{"id":"wire-and-wire-netting-act-1926","name":"Wire and Wire Netting Act 1926","slug":"wire-and-wire-netting-act-1926","collection":"act","jurisdiction":"wa","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":113026,"registerId":"wa-wire-and-wire-netting-act-1926-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-03","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Wire and Wire Netting Act 1926","content":"![Crest]()Western Australia\n\nWire and Wire Netting Act 1926\n\nWestern Australia\n\nWire and Wire Netting Act 1926\n\nContents\n\n1. Short title 1\n\n2. Interpretation 1\n\n3. Authorization of expenditure 1\n\n4. Supply of wire and wire netting 2\n\n5. Payment of costs 2\n\n6. Commonwealth loans 2\n\n7. Regulations 3\n\nNotes\n\nCompilation table 4\n\n  \n\nWestern Australia\n\nWire and Wire Netting Act 1926\n\nAn Act to authorize the supply of Wire and Wire Netting to Settlers.\n\nBe it enacted by the King’s Most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Council and Legislative Assembly of Western Australia, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows: —\n\n##### 1. Short title\n\nThis Act may be cited as the *Wire and Wire Netting Act 1926*.\n\n##### 2. Interpretation\n\nIn this Act —\n\n **“Fencing wire”** includes barbed wire;\n\n **“Minister”** means the Minister for Lands;\n\n **“Mortgage”** includes a statutory charge.\n\n **“Settler”** means and includes the holder of a pastoral lease, conditional purchase lease, or homestead farm under the *Land Act, 1898*, or of freehold land hereinafter referred to as a “holding”;\n\n **“Wire netting”** means marsupial netting, rabbit netting, or dog‑proof netting.\n\n##### 3. Authorization of expenditure\n\nThe Treasurer may, with the approval of the Governor, expend from moneys appropriated by Parliament for the purposes of this Act, an amount not exceeding six hundred and six thousand nine hundred and forty‑five pounds.\n\n##### 4. Supply of wire and wire netting\n\nThe Minister may, with money so provided, obtain and supply to settlers fencing wire and wire netting.\n\n##### 5. Payment of costs\n\n(1) The cost, to be fixed by the Minister, of the fencing wire and wire netting so supplied, with interest, sinking fund contributions, and other charges as prescribed, shall be payable by the settler by fifty equal half‑yearly instalments.\n\n(2) Every approval of an application for the supply of fencing wire and wire netting shall be subject to security being given by the settler to the satisfaction of the Minister for the payment as aforesaid as a first charge on the settler's holding, and other land improved by the use of such fencing wire and wire netting.\n\n(3) If the holding or other land as aforesaid of the settler is subject to a mortgage to the agricultural Bank, or the Industries assistance Board, the mortgage to be given to the Minister shall rank *pari passu* with the mortgage to the agricultural Bank, and in priority to the mortgage to the Industries Assistance Board.\n\n(4) The cost of transit from the port of entry to the settler's land shall be payable by the settler as prescribed.\n\n##### 6. Commonwealth loans\n\n(1) The Treasurer may agree with the Commonwealth Government for loans to the State for the purposes of this Act.\n\n(2) So far as money expended by the Treasurer for the purposes of this Act is recouped by advances by the Commonwealth to the State under an agreement thereby fencing wire and wire netting is to be supplied to settlers on terms more favourable than as prescribed by and under this Act, the Minister may adjust in accordance therewith the terms and conditions of securities already taken for the payment of the cost of fencing wire and wire netting previously supplied to settlers; and payments made under such securities prior to such adjustment in excess of the instalments payable under the more favourable terms shall be placed to the credit of the settler and applied towards the payment of subsequent instalments.\n\n##### 7. Regulations\n\nThe Governor may make regulations for the purposes of this Act, and by such regulations may prescribe fees to be payable on application, and for the preparation and registration of securities.\n\nNotes\n\n1. This is a compilation of the *Wire and Wire Netting Act 1926*. The following table contains information about that Act.\n\nCompilation table\n\n| **Short title** | **Number and year** | **Assent** | **Commencement** |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| *Wire and Wire Netting Act 1926* | 35 of 1926 | 8 Dec 1926 | 8 Dec 1926 |\n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"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"},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The Act remains narrowly focused on authorising State purchase and supply of fencing wire and wire netting to defined categories of rural landholders, funding that supply, setting repayment terms and security, and allowing for Commonwealth loan interactions (ss.2–7). There is no material expansion beyond that original, programmatic purpose in the text provided; the elements (appropriation cap, supply, instalment repayments, securities, mortgage ranking and regulation power) are all consistent with the statute’s stated aim to facilitate supply to settlers."},"complexity_factors":["Short Act: 7 substantive sections (s.1–s.7)","5 defined terms in the interpretation section (fencing wire, Minister, mortgage, settler, wire netting)","Single monetary cap in s.3 expressed in historic currency","Thirty‑two conditional rules around repayment and security (s.5) including a 50‑installment schedule","Priority ranking nuance between mortgages (pari passu with Agricultural Bank; priority over Industries Assistance Board) (s.5(3))","Cross‑reference to Commonwealth loan arrangements and post‑hoc adjustment mechanism (s.6(1)–(2))","Regulation‑making power that can add fees and procedural detail (s.7)"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this law does, in plain English**\n\n- It authorises the State to buy and supply fencing wire and various kinds of wire netting (marsupial, rabbit or dog‑proof) to certain landholders called “settlers” (s.2, s.4).\n- The Treasurer may spend public money for that purpose up to a specified cap (s.3). The Minister for Lands runs the supply program (s.4). The Governor may make regulations to run the scheme, including application fees and registration of security (s.7).\n\n**Who is covered**\n\n- “Settler” is defined to include holders of pastoral leases, conditional purchase leases, homestead farms under the Land Act 1898, or freehold land referred to as a “holding” (s.2). In short: particular rural landholders are the intended recipients.\n\n**How money and repayment work, mechanically**\n\n- The Minister fixes the cost to the settler for the wire/netting supplied. That cost, plus interest, sinking‑fund contributions and any other prescribed charges, is payable by the settler in fifty equal half‑yearly instalments (s.5(1)). (Fifty half‑yearly instalments = 25 years of payments.)\n- Supply is conditional on the settler providing security acceptable to the Minister: a first charge over the holding and any land improved by the fencing materials (s.5(2)).\n- If the settler’s land is already mortgaged to the Agricultural Bank or the Industries Assistance Board, the mortgage to the Minister ranks pari passu (equal) with the Agricultural Bank mortgage, and takes priority over the Industries Assistance Board mortgage (s.5(3)).\n- The settler also pays transit costs from the port to the land as may be prescribed (s.5(4)).\n\n**Interaction with Commonwealth loans**\n\n- The Treasurer may take loans from the Commonwealth for the scheme (s.6(1)).\n- If Commonwealth loan terms allow the State to supply wire on more favourable terms than this Act prescribes, the Minister may amend existing security terms to match the better terms and apply any overpayments made by a settler under the old terms as credit against future instalments (s.6(2)).\n\n**Why it matters (practical implications and mechanics)**\n\n- Who pays: Settlers repay the direct cost (plus prescribed financing charges) over a long instalment schedule, while taxpayers initially provide the capital via parliamentary appropriation and possible Commonwealth loans (s.3, s.5, s.6).\n- Who decides: The Treasurer controls the funding cap (s.3); the Minister for Lands decides who receives supply, what cost is charged, and what security is acceptable (s.4, s.5); the Governor (by regulation) sets administrative detail (s.7).\n- Behavioural effects: The scheme lowers the up‑front cost of fencing for qualifying landholders by converting an immediate purchase into a long‑term charge secured against land. That may encourage fencing activity by those who otherwise lack capital.\n- Administrative and legal mechanics: The program relies on taking registered securities (first charge), setting and enforcing long instalment schedules, and possibly re‑opening securities if more favourable loan terms arise (s.5, s.6). Regulations may add fees and registration requirements (s.7).\n\n**Key trade‑offs, risks and implementation points (described as mechanisms)**\n\n- Concentrated benefits v. diffuse costs: Benefits (actual wire supplied and deferred payment) accrue directly to qualifying settlers; costs (the appropriation, loan repayments, administrative overhead) are borne by the State/taxpayers (s.3, s.6).\n- Pricing and supplier choice: The Minister fixes the settler’s cost (s.5(1)). That central pricing and the Minister’s role in purchasing/supplying can affect private suppliers’ commercial opportunities—either reducing immediate demand from private sellers or creating procurement opportunities for those who win government contracts. The Act does not prescribe competitive procurement procedures in the text; such details would be handled administratively or by regulation (s.4, s.7).\n- Security and creditor priority: The Act changes the ranking of the Minister’s mortgage relative to certain statutory lenders (s.5(3)). That alters the priority structure on the settler’s land and could affect relations with existing lenders.\n- Administrative burden and discretion: The program requires record keeping, registration of securities and collection of instalments over decades; regulations may impose fees for applications and registration (s.7). The Minister and Treasurer have discretionary roles that affect cost, eligibility and security terms (s.3–s.6).\n- Adjustment mechanism: If Commonwealth loan terms improve the deal, the Act allows retrospective adjustment of securities and crediting of past overpayments to the settler (s.6(2)). That introduces a reconciliation process the administration must run.\n\n**Bottom line**\n\nMechanically, the statute creates a government‑run, long‑term financing and supply program for fencing wire and wire netting to specified rural landholders, sets how much may be spent, how settlers must repay, what security is required and how Commonwealth loan improvements are to be applied (ss.2–7). It transfers initial cash cost to taxpayers while creating long‑running secured repayment obligations on participating landholders."},"summary":{"complexity_score":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Scope assessment is not possible as the legislative text was not available. The page provided is a system error/redirect notice from the Western Australian Parliamentary Counsel's Office website, not the actual legislation."},"complexity_factors":["No legislative text was provided — only a broken link/error page was available for analysis","Unable to assess actual legal complexity without the Act's content","The Act's age (1926) suggests it may use archaic drafting language, but this cannot be confirmed"],"plain_english_summary":"## Wire and Wire Netting Act 1926 (WA)\n\n**The content of this legislation is not available for analysis.**\n\nThe URL provided does not contain the actual text of the *Wire and Wire Netting Act 1926* (Western Australia). Instead, it shows a broken link page from the Western Australian legislation website, indicating the page has been moved or is temporarily unavailable due to system upgrades.\n\n**What we can reasonably infer:**\n- This is a Western Australian Act dating from **1926**, making it nearly a century old.\n- Based on its name, it likely regulated the **sale, distribution, or use of wire and wire netting** — products historically important for rural fencing in WA's agricultural and pastoral industries.\n- It may have established standards, licensing requirements, or government supply arrangements for these materials.\n\n**To find the actual legislation**, visit the [Western Australian legislation website](https://www.legislation.wa.gov.au) and search directly for the Act title."},"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The legislation remains tightly focused on its original purpose of providing wire and wire netting to settlers on credit terms. The scope has not expanded beyond the 1926 agricultural settlement context."},"complexity_factors":["Very short statute (only 7 sections)","Only 5 defined terms in the interpretation section","Minimal cross-referencing (only refers to the Land Act 1898)","Simple conditional logic (basic 'if-then' in section 6 regarding Commonwealth loans)","Straightforward payment structure (50 equal instalments)","Single purpose legislation with narrow scope"],"plain_english_summary":"This is a 1926 Western Australian law that set up a government scheme to help farmers and pastoralists (called 'settlers') buy fencing materials on credit.\n\n**What it does:**\n- Allows the government to spend up to £606,945 (a huge sum in 1926) to buy fencing wire and wire netting (including rabbit-proof and dog-proof fencing)\n- Sells these materials to settlers who hold leases or own land under the Land Act 1898\n- Lets settlers pay back the cost over 25 years (50 half-yearly instalments) with interest\n- Requires settlers to give the government a mortgage (a legal charge) over their land as security for the loan\n- Allows the government to borrow money from the Commonwealth to fund the scheme\n- If Commonwealth loans have better terms, existing settlers get those better terms too (with refunds for overpayments)\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- Farmers and pastoralists with conditional purchase leases, homestead farms, or freehold land\n- The Minister for Lands (who runs the scheme) and the Treasurer (who handles the money)\n\n**Why it matters:**\nIn the 1920s, Western Australia was actively settling rural areas. Fencing was essential for farming—keeping rabbits out (a massive problem in Australia), protecting crops from marsupials, and keeping livestock in. This law made expensive fencing materials affordable through government-backed credit, supporting agricultural expansion."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/wire-and-wire-netting-act-1926","history":"/api/acts/wire-and-wire-netting-act-1926/history","analysis":"/api/acts/wire-and-wire-netting-act-1926/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/wire-and-wire-netting-act-1926/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/wire-and-wire-netting-act-1926/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/wire-and-wire-netting-act-1926/documents"}}