Commonwealth act

National Service (Discharge of Trainees) Act 1960

RepealedCTH

This Act has been repealed and is no longer in force. It is retained for historical reference.

Jurisdiction

Commonwealth

Act Number

28 of 1960

Collection

act

Plain English Summary

1/10 complexity

This Act provided a short off-ramp for men serving as compulsory national service trainees in the Citizen Forces under the National Service Act 1951–1957. It gave them until 30 June 1960 to either transfer into voluntary part‑time naval, military or air force service (treated as having been discharged from compulsion) or to be automatically discharged on that date.

It mattered because it legislatively ended the post‑WWII compulsory training scheme while allowing a smooth transition for those who wished to remain in uniform.

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Current sections

Direct links to the current provisions in National Service (Discharge of Trainees) Act 1960.

National Service (Discharge of Trainees) Act 1960

NATIONAL SERVICE (DISCHARGE OF TRAINEES).

No. 28 of 1960.

An Act to make Provision for the Discharge of National Service Trainees.

[Assented to 26th May, 1960.]

BE it enacted by the Queen’s Most Excellent Majesty, the Senate, and the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Australia, as follows:—

Short title.

This Act may be cited as the National Service (Discharge of Trainees) Act 1960.

Commencement.

This Act shall come into operation on the day on which it receives the Royal Assent.

Application of Act.

This Act applies to any person who, immediately before the date of commencement of this Act, was, by virtue of the National Service Act 1951-1957 or the National Service Act 1957, a member of a part of the Citizen Forces.

Discharge of trainees for purpose of voluntary enlistment.

4.—(1.) A person to whom this Act applies may, before the thirtieth day of June, One thousand nine hundred and sixty, offer himself for voluntary service in the Citizen Naval Forces, the Citizen Military Forces or the Citizen Air Force, and be enlisted accordingly.

(2.) Where a person is voluntarily enlisted in accordance with the last preceding sub-section, he shall be deemed to have been, immediately before that enlistment, discharged from the part of the Citizen Forces of which he was, immediately before that enlistment, a member.

Discharge of other trainees on 30th June, 1960.

A person to whom this Act applies who continues up to and including the thirtieth day of June, One thousand nine hundred and sixty, to be, by virtue of an Act referred to in section three of this Act, a member of a part of the Citizen Forces, shall be deemed to be discharged from that part of those Forces on that date.

Source text

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

1 National Service (Discharge of Trainees) Act 1960