Commonwealth legislation

Maternity Allowance Regulations

RepealedCTH

This Act has been repealed and is no longer in force. It is retained for historical reference.

Jurisdiction

Commonwealth

Act Number

299 of 1913

Collection

legislative instrument

Plain English Summary

1/10 complexity

This 1913 regulation sets up the paperwork system for Australia's first national maternity allowance—a payment to support mothers after childbirth.

What it does: The regulation appoints existing state birth registrars (the officials who already record births under state laws) to also act as "Commonwealth Registrars" for the maternity allowance scheme. This means the same person who registers a baby's birth under state law can also process the federal maternity payment claim.

Why it matters: Rather than building a separate federal bureaucracy to handle birth registrations for the allowance, the government used the existing state infrastructure. This saved money and meant new mothers only had to deal with one official to both register the birth and claim their payment.

Context: This replaced an earlier temporary (provisional) regulation from 1912, but kept the same practical approach of delegating authority to state officials.

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Maternity Allowance Regulations

STATUTORY RULES

1913. No. 299.

REGULATION UNDER THE MATERNITY ALLOWANCE ACT 1912.

I, THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL in and over the Commonwealth of Australia, acting with the advice of the Federal Executive Council, hereby make the following Regulation under the Maternity Allowance Act 1912 to come into operation forthwith. Such Regulation shall supersede the Provisional Regulation (Statutory Rules 1912, No. 225) under the said Act made on the 20th day of November, One thousand nine hundred and twelve.

Dated this 18th day of November, One thousand nine hundred and thirteen.

DENMAN,

Governor-General.

By His Excellency’s Command,

JOHN FORREST,

Treasurer.

All persons now or hereafter authorized to register births under State laws shall be Commonwealth Registrars for the purpose of registering births in connexion with claims under the Maternity Allowance Act 1912.

Printed and Published for the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia by Albert J. Mullett, Government Printer for the State of Victoria.

C.15807.—Price 3d.

Source text

Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation (legislation.gov.au), CC BY 4.0.

1 Maternity Allowance Regulations