjustment-act-1956/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/salaries-adjustment-act-1956/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/salaries-adjustment-act-1956/documents"}}