{"id":"C2004A00057","name":"States Grants (Water Resources Measurement) Act 1973","slug":"states-grants-water-resources-measurement-act-1973","collection":"act","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"repealed","isInForce":false,"actNumber":"29 of 1973","makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":2708,"registerId":"commonwealth-C2004A00057-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-03-29","status":"Repealed","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"States Grants (Water Resources Measurement) Act 1973","content":"States Grants (Water Resources Measurement) Act 1973\n\nNo. 29 of 1973\n\nAN ACT\n\nTo grant Financial Assistance to the States in connexion with the Measurement and Investigation of their Water Resources.\n\n\\[Assented to 15 May 1973\\]\n\nBE IT ENACTED by the Queen, the Senate and the House of Representatives of Australia, as follows:—\n\nShort title.\n\n1. This Act may be cited as the States Grants (Water Resources Measurement) Act 1973.\n\nCommencement.\n\n2. This Act shall come into operation on the day on which it receives the Royal Assent.\n\nInterpretation.\n\n3. (1) In this Act, unless the contrary intention appears—\n\n“discharge”, in relation to a river, means the volume of water that flows past a point or place in the course of the river during an interval of time;\n\n“measurement” includes the recording, arrangement, analysis or publication of information obtained by measurement;\n\n“river” means a surface river and includes any surface watercourse.\n\n \n\n(2) For the purposes of this Act, the following years are years to which this Act applies:—\n\n(a) the year ending on 30th June, 1974; and\n\n(b) each of the next two succeeding years.\n\nGrants for measurement of discharge of rivers.\n\n4. Where—\n\n(a) a State furnishes the Treasurer with such information as he requires with respect to the amount of expenditure incurred by the State during a year to which this Act applies in connexion with the works, equipment, facilities and things approved under section 7 in relation to that year in connexion with the measure­ment of the discharge of the rivers in the State; and\n\n(b) the amount of expenditure that the Treasurer is satisfied has been so incurred by the State exceeds the amount specified opposite to the name of that State in the second column of Schedule 1,\n\nthere is payable to the State in respect of that year for the purpose of financial assistance—\n\n(c) the amount specified opposite to the name of that State in the third, fourth or fifth column of that Schedule, whichever is applicable to that year;\n\n(d) the amount of that excess; or\n\n(e) an amount equal to one-half of the amount of expenditure referred to in paragraph (b),\n\nwhichever is the least.\n\nGrants for underground water investigation.\n\n5. Where—\n\n(a) a State furnishes the Treasurer with such information as he requires with respect to the amount of expenditure incurred by the State during a year to which this Act applies in connexion with the works, equipment, facilities and things approved under section 7 in relation to that year in connexion with the investiga­tion and measurement of the underground water resources of the State; and\n\n(b) the amount of expenditure that the Treasurer is satisfied has been so incurred by that State exceeds the amount specified opposite to the name of that State in the second column of Schedule 2,\n\nthere is payable to the State in respect of that year for the purpose of financial assistance—\n\n(c) the amount specified opposite to the name of that State in the third, fourth or fifth column of that Schedule, whichever is applicable to that year;\n\n(d) the amount of that excess; or\n\n(e) an amount equal to one-half of the amount of expenditure referred to in paragraph (b),\n\nwhichever is the least.\n\n \n\nInformation to be verified\n\n6. Information mentioned in paragraph 4(a) or 5(a) shall not be accepted for the purposes of this Act unless the Auditor-General of the State concerned certifies that in his opinion it is correct.\n\nApproval of works.\n\n7. For the purposes of this Act, a State may, before or during a year to which this Act applies, request the Minister to approve, in relation to that year, specified works, equipment, facilities or things in connexion with—\n\n(a) the measurement of the discharge of the rivers in the State; or\n\n(b) the investigation and measurement of the underground water resources of the State,\n\nand the Minister may approve such a work, item of equipment, facility or thing in relation to that year.\n\nInformation to be submitted by States.\n\n8. (1) A State is not entitled to financial assistance under this Act in respect of a year to which this Act applies unless the State has duly sub­mitted to the Minister a report in relation to the first six months of that year and a report in relation to the whole of that year, to the satisfaction of the Minister, setting out particulars of the works carried out, the equipment and facilities provided, and the things done, by the State during that period in connexion with—\n\n(a) the measurement of the discharge of the rivers in the State; and\n\n(b) the investigation and measurement of the underground water resources of the State.\n\n(2) A report referred to in sub-section (1) is not duly submitted for the purposes of this Act unless it is received by the Minister—\n\n(a) not later than—\n\n(i) in the case of the report in relation to the first six months of a year—the last day of February in that year; or\n\n(ii) in the case of the report in relation to the whole of a year— the last day of August next succeeding the end of that year; or\n\n(b) within such further time as the Minister, before or after the relevant date specified in paragraph (a), allows.\n\nAdvances.\n\n9. The Treasurer may, at such times as he thinks fit, make advances of such amounts as he thinks fit to a State on account of an amount that may become payable under this Act to the State.\n\nOverpayments\n\n10. Payment to a State under this Act of an amount (including an advance made under section 9) is subject to the condition that the State will repay to the Commonwealth, on demand by the Treasurer, the amount by which, at the time of the demand, the total of the amounts (including any such advances) paid to the State under this Act exceeds the total of the amounts that have become payable to the State under sections 4 and 5.\n\nAppropriation.\n\n11. Amounts payable to a State under this Act are payable out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund, which is appropriated accordingly.\n\n \n\nSCHEDULE 1 Section 4\n\nMeasurement of Discharge of Rivers\n\n```html\n

First Column

Name of State

Second Column

Base amount of expenditure

Third Column

Fourth Column

Fifth Column

Maximum amount of grant for year ending—

30th June 1974

30th June 1975

30th June1976

$

$

$

$

New South Wales............

299,400

667,500

722,500

800,000

Victoria..................

199,000

275,000

280,000

295,000

Queensland................

180,000

420,000

445,000

472,000

South Australia.............

10,500

94,000

104,000

113,500

Western Australia............

176,000

524,850

637,550

692,600

Tasmania.................

89,500

102,500

107,500

113,000

\n```\n\nSCHEDULE 2 Section 5\n\nInvestigation and Measurement of Underground Water Resources\n\n```html\n

First Column

Name of State

Second Column

Third Column

Fourth Column

Fifth Column

Base amount of expenditure

Maximum amount of grant for year ending—

30th June 1974

30th June 1975

30th June 1976

$

$

$

$

New South Wales............

136,000

622,000

635,000

640,000

Victoria..................

379,000

487,500

475,000

487,500

Queensland................

180,000

350,000

367,500

385,000

South Australia.............

82,000

276,500

282,500

286,000

Western Australia............

260,000

775,500

950,000

1,125,000

Tasmania.................

15,000

32,500

32,500

32,500

\n```\n\n\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"kimi_summary":{"_metrics":{"model":"kimi-k2.5","source":"moonshot-realtime","completionTokens":2176},"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":4,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The legislation maintains the exact scope described in its title and preamble: providing financial assistance to States specifically for measuring river discharge and investigating underground water resources. The content aligns precisely with this limited purpose, covering only the three-year period specified without expansion into broader water policy or management areas."},"complexity_factors":["Three-factor comparative calculation for determining grant amounts (minimum of capped maximum, 50% of expenditure, or excess over base threshold)","Two distinct funding schedules with state-specific dollar amounts across three financial years (1973-74, 1974-75, 1975-76)","Multiple pre-conditions for payment: Ministerial approval of works, Auditor-General certification, and mandatory reporting","Time-bound operation limiting application to specific three-year period requiring sunset of the Act","Repayment condition for overpayments creating contingent liability tracking requirement"],"plain_english_summary":"This Act creates a three-year (1973–76) federal matching-grant program to fund State measurement and monitoring of surface and underground water. The Commonwealth pays capped matching amounts only for State spending above defined base levels, limited to the smallest of a State cap, half the State’s expenditure, or the excess over base.\n\nStates need Ministerial approval for works, Auditor‑General certification of costs, six‑monthly and annual reports; the Treasurer can advance funds or recover any overpayments. Specific caps by State are listed in two schedules."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/states-grants-water-resources-measurement-act-1973","history":"/api/acts/states-grants-water-resources-measurement-act-1973/history","analysis":"/api/acts/states-grants-water-resources-measurement-act-1973/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/states-grants-water-resources-measurement-act-1973/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/states-grants-water-resources-measurement-act-1973/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/states-grants-water-resources-measurement-act-1973/documents"}}