Commonwealth act

Northern Territory (Administration) Act 1952

RepealedCTH

This Act has been repealed and is no longer in force. It is retained for historical reference.

Jurisdiction

Commonwealth

Act Number

71 of 1952

Collection

act

Plain English Summary

2/10 complexity

This Act creates a special bank account called the Aboriginals (Benefits from Mining) Trust Fund to ensure mining profits from Aboriginal lands flow back to Aboriginal communities.

How it works:

Money in: Whenever the Commonwealth receives royalties (payments from mining companies) for mining conducted on Aboriginal reserves (or lands that used to be reserves), the government transfers an equal amount from its main bank account (the Consolidated Revenue Fund) into this Trust Fund.
Money out: The Minister can approve payments from the Fund to benefit Aboriginal people directly or to support Aboriginal institutions (such as community organizations).
Interest: Any interest earned on investments made with Fund money stays in the Fund.

In simple terms, this law ring-fences mining revenue from Aboriginal lands so it can’t be spent on general government programs—it must be used specifically for the benefit of Aboriginal people.

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Current sections

Direct links to the current provisions in Northern Territory (Administration) Act 1952.

Northern Territory (Administration) Act 1952

NORTHERN TERRITORY (ADMINISTRATION).

No. 71 of 1952.

An Act to amend the Northern Territory (Administration) Act 1910–1949.

[Assented to 1st November, 1952.]

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 and citation.

1.—(1.) This Act may be cited as the Northern Territory (Administration) Act 1952.

(2.) The Northern Territory (Administration) Act 1910–1949, as amended by this Act, may be cited as the Northern Territory (Administration) Act 1910–1952.

Commencement.

This Act shall come into operation on the day on which it receives the Royal Assent.
After section twenty of the Northern Territory (Administration) Act 1910–1949 the following section is inserted:—

Establishment of Aboriginals (Benefits from Mining) Trust Fund.

“21.—(1.) There shall be established an Aboriginals (Benefits from Mining) Trust Fund (in this section referred to as ‘the Fund’), which shall be a trust account within the meaning of section sixty-two a of the Audit Act 1901–1950.

“(2.) There shall be paid into the Fund, out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund, which is appropriated accordingly, amounts equal to the amounts from time to time received by or on behalf of the Commonwealth as royalties under any provisions of a law of the Territory relating to mining on aboriginal reserves or on lands which have been included in aboriginal reserves.

“(3.) There shall be paid out of the Fund such amounts as the Minister directs or approves, and amounts so paid out of the Fund shall be paid or applied, as the Minister directs or approves, to or for the benefit of aboriginals or aboriginal institutions.

“(4.) Interest received from the investment of moneys standing to the credit of the Fund forms part of the Fund.”.

Source text

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

1 Northern Territory (Administration) Act 1952