What it does
The Adelaide Festival Centre Trust Act 1971 establishes the Adelaide Festival Centre Trust as a body corporate and an instrumentality of the Crown (s 5). The Trust holds property on behalf of the Crown, has perpetual succession, a common seal, and can sue and be sued in its corporate name. Its principal functions are to encourage and facilitate artistic, cultural and performing arts activities throughout South Australia (s 20(1)(a)); to manage, maintain and improve the Adelaide Festival Centre and all associated amenities (s 20(1)(b)); to provide advisory, consultancy, managerial or support services within areas of its expertise to persons conducting arts activities (s 20(1)(c)); and, after consulting the Minister, to provide ticketing systems and related services (including equipment installation and maintenance) for entertainment, sporting or other events (s 20(1)(d)). The Trust also has all the powers of a natural person (s 20A(1)), including the ability to enter contracts, acquire and dispose of property, accept grants, conduct events, grant advertising rights, publish materials, sell food and liquor, take out insurance, form joint ventures and partnerships, borrow money, and act as a trustee (s 20A(2)). The Act creates a governance structure for the Trust, comprising up to eight members appointed by the Governor, with at least two men and two women (s 6). It sets out procedures for meetings, delegation, financial reporting, and annual budgets. The Act also provides for the appointment of authorised officers with powers to maintain order at the Centre and other Trust premises (Part 4, ss 27-29), and protects the Trust’s official insignia from unauthorised commercial use (Part 5, ss 30-33). Miscellaneous provisions deal with rates exemption for Trust land (s 34), acceptance of gifts (s 35), ministerial and treasurer delegations (ss 36-37), and regulation-making powers (s 38). The Act is South Australian legislation that has been significantly amended, most notably in 2010 to restructure the governance provisions into separate divisions and to insert the current powers and official insignia regimes.