{"id":"C2004A00131","name":"Sewerage Agreements Act 1974","slug":"sewerage-agreements-act-1974","collection":"act","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":"73 of 1974","makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":31057,"registerId":"commonwealth-C2004A00131-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-01","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Short title [see Note 1]","content":"#### 1 Short title \\[see Note 1\\]\n\n  This Act may be cited as the Sewerage Agreements Act 1974.","sortOrder":0},{"sectionNumber":"2","sectionType":"section","heading":"Commencement [see Note 1]","content":"#### 2 Commencement \\[see Note 1\\]\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":"Interpretation","content":"#### 3 Interpretation\n\n  In this Act:\n\n> Principal Agreement, in relation to a State to which this Act applies, means the agreement executed on behalf of the Government of Australia and the Government of that State in pursuance of the Sewerage Agreements Act 1973.\n\n> State to which this Act applies means the State of Victoria, the State of Queensland or the State of Western Australia.\n\n> Supplemental Agreement means:\n\n    (a) in relation to the State of Victoria—the agreement a copy of which is set out in Part I of the Schedule;\n    (b) in relation to the State of Queensland—the agreement a copy of which is set out in Part II of the Schedule; and\n    (c) in relation to the State of Western Australia—the agreement a copy of which is set out in Part III of the Schedule.","sortOrder":2},{"sectionNumber":"4","sectionType":"section","heading":"Approval of Supplemental Agreements","content":"#### 4 Approval of Supplemental Agreements\n\n  The Supplemental Agreements in respect of the States to which this Act applies are approved.","sortOrder":3},{"sectionNumber":"5","sectionType":"section","heading":"Certain provisions of Sewerage Agreements Act 1973 cease to have effect","content":"#### 5 Certain provisions of Sewerage Agreements Act 1973 cease to have effect\n\n  Upon the date of commencement of this Act:\n    (a) section 4 of the Sewerage Agreements Act 1973 ceases to apply in relation to States to which this Act applies; and\n    (b) section 6 of the Sewerage Agreements Act 1973 ceases to apply in relation to payments and advances to States to which this Act applies.","sortOrder":4},{"sectionNumber":"6","sectionType":"section","heading":"Financial assistance","content":"#### 6 Financial assistance\n\n  The payments and advances by the Government of Australia to the Government of a State to which this Act applies provided for in the Principal Agreement in respect of that State as varied by the Supplemental Agreement in respect of that State may be made, by way of financial assistance to that State, on the terms and conditions contained in that Principal Agreement as so varied, out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund.","sortOrder":5},{"sectionNumber":"7","sectionType":"section","heading":"Authority to borrow","content":"#### 7 Authority to borrow\n\n  The Treasurer may, in accordance with the provisions of the Commonwealth Inscribed Stock Act 1911-1973 or in accordance with the provisions of an Act authorizing the issue of Treasury Bills, borrow moneys not exceeding in the aggregate $7,950,000.","sortOrder":6},{"sectionNumber":"8","sectionType":"section","heading":"Application of moneys borrowed","content":"#### 8 Application of moneys borrowed\n\n  (1) Moneys borrowed under section 7 shall be issued and applied only for the expenses of borrowing and for the purpose of making payments and advances to a State to which this Act applies in accordance with this Act.\n  (2) Moneys borrowed under section 5 of the Sewerage Agreements Act 1973 may be issued and applied for the purpose of making payments and advances to a State to which this Act applies in accordance with this Act.","sortOrder":7},{"sectionNumber":"10","sectionType":"section","heading":"Appropriation","content":"#### 10 Appropriation\n\n  The Consolidated Revenue Fund is appropriated as necessary for the purposes of this Act.","sortOrder":8}],"analysis":{"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":"The Act does exactly what its title suggests — it approves supplemental (updated) sewerage funding agreements with three named states and provides borrowing and appropriation authority to back them. There is no evidence of scope creep or divergence from the original intent. It is a narrow, purpose-specific piece of legislation tightly focused on intergovernmental sewerage infrastructure funding."},"complexity_factors":["References to a prior Act (Sewerage Agreements Act 1973) requiring cross-reading to fully understand the legal effect","Key substantive terms are defined by reference to a Schedule (the actual agreements) not reproduced in the main text","Interaction between borrowing authority, appropriation, and conditional payment provisions requires some legal literacy to untangle","Section numbering skips from 8 to 10, suggesting amendment history that may complicate tracking of the full legislative scheme"],"plain_english_summary":"The Act approves supplemental agreements between the Commonwealth and Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia to update federal funding for sewerage works, authorises borrowing up to $7.95 million to make payments and advances, and appropriates funds from the Consolidated Revenue Fund. It mainly affects those state governments, taxpayers and residents benefiting from sewerage infrastructure and formalises routine intergovernmental funding arrangements."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The legislation maintains its original narrow scope. It was clearly intended from the outset to approve specific supplemental agreements for three particular states regarding sewerage funding, authorize related borrowing, and update the 1973 Act's application to these states. There is no evidence of scope creep or expansion beyond this specific purpose."},"complexity_factors":["Only 3 defined terms in the interpretation section (Principal Agreement, State to which this Act applies, Supplemental Agreement)","No nested exceptions or complex conditional logic","Minimal cross-referencing (only refers to the Sewerage Agreements Act 1973 and Commonwealth Inscribed Stock Act 1911-1973)","Straightforward structure: definitions, approval of agreements, repeal of old provisions, financial mechanics, borrowing authority, and appropriation","Single purpose legislation with clear, linear operation","Only 8 substantive sections (excluding the title and commencement provisions)"],"plain_english_summary":"This law is about federal funding for sewerage infrastructure in three Australian states: Victoria, Queensland, and Western Australia.\n\n**What it does:**\n- **Approves updated funding deals** (called \"Supplemental Agreements\") between the Australian Government and these three states for sewerage projects.\n- **Replaces old rules** from the 1973 Sewerage Agreements Act that applied to these specific states, updating how the money flows.\n- **Authorises federal payments** to help these states build or improve sewerage systems, with the money coming from the federal budget (the Consolidated Revenue Fund).\n- **Allows the government to borrow** up to $7.95 million to fund these projects, specifically through government bonds or Treasury Bills.\n- **Makes sure borrowed money is used properly** — it can only go toward the sewerage funding for these three states and the costs of arranging the loans.\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- The governments of Victoria, Queensland, and Western Australia (they receive the funding).\n- The Australian Government (which provides the money and manages the borrowing).\n- Ultimately, residents of these states who benefit from improved sewerage infrastructure.\n\n**Why it matters:**\nThis law ensures that federal financial assistance for sewerage projects continues to flow to these three states under updated terms. It also gives the Treasurer legal authority to borrow money specifically for this purpose, ensuring the government can raise the necessary funds without breaking borrowing rules."},"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"The Act alters the prior legislative framework for the three named States by approving Supplemental Agreements that vary the Principal Agreement and by causing specified provisions of the Sewerage Agreements Act 1973 to cease to apply to those States (s4, s5). It thereby narrows/modifies the earlier Act’s application and establishes specific funding and borrowing arrangements for those States (ss 6–8, 10)."},"complexity_factors":["Cross-reference to an existing Principal Agreement and to the Sewerage Agreements Act 1973 requires reading external instruments (s3, s5).","State-specific supplemental agreements are embedded in the Schedule, creating three parallel but separate variations (s3, s4).","Financial mechanics cover both direct appropriation and authorised borrowing, with a fixed borrowing cap ($7,950,000) and restrictions on use (ss 6–8, 10).","Discretion granted to the Treasurer to borrow under existing borrowing Acts introduces executive funding choices (s7).","Limited geographic scope (only Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia) concentrates effect and requires mapping of provisions to particular States (s3)."],"plain_english_summary":"This Act approves three state-specific supplemental sewerage agreements and enables the Commonwealth to make payments and advances to Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia under the Principal Agreement as varied by those Supplemental Agreements (ss 3–4, 6). It also removes the application of certain provisions of the Sewerage Agreements Act 1973 in relation to those States (s5).\n\nThe Treasurer may borrow up to $7,950,000 to fund those payments (s7); borrowed moneys are limited to borrowing expenses and those payments (s8), and amounts are appropriated from the Consolidated Revenue Fund (s10)."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/sewerage-agreements-act-1974","history":"/api/acts/sewerage-agreements-act-1974/history","analysis":"/api/acts/sewerage-agreements-act-1974/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/sewerage-agreements-act-1974/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/sewerage-agreements-act-1974/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/sewerage-agreements-act-1974/documents"}}