{"id":"state-aid-religion-abolition-act-1871","name":"State Aid to Religion Abolition Act 1871","slug":"state-aid-to-religion-abolition-act-1871","collection":"act","jurisdiction":"vic","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":176207,"registerId":"vic-state-aid-religion-abolition-act-1871-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-05","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"State Aid to Religion Abolition Act 1871","content":"Victorian Legislation and Parliamentary Documentsi\nVersion No. 001\nState Aid to Religion Abolition Act 1871\nAct No. 391/1871\nVersion as at 3 March 2003\nTABLE OF PROVISIONS\nSection Page\n1. Repeal of section 53 of the Constitution Act 1\n2. Definitions 1\n3. Denominations may dispose of trust lands granted by the Crown\nand apply proceeds to denominational purposes 2\n4. Application for power to dispose of such lands to be made by\nhead or authorised representative of denomination 3\n5. Notice of application to be given by advertisement and by notice\nto non-consenting trustees 3\n6. Objections to application may be lodged 3\n7. Application to be allowed if no objection lodged 3\n8. Publication of allowance of application to be conclusive evidence\nthat Act has been complied with and trustees named are entitled\nupon trusts allowed 4\n9. Certificate of title to issue to new trustees as proprietors under\n\"Transfer of Land Statute\" and Gazette to be deposited as\ndocument declaring trusts 5\n10. Governor may frame regulations 5\n11. No reservation to be made of Crown lands for places of public\nworship or dwelling-houses for ministers of any religious\ndenomination after 1st day of July 1870 6\n12. Promise or reservation of land not to be affected until application\nallowed 6\n__________________\nSCHEDULE 7\nSCHEDULE 1 7\nSCHEDULE 2 9\n═══════════════\n\nVictorian Legislation and Parliamentary DocumentsSection Page\nii\nENDNOTES 10\n1. General Information 10\n2. Table of Amendments 11\n3. Explanatory Details 12\n\nVictorian Legislation and Parliamentary Documents1\nVersion No. 001\nState Aid to Religion Abolition Act 1871\nAct No. 391/1871\nVersion as at 3 March 2003\nAn Act to provide for the Abolition of State Aid to Religion.\nBE IT ENACTED by the Queen's Most Excellent Majesty by\nand with the advice and consent of the Legislative Council\nand the Legislative Assembly of Victoria in this present\nParliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as\nfollows:\n1. Repeal of section 53 of the Constitution Act\nFrom and after the thirty-first day of December\nOne thousand eight hundred and seventy-five no\nmoneys shall be set apart for the advancement of\nthe Christian religion in Victoria under the\nprovisions of the Fifty-third Section and for public\nworship under the Eighth Part of Schedule D of\nthe \"Constitution Act\", and as from that day such\nprovisions shall be and the same are hereby\nrepealed.\n2. Definitions\nIn the construction and for the purposes of this\nAct the following terms shall if not inconsistent\nwith the context or subject matter have the\nrespective meanings hereby assigned to them, that\nis to say—\n\"the Governor\" shall mean the person\nadministering the government acting by and\nwith the advice of the Executive Council;\n\nVictorian Legislation and Parliamentary DocumentsAct No. 391/1871\nState Aid to Religion Abolition Act 1871\n2\n\"the Minister\" shall mean the responsible\nMinister of the Crown administering this\nAct;\n\"denomination\" shall mean any church religious\nbody sect or congregation or the members of\nany church formed into or acting as a body\nof persons for religious purposes of what\nkind of faith or form of belief soever;\n\"head or authorised representative\" shall mean\nthe person accepted as such for the time\nbeing by the Governor;\n\"trustee\" shall mean any person holding that\noffice for the time being, whether named as\nsuch in the Crown grant or approved of or\nappointed as such by the Governor, although\nno legal estate may be vested in such person.\n3. Denominations may dispose of trust lands granted\nby the Crown and apply proceeds to denominational\npurposes\nAll lands which at the time of the passing of this\nAct have been granted by the Crown without\nreceiving any purchase money or promised or\nreserved by the Crown or by the Governor\npermanently or temporarily for church purposes or\nchurch and school purposes or dwelling-houses\nfor the ministers of any denomination may,\nsubject to the provisions hereinafter contained, be\ndisposed of by the denomination to or for the\nbenefit of which such lands may have been\ngranted promised or reserved, and the proceeds of\ndisposition applied for the purposes of such\ndenomination in such manner as the denomination\nmay deem most beneficial.\ns. 3\n\nVictorian Legislation and Parliamentary DocumentsAct No. 391/1871\nState Aid to Religion Abolition Act 1871\n3\n4. Application for power to dispose of such lands to be\nmade by head or authorised representative of\ndenomination\nEvery application for leave to dispose of any such\nland shall be made in the form in the First\nSchedule hereto by the head or authorised\nrepresentative of the denomination, with the\nconsent of the trustees of any such land resident in\nVictoria, or of the majority thereof, and of the\nperson or persons, if any, entitled to minister in or\noccupy any building upon the land.\n5. Notice of application to be given by advertisement\nand by notice to non-consenting trustees\nSuch application shall be lodged at the office of\nthe Minister, and within one month from the time\nof lodging the same the applicant shall give notice\nthereof by advertising the same at length once in\nthe Government Gazette and once in some\nnewspaper circulating in the neighbourhood of the\nland and by serving a copy of the application upon\nany trustee of the land resident in Victoria who\nshall not have consented to such application.\n6. Objections to application may be lodged\nWithin one month from the publication of the last\nadvertisement any person may lodge objections to\nthe allowance of the application at the office of\nthe Minister, and a copy of every objection so\nlodged shall be forwarded by the Minister to the\napplicant.\n7. Application to be allowed if no objection lodged\nIf notice of the application shall have been duly\ngiven as aforesaid, and if no objection shall have\nbeen lodged within one month from the last\nadvertisement, and if the land described in the\napplication shall have been granted promised or\nreserved as aforesaid, the Governor shall allow the\ns. 4\n\nVictorian Legislation and Parliamentary DocumentsAct No. 391/1871\nState Aid to Religion Abolition Act 1871\n4\napplication; and if any objection shall have been\nlodged as aforesaid the Governor may allow or\nreject the application, or with the consent of the\napplicant modify the trusts thereby proposed, and\nif deemed expedient for the purpose of dealing\nwith any such objection may refer the same for the\ninquiry and report of any person or persons to be\nappointed by the Governor in that behalf; and\nevery such allowance shall be signed by the\nGovernor and shall be in the form in the Second\nSchedule hereto.\n8. Publication of allowance of application to be\nconclusive evidence that Act has been complied with\nand trustees named are entitled upon trusts allowed\nUpon the allowance of any application, the\nallowance thereof, as signed by the Governor,\nshall be published in the Government Gazette, and\nsuch publication shall be conclusive evidence that\nall the provisions of this Act in respect of the\napplication have been complied with and that the\ntrustees named in the statement of trusts are\nentitled to the land therein described in fee-simple\nupon the trusts thereof discharged of all trusts and\nlimitations as to the use thereof theretofore\naffecting the same, anything contained in the\nseventh section of the \"Land Act 1869\" to the\ncontrary notwithstanding, and upon the\napplication of such persons the Registrar of Titles\nunder the \"Transfer of Land Statute\" shall register\nsuch persons as joint proprietors in fee of the said\nland with no survivorship.\ns. 8\n\nVictorian Legislation and Parliamentary DocumentsAct No. 391/1871\nState Aid to Religion Abolition Act 1871\n5\n9. Certificate of title to issue to new trustees as\nproprietors under \"Transfer of Land Statute\" and\nGazette to be deposited as document declaring\ntrusts\nThe certificate of title to be issued as aforesaid\nshall be in the same form and of the same effect as\nany other certificate of title issued under the\nprovisions of the \"Transfer of Land Statute\" as to\nthe title of the proprietors, the immunity of\npersons dealing with them, and in every other\nrespect; and at the time of applying under this Act\nfor a certificate of title a copy of the Government\nGazette containing the allowance shall be\ndeposited with and retained by the Registrar of\nTitles, under the provisions of Section thirty-eight\nof the said Statute, as the document declaring the\ntrusts of the land as to which the certificate issues.\n10. Governor may frame regulations\nThe Governor may from time to time frame alter\nand revoke regulations providing for the manner\nin which applications under this Act, or objections\nthereto, shall be lodged or dealt with, or for\naltering the forms in the Schedules to this Act, so\nfar as consistent therewith, and for the execution\nof all orders matters or things arising under and\nconsistent with this Act and not herein expressly\nprovided for, and such regulations when published\nin the Government Gazette, and purporting to be\nsigned by the Minister, shall have the force of law.\ns. 9\n\nVictorian Legislation and Parliamentary DocumentsAct No. 391/1871\nState Aid to Religion Abolition Act 1871\n6\n11. No reservation to be made of Crown lands for places\nof public worship or dwelling-houses for ministers\nof any religious denomination after 1st day of July\n1870\nSo much of section six of the \"Land Act 1869\"\nas relates to reservations of Crown lands for\nplaces of public worship and dwelling-houses for\nthe ministers of any religious denomination shall\nbe and the same is hereby repealed as from the\nfirst day of July One thousand eight hundred and\nseventy, save as to any reservation or application\nfor reservation which may have been made\nthereunder before the said date.\n12. Promise or reservation of land not to be affected\nuntil application allowed\nNothing hereinbefore contained shall be deemed\nto affect any promise or reservation of land in the\nthird section mentioned, unless and until an\napplication under this Act shall be made in respect\nthereof, and subject to the allowance of any such\napplication every such promise or reservation\nshall be given effect to as if this Act had not\npassed.\n__________________\ns. 11\n\nVictorian Legislation and Parliamentary DocumentsAct No. 391/1871\nState Aid to Religion Abolition Act 1871\n7\nSCHEDULE\nTHE FIRST SCHEDULE\nI head or authorised representative of the denomination known\nas with the consent of [names of consenting trustees] trustees of the\nland described in the subjoined statement of trusts and of [name and address\nof persons so entitled if any] being the person or persons entitled to minister\nin or occupy a building or buildings upon the said land, hereby apply to the\nGovernor of the Colony of Victoria for leave to dispose of the said land by\nthe means and for the purposes mentioned in the said statement of trusts.\nAnd I hereby certify that the said land was [state the particulars of the grant\npromise or reservation of the land] granted by the Crown on the day\nof or promised or reserved by on the day of for\nthe purpose of [state in full the purposes for which the land was expressed to\nhave been granted promised or reserved]: That the only trustees of the said\nland resident in the Colony of Victoria are [state names and addresses of all\nresident trustees] of of of\nThat the only buildings upon the said land are [state generally the nature of\nall buildings on the land, or if none, state that there are none] and that the\nonly persons entitled to minister in or occupy the same are the abovenamed\n[if there are no such persons state the fact and omit preceding reference to\nthe consent of such persons].\nSignature of head or authorised representative—\nWe consent to this application.\nSignature of trustees—\nSignatures of persons entitled to minister in or occupy building or\nbuildings—\nSection 4.\nSch. 1\n\nVictorian Legislation and Parliamentary DocumentsAct No. 391/1871\nState Aid to Religion Abolition Act 1871\n8\nSTATEMENT OF TRUSTS\nDescription of\nLand\nNames of\ntrustees\nPowers of\nDisposition\nPurposes to which\nproceeds of\nDisposition are to be\napplied\nDescribe land\nfully by metes\nand bounds.\nGive names,\nresidences,\nand\noccupations\nof proposed\ntrustees.\nState the powers\nwhich it is\nproposed to vest\nin trustees, such\nas \"power to sell,\nexchange,\nmortgage, or\nlease,\" and if any\nof such powers\nare to be limited,\nstate the nature\nof the limitation.\nState distinctly the\npurposes to which it is\nintended to apply the\nmoneys arising from\nthe disposition to be\nauthorised, or to which\nany land taken in\nexchange is to be\napplied.\n__________________\nSch. 1\n\nVictorian Legislation and Parliamentary DocumentsAct No. 391/1871\nState Aid to Religion Abolition Act 1871\n9\nTHE SECOND SCHEDULE\nA statement of trusts having been submitted by the head or authorised\nrepresentative of the denomination of under the provisions of the\n\"Act to provide for the abolition of State Aid to Religion\" for allowance by\nthe Governor, the same was allowed by him on the day of\n18 , and the following is the form in which such statement of trusts has\nbeen allowed [set out statement of trusts in full from the application, subject\nto any modification which may have been made therein].\nAs witness the hand of the Governor of the Colony of Victoria\nthe day of\nGovernor of the Colony of Victoria.\n═══════════════\nSection 7.\nSch. 2\n\nVictorian Legislation and Parliamentary DocumentsAct No. 391/1871\nState Aid to Religion Abolition Act 1871\n10\nENDNOTES\n1. General Information\nThe State Aid to Religion Abolition Act 1871 was assented to on 6 January\n1871 and came into operation on 6 January 1871.\nEndnotes\n\nVictorian Legislation and Parliamentary DocumentsAct No. 391/1871\nState Aid to Religion Abolition Act 1871\n11\n2. Table of Amendments\nThere are no amendments made to the State Aid to Religion Abolition Act\n1871 by Acts and subordinate instruments.\nEndnotes\n\nVictorian Legislation and Parliamentary DocumentsAct No. 391/1871\nState Aid to Religion Abolition Act 1871\n12\n3. Explanatory Details\nNo entries at date of publication.\nEndnotes","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Based on the available text, the Act appears to have maintained its original narrow purpose of abolishing state aid to religion in Victoria. There is no indication in the provided material of amendments that expanded or contracted its scope from its original 1871 intent."},"complexity_factors":["The legislation appears to be very short and narrowly focused on a single clear purpose — abolishing state aid to religion","The provided text contains almost no substantive legislative content to analyse, consisting largely of metadata and version history formatting","As a 19th century abolition Act, its operative provisions were likely simple and direct in nature","Limited scope means few interacting provisions or cross-references to navigate"],"plain_english_summary":"The State Aid to Religion Abolition Act 1871 barred the Victorian government from using public funds to support churches and religious bodies. It marked a key colonial move toward separating church and state by ending routine taxpayer support for clergy and religious buildings.\n\nIts legacy affected formerly funded churches and continues to shape debates on government financing of religious institutions."},"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The Act remains within its original, narrow purpose: abolishing state financial aid for religion (repealing the specified constitutional provision) and providing a statutory procedure for denominations to deal with Crown-granted trust lands so they can be converted to denominational uses. There are no subsequent amendments recorded in the endnotes, and the Act's provisions are limited to repeal, definitions, an administrative application process, registration mechanics, regulatory power and transitional provisions (s.1–12; Schedules). The scope has not been expanded beyond these functions."},"complexity_factors":["Short Act: 12 substantive sections and 2 short schedules (application and allowance forms)","5 defined terms in the interpretation section (Governor, Minister, denomination, head or authorised representative, trustee) (s.2)","Clear procedural steps with limited conditional logic: application → notice → 1-month objection window → Governor decision (s.4–7)","Cross-references to other statutes: Constitution Act (s.1), Land Act 1869 (s.8, s.11), Transfer of Land Statute (s.9, reference to s.38 of that statute)","Discrete executive discretion points (Governor may modify/refer objections; Governor may make regulations signed by Minister) (s.7, s.10)","Temporal cut-offs and transitional rules (repeal effective date and reservation cutoff) that require historical date-checking (s.1, s.11–12)","Conclusive evidence / finality rule on Gazette publication that limits later challenges (s.8)"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this law does (mechanically)\n\n- Repeals the government's constitutional power to set aside public money for the Christian religion and for public worship (effective 31 December 1875). (s.1)\n\n- Defines key terms used in the Act (Governor, Minister, denomination, head or authorised representative, trustee). (s.2)\n\n- Allows religious denominations that previously received Crown land for church, school or ministerial housing purposes to dispose of that land (sell, exchange, mortgage, lease as specified) and to use the money raised for denominational purposes, subject to the Act's procedures. (s.3)\n\n- Sets out an administrative application process: the denomination's head or authorised representative applies using the form in Schedule 1, with consent of the local trustees and any persons entitled to occupy buildings on the land. (s.4; Sch.1)\n\n- Requires public notice of the application (Government Gazette and local newspaper) and service on non-consenting resident trustees; gives third parties one month from the last notice to lodge objections. (s.5–6)\n\n- Gives the Governor a decision role: where no objection is lodged the Governor shall allow the application; where objections are lodged the Governor may allow, reject or modify the proposed trusts and may appoint persons to inquire. Allowance is given in the form in Schedule 2. (s.7; Sch.2)\n\n- Makes publication of the Governor's allowance in the Government Gazette conclusive proof that the Act's requirements were met and that the named trustees hold title in fee simple and are discharged from the prior trusts or limitations. The Registrar of Titles must register the new trustees as joint proprietors (no survivorship). (s.8)\n\n- Directs the Registrar to issue certificates of title in the normal form under the Transfer of Land system and to keep the Gazette allowance as the document declaring the trusts. (s.9)\n\n- Authorises the Governor to make regulations about how applications and objections are lodged and dealt with and to alter the schedules so far as consistent with the Act; published regulations signed by the Minister have the force of law. (s.10)\n\n- Repeals the statutory power to reserve Crown land for places of worship or minister residences after 1 July 1870 (subject to reservations made before that date). (s.11)\n\n- Clarifies that promises or reservations of land remain in effect until an application under this Act is made and allowed. (s.12)\n\nWho it affects\n\n- Religious denominations (churches, sects, congregations) that previously received Crown land for religious or ministerial purposes: they gain a statutory route to convert those lands into money for denominational uses. (s.2; s.3)\n- Local trustees named in Crown grants or approved by the Governor: they must consent (if resident) or be served with notice; they may be replaced as proprietors on allowance. (s.2; s.4; s.8)\n- Persons entitled to occupy buildings on the land (for example ministers): their consent is required where relevant. (s.4)\n- The Crown and Treasury: the Crown ceases setting aside funds for religion under the referenced constitutional provision from 1875. (s.1)\n- The Governor, the responsible Minister and the Registrar of Titles: they administer the application, decision, registration and regulation processes. (s.2; s.7–10)\n\nWhy it matters (purpose claims and mechanical tests)\n\n- Expressed purpose: the Act \"provid[es] for the Abolition of State Aid to Religion\" (heading and s.1). Mechanically it does this by repealing the specific constitutional provision that permitted public monies for the Christian religion (s.1) and by preventing new Crown reservations for church purposes after a fixed date (s.11).\n\n- Mechanism to compensate or convert past Crown support: it creates a procedure that lets denominations turn Crown-granted church lands into funds they can use for denominational purposes (sale or other disposition) (s.3–9). This preserves a property-to-cash conversion route while ending recurring public appropriations.\n\n- Costs and incentives: denominations gain an asset-conversion option (benefit concentrated in those holding trust land). The State reduces or stops ongoing financial payments (public saving). Administrative costs fall on denominations and on the titles office and executive (application processing, publication, possible inquiries). The Act does not specify the detailed financial mechanics of sale costs, so those practical costs fall to the parties involved. (s.3–10)\n\n- Trade-offs and opportunity costs: by permitting disposal of trust lands, the Act enables denominations to reallocate capital (e.g. sell land to fund other religious activities) but also permits those lands to be removed from community religious use if sold to non-denominational parties. The Act leaves to denominations the decision about how proceeds are applied (\"as the denomination may deem most beneficial\"), which preserves internal discretion but reduces public oversight once the statutory steps are completed. (s.3; s.8)\n\n- Implementation risk and bureaucratic discretion: the Governor has decisive discretion to allow, reject or modify applications and may refer objections for inquiry (s.7). The Minister implements and the Governor frames regulations (s.10). Those discretionary steps create administrative uncertainty and the potential for delay. The published allowance in the Gazette is conclusive evidence that the Act was complied with (s.8), which limits later challenge once the formal process is followed.\n\n- Compliance burden: applicants must use prescribed forms, obtain trustee/minister consent, advertise in the Gazette and a local newspaper, serve notices on non-consenting resident trustees, and respond to objections within tight timeframes (one month windows). Those procedural steps create predictable but non-trivial compliance work for denominations. (s.4–6; Sch.1)\n\n- Effects on private choice and markets: enabling sale or mortgage of formerly restricted land increases denominational control over assets and can free capital for other uses; it can also increase supply of land for private market transactions. The Act requires title registration under the Transfer of Land system, preserving market certainty for third parties dealing with newly titled trustees. (s.8–9)\n\nConcrete mechanics: who pays, who decides, what behaviour changes\n\n- Who pays: the Act removes a statutory route for recurring public payments for religion (public purse saves money) (s.1). It does not set a government-funded compensation scheme; transaction and compliance costs (advertising, legal, conveyancing, possible inquiries) must be borne by the applicant denomination or the parties to the disposition. (s.3–10)\n- Who decides: the Governor decides whether to allow or modify applications, the Minister administers the process and can sign regulations, and the Registrar of Titles issues and records certificates of title on allowance. (s.2; s.7–10)\n- Behavioural change: denominations holding Crown-granted trust land may apply to convert those lands to funds for denominational purposes; trustees must consent or be served notice and may be replaced in title; the Crown ceases to reserve new land for church purposes after the specified date. (s.3–5; s.11)\n\nRisks and monitoring points for implementers\n\n- Administrative discretion and finality: the Governor’s power to modify trusts and the Gazette publication rule (conclusive evidence) give the executive strong control and finality—this reduces litigation risk after allowance but concentrates decision power in government hands. (s.7–8)\n- Temporal cut-offs and transitional promises: the Act contains fixed cutoff dates (repeal effect from 31 December 1875; no new reservations after 1 July 1870) and preserves prior reservations until applications are made and allowed (s.1; s.11–12). Implementers must track whether reservations pre-date those cutoffs.\n- Statutory cross-linking: the Act relies on other statutes for title treatment and reservations (references to the Constitution Act, the Land Act 1869 and the Transfer of Land Statute). That linkage means practical outcomes depend on how those other statutes operate and are interpreted. (s.1; s.8–9; s.11)"},"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"},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The legislation remains tightly focused on its original purpose: abolishing state aid to religion and establishing a land disposal mechanism for religious denominations. The scope has not expanded beyond the 1871 intent."},"complexity_factors":["Short statute with only 12 operative sections plus 2 schedules","5 defined terms in section 2, all straightforward (Governor, Minister, denomination, head or authorised representative, trustee)","Linear procedural structure for land disposal applications (sections 4-9 follow a clear chronological process)","Minimal cross-referencing: only references to Constitution Act, Land Act 1869, and Transfer of Land Statute","No nested exceptions or complex conditional logic; section 11 contains a simple savings clause for pre-existing reservations","Two standardised forms in schedules reduce ambiguity in applications","Regulation-making power in section 10 is broad but conventional for the era"],"plain_english_summary":"This 1871 Victorian law ended government financial support for religion and created a process for religious groups to sell or lease land that had been given to them by the government.\n\n**What it does:**\n\n* **Stops public funding for religion:** From 31 December 1875, the government could no longer set aside money to advance Christianity or pay for public worship. This repealed (cancelled) section 53 of Victoria's Constitution Act.\n* **Stops giving away Crown land for churches:** From 1 July 1870, the government could no longer reserve Crown land (government-owned land) for churches or ministers' houses.\n* **Lets religious groups sell their existing land:** Religious denominations (churches, religious bodies, or congregations of any faith) could apply to sell or lease land that had previously been granted to them by the Crown for church or school purposes. The money from these sales had to go back to the religious group for its own purposes.\n\n**Who it affects:**\n\n* **Religious denominations** in Victoria that held Crown-granted land\n* **Trustees** of that land (people legally holding the property on behalf of the church)\n* **Ministers or occupants** of buildings on that land\n\n**How the land sale process works:**\n\n1. The head of the denomination applies to the Governor with consent from most trustees and any ministers living on the land\n2. Notice is published in the Government Gazette and a local newspaper\n3. Objections can be lodged within one month\n4. If no objections, the Governor approves the application\n5. New trustees are registered as owners and can sell or lease the land\n6. Proceeds go to the religious denomination's purposes\n\n**Why it matters:**\n\nThis Act was part of a major 19th-century reform movement to separate church and state in Victoria. It ended the colonial practice of using taxpayer money to support Christian churches and stopped the government from giving away public land for religious purposes. It also gave churches flexibility to convert their land assets into money for other religious activities, rather than being stuck with specific plots they might not need."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/state-aid-to-religion-abolition-act-1871","history":"/api/acts/state-aid-to-religion-abolition-act-1871/history","analysis":"/api/acts/state-aid-to-religion-abolition-act-1871/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/state-aid-to-religion-abolition-act-1871/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/state-aid-to-religion-abolition-act-1871/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/state-aid-to-religion-abolition-act-1871/documents"}}