{"id":"succession-to-the-crown-request-act-2014","name":"Succession to the Crown (Request) Act 2014","slug":"succession-to-the-crown-request-act-2014","collection":"act","jurisdiction":"sa","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":110330,"registerId":"sa-succession-to-the-crown-request-act-2014-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-03","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Succession to the Crown (Request) Act 2014","content":"South Australia\nSuccession to the Crown (Request) Act 2014\nAn Act to request the Parliament of the Commonwealth to enact under section 51(xxxviii) of the Constitution of the Commonwealth an Act to change the law relating to royal succession and royal marriages; to amend the Treason Act 1351 passed by the Parliament of England; and for related purposes.\n\nContents\nPreamble\nPart 1—Preliminary\n1\tName of Act\n2\tCommencement\n3\tObject of this Act\n4\tRelationship with Sovereign not affected\nPart 2—Request for Commonwealth legislation\n5\tRequest for Commonwealth legislation\nPart 3—General\n6\tConsequential amendment\n7\tReferences to Bill of Rights and Act of Settlement\nSchedule 1—Requested Commonwealth Act\nSchedule 2—Consequential amendment\n1\tAmendment of Treason Act 1351 passed by the Parliament of England\nLegislative history\n\n\nPreamble\n1\tOn 28 October 2011, representatives of nations of which Her Majesty is the Sovereign agreed that the rules on succession to, and possession of, the Crown should be changed so as to make succession not depend on gender and to end the disqualification arising from marrying a Roman Catholic.\n2\tThe United Kingdom has further proposed to disqualify certain persons from succeeding to the Crown as a result of marriage, to repeal the Royal Marriages Act 1772 and to validate certain marriages made void by that Act.\n3\tIt is expedient to request the Parliament of the Commonwealth to change the law relating to royal succession and royal marriages by legislating under section 51(xxxviii) of the Constitution of the Commonwealth in the terms, or substantially in the terms, set out in Schedule 1 to this Act.\n\nThe Parliament of South Australia enacts:\nPart 1—Preliminary\n1—Name of Act\nThis Act may be cited as the Succession to the Crown (Request) Act 2014.\n2—Commencement\n\t(1)\tSubject to this section, this Act comes into operation on the day of assent.\n\t(2)\tSection 6 comes into operation on the day and time that section 6 of the Act of the Commonwealth requested by section 5 of this Act commences.\n\t(3)\tSection 7 comes into operation on the day and time that section 10 of the Act of the Commonwealth requested by section 5 of this Act commences.\n\t(4)\tSchedule 2 comes into operation on the day and time that section 6 of the Act of the Commonwealth requested by section 5 of this Act commences.\n3—Object of this Act\nThe main object of this Act is to facilitate the law relating to the effect of gender and marriage on royal succession being changed uniformly across Australia and consistently with changes made to that law in the United Kingdom, so that the Sovereign of Australia is the same person as the Sovereign of the United Kingdom.\n4—Relationship with Sovereign not affected\nIt is not the intention of this Act to affect the relationship between the Sovereign and the State as existing immediately before its enactment or that that relationship be in any way affected by the enactment by the Parliament of the Commonwealth of the Act requested by section 5.\nPart 2—Request for Commonwealth legislation\n5—Request for Commonwealth legislation\nThe Parliament of the State requests the enactment by the Parliament of the Commonwealth of an Act in the terms, or substantially in the terms, set out in Schedule 1.\nPart 3—General\n6—Consequential amendment\nOn the coming into operation of Schedule 2, the Act specified in the heading to clause 1 of that Schedule is amended as set out in that clause.\n7—References to Bill of Rights and Act of Settlement\nReferences, however expressed, in any law that is part of the law of the State, to the provisions of the Bill of Rights or the Act of Settlement relating to the succession to, or possession of, the Crown are to be read as including references to the provisions of this Act and the Commonwealth Act the enactment of which is requested under section 5 of this Act.\nSchedule 1—Requested Commonwealth Act\nAn Act to change the law relating to royal succession and royal marriages, and for related purposes.\n\tPreamble\nOn 28 October 2011, representatives of nations of which Her Majesty is the Sovereign agreed that the rules on succession to, and possession of, the Crown should be changed so as to make succession not depend on gender and to end the disqualification arising from marrying a Roman Catholic.\nThe United Kingdom has further proposed to disqualify certain persons from succeeding to the Crown as a result of marriage, to repeal the Royal Marriages Act 1772 and to validate certain marriages made void by that Act.\nFor the purposes of paragraph 51(xxxviii) of the Constitution the Parliaments of all the States have requested the Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia to enact an Act in the terms, or substantially in the terms, of this Act.\n\t\nThe Parliament of Australia therefore enacts:\nPart 1—Preliminary\n1—Short title\nThis Act may be cited as the Succession to the Crown Act 2014.\n2—Commencement\n\t(1)\tEach provision of this Act specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect according to its terms.\n\nCommencement information\nColumn 1\nColumn 2\nColumn 3\nProvision(s)\nCommencement\nDate/Details\n1.\nSections 1 and 2 and anything in this Act not elsewhere covered by this table\nThe day this Act receives the Royal Assent.\n\n2.\nSections 3, 4 and 5\nThe day this Act receives the Royal Assent.\n\n3.\nParts 2, 3 and 4\nA time and day, or times and days, to be fixed by Proclamation.\n\n4.\nPart 5\nThe day this Act receives the Royal Assent.\n\n5.\nSchedule 1\nA time and day, or times and days, to be fixed by Proclamation.\n\nNote\nThis table relates only to the provisions of this Act as originally enacted. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this Act.\n\t(2)\tAny information in column 3 of the table is not part of this Act. Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it may be edited, in any published version of this Act.\n3—Object of this Act\nThe main object of this Act is to change the law relating to the effect of gender and marriage on royal succession, consistently with changes made to that law in the United Kingdom, so that the Sovereign of Australia is the same person as the Sovereign of the United Kingdom.\n4—Relationship with Sovereign not affected\nThis Act is not intended to affect the relationship between the Sovereign and the Commonwealth, the States and the Territories as existing immediately before its enactment.\n5—Definition of Crown\nIn this Act:\nCrown means the Crown in all of its capacities.\nPart 2—Succession to the Crown not to depend on gender\n6—Succession to the Crown not to depend on gender\nIn determining the succession to the Crown, the gender of a person born after 28 October 2011 (by United Kingdom time) does not give that person, or that person's descendants, precedence over any other person (whenever born).\nPart 3—Marriage and succession to the Crown\n7—Removal of disqualification arising from marriage to a Roman Catholic\n\t(1)\tA person is not disqualified from succeeding to the Crown or from possessing it as a result of marrying a person of the Roman Catholic faith.\n\t(2)\tSubsection (1) applies in relation to marriages occurring before the commencement of this section if the person concerned is alive at that commencement (as well as in relation to marriages occurring after that commencement).\n8—Disqualification arising from marriage\nA person is disqualified from succeeding to the Crown if the person is disqualified by subsection 3(3) of the Succession to the Crown Act 2013 of the United Kingdom, as in force at the commencement of this section, from succeeding to the Crown in right of the United Kingdom.\n9—Amendments and repeal relating to marriage and succession to the Crown\nEach Act of England or Great Britain that is specified in Schedule 1, so far as that Act is part of the law of the Commonwealth, a State or a Territory, is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in Schedule 1, and any other item in Schedule 1 has effect according to its terms.\nPart 4—Other modifications of parts of the law of the Commonwealth, States and Territories\n10—References to Bill of Rights and Act of Settlement\nReferences, however expressed, in any law that forms part of the law of the Commonwealth or a Territory, to the provisions of the Bill of Rights or the Act of Settlement relating to succession to, or possession of, the Crown are to be read as including references to the provisions of this Act.\n11—Union legislation affected by this Act\nSo far as they are part of the law of the Commonwealth, a State or a Territory, the following are subject to this Act:\n\t(a)\tArticle II of the Union with Scotland Act 1706 of England;\n\t(b)\tArticle II of the Union with England Act 1707 of Scotland;\n\t(c)\tArticle Second of the Union with Ireland Act 1800 of Great Britain;\n\t(d)\tArticle Second of the Act of Union (Ireland) 1800 of Ireland.\nPart 5—Repeal or amendment of this Act\n12—Repeal or amendment of this Act\nThis Act may be expressly or impliedly repealed or amended only by an Act passed at the request or with the concurrence of the Parliaments of all the States.\nSchedule 1—Further provisions relating to marriage and succession to the Crown\nPart 1—Amendments relating to marriage to a Roman Catholic\nAct of Settlement\n1—Preamble\nOmit \"or marry a papist\".\n2—Preamble\nOmit \"or marrying\".\n3—Section 2\nOmit \"or shall marry a papist\".\nBill of Rights\n4—Section 1\nOmit \"or by any King or Queene marrying a papist\".\n5—Section 1\nOmit \"or shall marry a papist\".\n6—Section 1\nOmit \"or marrying\".\n7—Application of amendments\nThe amendments made by this Part apply in relation to marriages occurring before the commencement of this Part where the person concerned is alive at that commencement (as well as in relation to marriages occurring after that commencement).\nPart 2—Repeal of the Royal Marriages Act 1772\n8—The whole of the Act\nRepeal the Act.\n9—Validation of some marriages voided by the Royal Marriages Act 1772\n\t(1)\tA marriage that was void under the Royal Marriages Act 1772 of Great Britain, so far as that Act was part of the law of the Commonwealth, a State or a Territory, is to be treated as never having been void if:\n\t(a)\tneither party to the marriage was one of the 6 persons next in the line of succession to the Crown at the time of the marriage; and\n\t(b)\tno consent was sought under section 1 of that Act, or notice given under section 2 of that Act, in respect of the marriage; and\n\t(c)\tin all the circumstances it was reasonable for the person concerned not to have been aware at the time of the marriage that the Act applied to it; and\n\t(d)\tno person acted, before the commencement of this item, on the basis that the marriage was void.\n\t(2)\tSubitem (1) applies for all purposes except those relating to succession to the Crown.\nSchedule 2—Consequential amendment\n1—Amendment of Treason Act 1351 passed by the Parliament of England\nThe Act has effect as if—\n\t(a)\tthe first reference to eldest son and heir were a reference to eldest child and heir;\n\t(b)\tthe second reference to eldest son and heir were a reference to eldest son if the heir.\nLegislative history\nNotes\n\t•\tFor further information relating to the Act and subordinate legislation made under the Act see the Index of South Australian Statutes or www.legislation.sa.gov.au.\nPrincipal Act\nYear\nNo\nTitle\nAssent\nCommencement\n2014\n3\nSuccession to the Crown (Request) Act 2014 \n26.6.2014\n26.6.2014 except ss 6, 7 & Sch 2—26.3.2015: s 2\n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The Act's scope appears entirely consistent with its original intent: to formally request and consent to UK succession law changes as required under the Statute of Westminster framework. It is a narrow, purpose-built piece of legislation with no evidence of scope creep."},"complexity_factors":["Involves interplay between Commonwealth and State constitutional responsibilities, which can be confusing","Requires understanding of the Statute of Westminster 1931 and why State parliaments needed to act separately","The actual text of the legislation is unavailable due to a broken URL, limiting full analysis","References UK legislation (Succession to the Crown Act 2013) as its substantive basis","Constitutional monarchy arrangements are unfamiliar to many readers"],"plain_english_summary":"This Act records South Australia's request and consent to the UK’s Succession to the Crown Act 2013, so Australia formally accepts changes to who can become monarch. It gives effect locally to reforms that end male preference in succession, remove disqualification for marrying a Roman Catholic, and narrow who needs royal permission to marry.\n\nThe change is largely symbolic for most South Australians but matters constitutionally because it modernises how Australia’s head of state is determined."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":6,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The text stays within the stated object: to align Australian succession law with specified UK changes and ensure a uniform Crown across Australia. It implements measures listed in the Preamble and Schedule (gender-neutral succession for births after 28 October 2011; removal of Roman Catholic marriage disqualification; specified UK marriage-related disqualifications; repeal/validation relating to the Royal Marriages Act 1772) and provides for consequential amendments. It does not add measures beyond those requested, and it preserves a procedural safeguard for future repeal or amendment."},"complexity_factors":["Interplay with multiple historical English/UK statutes (Act of Settlement, Bill of Rights, Royal Marriages Act 1772) requiring careful textual amendments across domestic law","Use of the s51(xxxviii) mechanism: State request to Commonwealth introduces federal constitutional and inter-parliamentary coordination complexity","Commencement sequencing and reliance on proclamations for parts of the requested Commonwealth Act","Retrospective elements (marriages before commencement; births after 28 October 2011) creating timing-sensitive legal effects and proof questions","Cross-jurisdictional effect: changes apply to laws of the Commonwealth, States and Territories and to references in historic Union/union statutes","Constraint in s12 that this Act may be repealed or amended only by an Act passed at the request or with the concurrence of all State Parliaments, adding a procedural barrier to future change","Consequential amendment to archaic wording in Treason Act 1351 requiring interpretation adjustments"],"plain_english_summary":"This Act asks the Commonwealth Parliament to make Australian law on royal succession match specified United Kingdom changes. Mechanically it would end male preference for those born after 28 October 2011; remove disqualification for marrying a Roman Catholic; adopt certain UK marriage-related disqualifications; repeal the Royal Marriages Act 1772 and validate some past marriages; and make a consequential change to the Treason Act 1351.\n\nIt affects people in the line of succession and the body of law across the Commonwealth, States and Territories. The State requests the Commonwealth to decide; the Act does not create new taxes or explicit financial charges."},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"Unauthenticated. Configure AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY or use a provider module. Learn more: https://ai-sdk.dev/unauthenticated-ai-gateway","source":"analysis-cron"},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":4,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The legislation remains tightly focused on its original purpose: facilitating uniform changes to royal succession law across Australia consistent with UK reforms. The inclusion of the draft Commonwealth Act in Schedule 1 and the Treason Act amendment in Schedule 2 are integral to this single purpose rather than scope creep."},"complexity_factors":["Nested legislative structure: contains a complete draft federal Act (Schedule 1) within a state Act","Complex constitutional mechanism: relies on section 51(xxxviii) of the Constitution requiring unanimous state requests","Retroactive application provisions: amendments apply to marriages occurring before commencement if persons are still alive","Cross-references to multiple ancient English/British statutes (Treason Act 1351, Bill of Rights 1688, Act of Settlement 1701, Royal Marriages Act 1772, Union Acts 1706-1800)","Coordinated commencement provisions: sections 6, 7 and Schedule 2 only commence when corresponding Commonwealth provisions commence","Dual operation provisions: affects law of Commonwealth, States and Territories simultaneously","Protection clauses preserving the relationship between Sovereign and State/Commonwealth"],"plain_english_summary":"This is a South Australian law that formally asks the Australian federal Parliament to change the rules about who can become King or Queen of Australia.\n\n**What it does:**\n- **Requests federal action:** The South Australian Parliament is asking the Commonwealth Parliament to pass a law that would:\n  - Allow the eldest child to inherit the Crown regardless of gender (ending male-preference primogeniture)\n  - Remove the ban on someone becoming monarch if they marry a Roman Catholic\n  - Repeal the old Royal Marriages Act 1772 (which required royal descendants to get the monarch's permission to marry)\n  - Validate certain marriages that were previously void under the old rules\n\n- **Amends ancient English laws:** It also tweaks the Treason Act 1351 (yes, from 1351) to replace \"eldest son\" with \"eldest child\" in the definition of treason involving the heir.\n\n**Why it matters:**\nAustralia shares its monarch with the United Kingdom. In 2011, Commonwealth countries agreed to modernise succession rules together so the same person would be monarch of all realms. However, under Australia's Constitution, the federal government can only make laws about succession if **all six state parliaments request it** (using section 51(xxxviii)). This Act is South Australia's formal request.\n\n**Who it affects:**\nPrimarily the royal family and their descendants, but also ensures Australia's monarchy stays aligned with the UK's. It doesn't affect anyone's day-to-day life, but it's constitutionally significant for maintaining the shared Crown across Commonwealth realms.\n\n**Key point:** This Act itself doesn't change the law—it just asks the federal Parliament to do so, and includes the draft text of what that federal law should look like."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/succession-to-the-crown-request-act-2014","history":"/api/acts/succession-to-the-crown-request-act-2014/history","analysis":"/api/acts/succession-to-the-crown-request-act-2014/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/succession-to-the-crown-request-act-2014/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/succession-to-the-crown-request-act-2014/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/succession-to-the-crown-request-act-2014/documents"}}