Postal and Telecommunications Amendment Act 1983

Mechanically, the Postal and Telecommunications Amendment Act 1983 amends the Postal Services Act 1975 (the Principal Act) and makes related changes to the Telecommunications Act 1975. The central mechanical changes are these.

It expands the statutory scope of the Post Office Commission (the Commission) to permit the Commission to operate a courier service (new s 10) and to operate electronic mail services (new s 10a). The courier service is defined as collection, conveyance and delivery of articles within Australia (s 10(1)) and may interoperate with the postal service (s 10(2)). The electronic mail service is defined as transmission of information partly by electromagnetic energy and partly by physical documents, and subject to particular constraints, it may be operated solely by electromagnetic energy (s 10a(1)-(2)).
It changes core definitions in the Principal Act. The definition of “mail” in s 3 is extended to include transmission “by courier service or by electronic mail service”, the definition of “postal article” is replaced to include articles transmissible by courier or electronic mail (s 3(a)-(b)), and related textual deletions are made (s 3(c)).
It adds specific legal immunities and limits for the Commission in operating electronic mail. The Commission and its officers are protected from actions for defamation, breach of confidence and copyright infringement in respect of things done “in accordance with this section” (s 10a(6)). The Commission’s transmission of information does not constitute an authorisation of downstream conduct by the recipient for purposes of those laws (s 10a(7)).
It creates inter-agency and ministerial gatekeeping controls for electronic mail that is solely by electromagnetic energy. Domestic solely-electromagnetic transmissions require the consent of the Australian Telecommunications Commission, and transmissions involving foreign endpoints require the consent of the Overseas Telecommunications Commission (Australia) (s 10a(2)-(3)). The Commission cannot transmit between Australia and a foreign country unless the foreign person or body is a “prescribed user” (s 10a(5)-(8)). The Minister may declare prescribed users by Gazette (s 10a(8)).

View image in the official source

No. 147 of 1983

An Act to amend the Postal Services Act 1975 and the Telecommunications Act 1975, and for other purposes

[Assented to 22 December 1983]

BE IT ENACTED by the Queen, and the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Australia, as follows:

PART I—PRELIMINARY

Short title, &c.

(1) This Act may be cited as the Postal and Telecommunications Amendment Act 1983.

(2) The Postal Services Act 19751 is in this Act referred to as the Principal Act.

Commencement

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

PART II—AMENDMENTS OF POSTAL SERVICES ACT

Interpretation

Section 3 of the Principal Act is amended—

(a) by inserting in the definition of “mail” in sub-section (1) “, by courier service or by electronic mail service” after “post”;

(b) by omitting from sub-section (1) the definition of “postal article” and substituting the following definition:

“ ‘postal article’ means an article transmissible by—

(a) the post;

(b) the courier service; or

Powers of the Commission

Section 9 of the Principal Act is amended—

(a) by omitting from paragraph (3) (d) “but not required for the purposes of the Commission”; and

(b) by omitting from paragraph (3) (e) “the use of which is not for the time being required by the Commission”.

After section 9 of the Principal Act the following sections are inserted:

Courier Service

“10. (1) The Commission may operate a courier service, being a service that provides for the collection, at the request of a person using the service, of an article, being an article transmissible by courier service, from a place in Australia specified by or on behalf of the person and the conveyance and delivery of the article to another place in Australia that is so specified.

“(2) The courier service may, subject to and in accordance with the By-laws, provide for—

(a) the collection from an office of the Commission of a postal article transmitted by post to the office of the Commission and the conveyance and delivery of the article to a place other than an office of the Commission; and

(b) the collection of a postal article from a place other than an office of the Commission and the conveyance and delivery of the article to an office of the Commission and the lodging of the article (on behalf of the person using the service) for transmission by post to another place.

“(3) In this section, ‘article transmissible by courier service’ means an article transmissible by post and any other article that, under the By-laws, is transmissible by courier service.

Electronic mail

“10a. (1) The Commission may operate electronic mail services, being services for the transmission of information—

(a) in part by means of electromagnetic energy; and

(b) in part by means of any one or more of the following:

(i) accepting delivery of or collecting;

(ii) carrying or conveying;

(iii) delivering or making available for collection,

a document containing that information.

“(2) Subject to sub-section (5), the Commission may operate electronic mail services, being services for the transmission of information solely by means of electromagnetic energy, if—

(a) in the case of a transmission of information solely within Australia—it has obtained the consent of the Australian Telecommunications Commission; or

(b) in the case of a transmission of information that originates from, or has as its final destination, a person or body in a foreign country—it has obtained the consent of the Overseas Telecommunications Commission (Australia).

“(3) For the purposes of sub-section (2), a consent may be given in respect of a specified transmission or a specified class of transmissions.

“(4) In conjunction with the operation of electronic mail services, the Commission may—

(a) enhance, sort or modify the presentation or addressing of the information; and

(b) transfer to a document or documents the information transmitted by electromagnetic energy, and make such preparation of the document or documents for delivery as it thinks fit.

“(5) The Commission shall not operate an electronic mail service in which information is transmitted between Australia and a foreign country by means of electromagnetic energy unless the person or body in the foreign country to whom or from whom the transmission takes place is a prescribed user.

“(6) No action for defamation (whether civil or criminal), breach of confidence or infringement of copyright lies against the Commission, an officer or an employee in respect of anything done in accordance with this section.

“(7) The transmission of information to a person in accordance with this section shall not be taken, for the purposes of the law relating to defamation, breach of confidence or copyright, to constitute an authorization or approval of anything done in respect of that information by that person.

“(8) In this section—

‘document’ includes—

(a) a book, plan, paper, parchment or other material on which there is writing or printing, or on which there are marks, symbols or perforations having a meaning for persons qualified to interpret them; and

(b) a disc, tape, paper or other device from which sounds or messages are capable of being reproduced;

‘prescribed user’ means—

(a) a postal administration of a foreign country; or

(b) a person or body declared by the Minister, by notice published in the Gazette, to be a prescribed user for the purposes of this section.”.

Commission may act as agent, &c.

6. Section 12 of the Principal Act is amended by adding at the end thereof the following sub-sections:

“(2) Subject to sub-section (3), the Commission may make an arrangement with any person for the Commission to do, on behalf of the person, any acts or things referred to, or any acts or things included in a class or classes of acts or things referred to, in the arrangement, being acts or things that can conveniently be done in conjunction with the performance of the functions of the Commission.

“(3) Sub-section (2) does not authorize the Commission to make an arrangement for the Commission to do any acts or things unless—

(a) the acts or things are to be done in a Territory;

(b) the acts or things are to be done in a Commonwealth place as defined by the Commonwealth Places (Application of Laws) Act 1970;

(i) trade or commerce between Australia and places outside Australia;

(ii) trade or commerce among the States;

(iii) trade or commerce within a Territory, between a State and a Territory or between 2 Territories;

(iv) banking, other than State banking within the limits of the State concerned; or

(v) insurance, other than State insurance within the limits of the State concerned; or

(d) the person making the arrangement with the Commission is—

(i) a foreign corporation within the meaning of paragraph 51 (xx) of the Constitution;

(ii) a trading or financial corporation within the meaning of that paragraph formed within the limits of the Commonwealth; or

(iii) a body corporate incorporated in a Territory.

“(4) The doing by the Commission of any act or thing pursuant to an arrangement under this section shall be subject to such terms and conditions as the Commission determines.”.

When postage need not be pre-paid

Section 15 of the Principal Act is amended by adding at the end thereof the following sub-section:

“(4) Nothing in this section prevents the Commission from—

(a) making arrangements with a person under which the fee in respect of the transmission of postal articles by the courier service or by an electronic mail service need not be pre-paid; or

(b) transmitting and delivering by the courier service or by an electronic mail service postal articles the fee for the transmission of which has not been paid.”.

Special charges

Section 20 of the Principal Act is amended—

(a) by omitting from sub-section (1) “of postage”;

(b) by omitting from sub-section (2) “provide for postage” and substituting “provide for charges”;

(d) by inserting in sub-section (3) “, lodging or handing over” after “posting” (twice occurring); and

(e) by omitting from sub-section (3) “of postage”.

Meetings of the Commission

Section 34 of the Principal Act is amended by adding at the end thereof the following sub-sections:

“(10) Where a majority of the Commissioners sign a document containing a statement that they are in favour of a resolution in terms set out in the document, a resolution in those terms shall be deemed to have been passed at a duly constituted meeting of the Commission held on the day on which the document was signed, or, if the Commissioners sign the document on different days, on the day on which the document was last signed by a Commissioner.

“(11) For the purposes of sub-section (10), 2 or more separate documents containing statements in identical terms each of which is signed by one or more Commissioners shall together be deemed to constitute one document containing a statement in those terms signed by those Commissioners on the respective days on which they signed the separate documents.”.

Tenure of office

Section 57 of the Principal Act is amended by omitting from sub-section (1) “60 years” and substituting “55 years”.

Letters not to be carried for reward

Section 85 of the Principal Act is amended by inserting after paragraph (2) (a) the following paragraphs:

“(aa) the carriage or conveyance of a letter within Australia where the consideration payable for that carriage or conveyance is an amount that is not less than 10 times the highest postage applicable, at the time of that carriage or conveyance, under paragraph 18 (1) (a) for the transmission of a letter within Australia by post;

(ab) the carriage or conveyance of a letter from Australia to another country where the consideration payable for that carriage or conveyance is an amount that is not less than 10 times the highest postage applicable, at the time of that carriage or conveyance, under section 18 for the carriage or conveyance by air mail service of a letter of 20 grams in weight from Australia to that other country;”.

Fraudulently removing stamps

Section 88 of the Principal Act is amended—

(a) by omitting from paragraph (1) (a) “sent by post”;

(b) by inserting in sub-section (2) “, or committed for transmission by courier service or by electronic mail service,” after “posted”; and

“(3) In this section, ‘postal purposes’ includes the purposes of sending a postal article by the courier service and sending a postal article by an electronic mail service.”.

Retaining or secreting postal articles

Section 89 of the Principal Act is amended by adding at the end thereof the following sub-section:

“(2) In this section, ‘the post’ includes the courier service and an electronic mail service.”.

Improperly obtaining postal articles

Section 90 of the Principal Act is amended by inserting “by courier service or by electronic mail service,” after “post,”.

Wrongful delivery of postal articles

Section 91 of the Principal Act is amended by inserting “, by courier service or by electronic mail service” after “post”.

Stealing postal articles

Section 92 of the Principal Act is amended—

(a) by inserting in sub-section (1) “, the courier service or an electronic mail service” after “post”; and

(b) by inserting in sub-section (2) “, by courier service or by electronic mail service” after “post”.

Tampering with the mail

Section 93 of the Principal Act is amended by inserting “, the courier service or an electronic mail service” after “post” (wherever occurring).

Explosives

Section 100 of the Principal Act is amended by inserting “, by courier service or by electronic mail service” after “post”.

Hoax explosives

Section 100a of the Principal Act is amended by inserting “, by courier service or by electronic mail service” after “post”.

Repeal of sections 101 and 101a

Sections 101 and 101a of the Principal Act are repealed.

Protection from actions

Section 104 of the Principal Act is amended—

(a) by omitting from sub-section (1) “by post”; and

(b) by inserting in sub-section (2) “, by courier service or by electronic mail service” after “by post”.

After section 105 of the Principal Act the following section is inserted:

Reward for information as to theft of property, &c.

“105a. Where the Commission learns, as a result of information furnished to the Commission by a person, the identity of a person who has stolen property belonging to, or under the control of, the Commission, or has broken into premises of the Commission, the Commission may pay to that first-mentioned person, by way of reward, a sum determined by the Commission but not exceeding $10,000 or such higher amount as may be prescribed by the regulations.”.

Reward for information as to damage to property

Section 106 of the Principal Act is amended by omitting “$100” and substituting “$1,000”.

By-laws

Section 115 of the Principal Act is amended—

(a) by adding at the end of paragraph (1) (g) “or other charges fixed under section 18”;

(b) by omitting from paragraph (1) (m) “through the post”; and

“(p) the establishment, management and operation of the courier service;

(pa) the establishment, management and operation of electronic mail services;”.

Regulations

Section 116 of the Principal Act is amended—

(a) by omitting from paragraph (a) “through the post”; and

(b) by inserting after “sending by post” in paragraph (g) “, by the courier service or by an electronic mail service”.

Formal amendments

The Principal Act is amended as set out in the Schedule.

PART III—PROVISIONS RELATING TO BY-LAWS UNDER THE POSTAL SERVICES ACT AND THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS ACT 1975

By-laws

Section 115 of the Principal Act is amended by omitting sub-sections (2) and (3) and substituting the following sub-sections:

“(2) Sections 48, 49 and 50 of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901 apply in relation to By-laws as if references in those sections to regulations were references to By-laws.

“(3) By-laws shall not be deemed to be statutory rules within the meaning of the Statutory Rules Publication Act 1903, but sub-sections 5 (3) to (3c) (inclusive) of that Act apply in relation to By-laws in like manner as they apply in relation to statutory rules.

“(4) For the purposes of the application of sub-section 5 (3b) of the Statutory Rules Publication Act 1903 in accordance with sub-section (3) of this section, the reference in that first-mentioned sub-section to the Minister of State for Administrative Services shall be construed as a reference to the Minister of State administering this Act.”.

By-laws

Section 111 of the Telecommunications Act 1975 is amended by omitting sub-sections (2) and (3) and substituting the following sub-sections:

“(2) Sections 48, 49 and 50 of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901 apply in relation to By-laws as if references in those sections to regulations were references to By-laws.

State for Administrative Services shall be construed as a reference to the Minister of State administering this Act.”.

Validation of By-laws

29. The publication in the Gazette, before the commencement of this section, of any form of words being, purporting to be, or apparently intended to be—

(a) a notice or notification of the making of, with respect to the making of, or referring to the making of, By-laws under the Principal Act or under the Telecommunications Act 1975; or

(b) a notice or notification of any such By-laws having been made,

shall be taken to be, and to have always been, a sufficient compliance with sub-section 48 (1) of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901, and the date of the publication in the Gazette of that form of words shall be deemed, for the purposes of that sub-section, to have been the date on which the By-laws were notified in the Gazette.

––––––––––––

SCHEDULE Section 26

FORMAL AMENDMENTS

<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="width:100%; margin-bottom:0pt; border-collapse:collapse"><tbody><tr style="height:1pt"><td style="width:27.42%; border-top:0.75pt solid #000000; border-bottom:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Provision amended</span></p></td><td style="width:1.5%; border-top:0.75pt solid #000000; border-bottom:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:41.32%; border-top:0.75pt solid #000000; border-bottom:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Omit</span></p></td><td style="width:1.88%; border-top:0.75pt solid #000000; border-bottom:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:27.88%; border-top:0.75pt solid #000000; border-bottom:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Substitute</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height:12.65pt"><td rowspan="2" style="width:27.42%; border-top:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Sub-section 3 (1) (definition of “organization”)</span></p></td><td style="width:1.5%; border-top:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td rowspan="2" style="width:41.32%; border-top:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">1904-1974</span></p></td><td style="width:1.88%; border-top:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif; font-style:italic"></span></p></td><td rowspan="2" style="width:27.88%; border-top:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif; font-style:italic">1904</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height:12.65pt"><td style="width:1.5%; border-top:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:1.88%; border-top:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td></tr><tr style="height:1pt"><td style="width:27.42%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Section 12</span><span style="width:55.4pt; text-indent:0pt; font-family:'Lucida Console', monospace; display:inline-block">..........</span></p></td><td style="width:1.5%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:41.32%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Australia (wherever occurring)</span></p></td><td style="width:1.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:27.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">the Commonwealth</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height:1pt"><td style="width:27.42%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Sub-section 19 (2)</span><span style="width:27.16pt; text-indent:0pt; font-family:'Lucida Console', monospace; display:inline-block">.....</span></p></td><td style="width:1.5%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:41.32%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Australia</span></p></td><td style="width:1.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:27.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">the Commonwealth</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height:1pt"><td style="width:27.42%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Sub-section 19 (3)</span><span style="width:27.16pt; text-indent:0pt; font-family:'Lucida Console', monospace; display:inline-block">.....</span></p></td><td style="width:1.5%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:41.32%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Australia</span></p></td><td style="width:1.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:27.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">the Commonwealth</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height:1pt"><td style="width:27.42%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Sub-section 19 (6)</span><span style="width:27.16pt; text-indent:0pt; font-family:'Lucida Console', monospace; display:inline-block">.....</span></p></td><td style="width:1.5%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:41.32%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Australia</span></p></td><td style="width:1.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:27.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">the Commonwealth</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height:1pt"><td style="width:27.42%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Sub-section 24 (3)</span><span style="width:27.16pt; text-indent:0pt; font-family:'Lucida Console', monospace; display:inline-block">.....</span></p></td><td style="width:1.5%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:41.32%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Australia</span></p></td><td style="width:1.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:27.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">the Commonwealth</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height:1pt"><td style="width:27.42%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Sub-section 27 (3)</span><span style="width:27.16pt; text-indent:0pt; font-family:'Lucida Console', monospace; display:inline-block">.....</span></p></td><td style="width:1.5%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:41.32%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">1973-1974</span></p></td><td style="width:1.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif; font-style:italic"></span></p></td><td style="width:27.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif; font-style:italic">1973</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height:1pt"><td style="width:27.42%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Sub-section 38 (3)</span><span style="width:27.16pt; text-indent:0pt; font-family:'Lucida Console', monospace; display:inline-block">.....</span></p></td><td style="width:1.5%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:41.32%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">1973-1974</span></p></td><td style="width:1.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif; font-style:italic"></span></p></td><td style="width:27.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif; font-style:italic">1973</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height:1pt"><td style="width:27.42%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Sub-paragraph 44 (1) (a) (i)</span></p></td><td style="width:1.5%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:41.32%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Australia</span></p></td><td style="width:1.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:27.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">the Commonwealth</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height:1pt"><td style="width:27.42%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Sub-paragraph 45 (3) (a) (i)</span></p></td><td style="width:1.5%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:41.32%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Australia</span></p></td><td style="width:1.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:27.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">the Commonwealth</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height:1pt"><td style="width:27.42%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Paragraph 46 (2) (c)</span><span style="width:20.93pt; text-indent:0pt; font-family:'Lucida Console', monospace; display:inline-block">...</span></p></td><td style="width:1.5%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:41.32%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">1922-1975</span></p></td><td style="width:1.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif; font-style:italic"></span></p></td><td style="width:27.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif; font-style:italic">1922</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height:1pt"><td style="width:27.42%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Paragraph 46 (2) (d)</span><span style="width:20.43pt; text-indent:0pt; font-family:'Lucida Console', monospace; display:inline-block">...</span></p></td><td style="width:1.5%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:41.32%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">1904-1974</span></p></td><td style="width:1.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif; font-style:italic"></span></p></td><td style="width:27.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif; font-style:italic">1904</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height:1pt"><td style="width:27.42%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">paragraph 50 (3) (b)</span><span style="width:20.93pt; text-indent:0pt; font-family:'Lucida Console', monospace; display:inline-block">...</span></p></td><td style="width:1.5%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:41.32%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">1965-1973</span></p></td><td style="width:1.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif; font-style:italic"></span></p></td><td style="width:27.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif; font-style:italic">1965</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height:1pt"><td style="width:27.42%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Sub-section 55 (5)</span><span style="width:27.16pt; text-indent:0pt; font-family:'Lucida Console', monospace; display:inline-block">.....</span></p></td><td style="width:1.5%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:41.32%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">1973-1974</span></p></td><td style="width:1.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif; font-style:italic"></span></p></td><td style="width:27.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif; font-style:italic">1973</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height:1pt"><td style="width:27.42%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Paragraph 55 (7) (a)</span><span style="width:20.93pt; text-indent:0pt; font-family:'Lucida Console', monospace; display:inline-block">...</span></p></td><td style="width:1.5%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:41.32%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">1922-1975</span></p></td><td style="width:1.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif; font-style:italic"></span></p></td><td style="width:27.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif; font-style:italic">1922</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height:1pt"><td style="width:27.42%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Sub-section 69 (1) (definition of “Conciliation and</span><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"> </span><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Arbitration</span><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"> </span><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Commission”)</span></p></td><td style="width:1.5%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:41.32%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">1904-1974</span></p></td><td style="width:1.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif; font-style:italic"></span></p></td><td style="width:27.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif; font-style:italic">1904</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height:1pt"><td style="width:27.42%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Sub-section 69 (2)</span><span style="width:27.16pt; text-indent:0pt; font-family:'Lucida Console', monospace; display:inline-block">.....</span></p></td><td style="width:1.5%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:41.32%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">1904-1974</span></p></td><td style="width:1.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif; font-style:italic"></span></p></td><td style="width:27.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif; font-style:italic">1904</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height:1pt"><td style="width:27.42%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Sub-section 69 (3)</span><span style="width:27.16pt; text-indent:0pt; font-family:'Lucida Console', monospace; display:inline-block">.....</span></p></td><td style="width:1.5%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:41.32%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">1904-1974</span></p></td><td style="width:1.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif; font-style:italic"></span></p></td><td style="width:27.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif; font-style:italic">1904</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height:1pt"><td style="width:27.42%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Sub-section 70 (2)</span><span style="width:27.16pt; text-indent:0pt; font-family:'Lucida Console', monospace; display:inline-block">.....</span></p></td><td style="width:1.5%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:41.32%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Australia</span></p></td><td style="width:1.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:27.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">the Commonwealth</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height:12.65pt"><td rowspan="2" style="width:27.42%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Paragraph 70 (2) (a)</span><span style="width:20.93pt; text-indent:0pt; font-family:'Lucida Console', monospace; display:inline-block">...</span></p></td><td style="width:1.5%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td rowspan="5" style="width:41.32%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">(</span><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif; font-style:italic">Australian Government Employees</span><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">)</span><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif; font-style:italic"> Act 1971-1974, </span><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">the </span><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif; font-style:italic">Commonwealth Employees’ Furlough Act 1943-1973 </span><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">or the </span><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif; font-style:italic">Superannuation Act 1922-1974</span></p></td><td style="width:1.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td rowspan="6" style="width:27.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">(</span><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif; font-style:italic">Commonwealth Government Employees</span><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">)</span><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif; font-style:italic"> Act 1971, </span><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">the </span><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif; font-style:italic">Long Service Leave </span><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">(</span><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif; font-style:italic">Commonwealth Employees</span><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">)</span><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif; font-style:italic"> Act 1976. </span><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">the </span><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif; font-style:italic">Superannuation Act 1922 </span><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">or the </span><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif; font-style:italic">Superannuation Act 1976</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height:12.65pt"><td style="width:1.5%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:1.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td></tr><tr style="height:1pt"><td style="width:27.42%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:1.5%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:1.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td></tr><tr style="height:1pt"><td style="width:27.42%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:1.5%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:1.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td></tr><tr style="height:1pt"><td style="width:27.42%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:1.5%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:1.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td></tr><tr style="height:1pt"><td style="width:27.42%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:1.5%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:41.32%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:1.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td></tr><tr style="height:1pt"><td style="width:27.42%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Sub-section 71 (1)</span><span style="width:27.16pt; text-indent:0pt; font-family:'Lucida Console', monospace; display:inline-block">.....</span></p></td><td style="width:1.5%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:41.32%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">1904-1974</span></p></td><td style="width:1.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif; font-style:italic"></span></p></td><td style="width:27.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif; font-style:italic">1904</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height:1pt"><td style="width:27.42%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Sub-section 71 (2) </span><span style="width:24.91pt; text-indent:0pt; font-family:'Lucida Console', monospace; display:inline-block">....</span></p></td><td style="width:1.5%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:41.32%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">(a) 1904-1974</span></p></td><td style="width:1.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif; font-style:italic"></span></p></td><td style="width:27.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif; font-style:italic">1904</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height:1pt"><td style="width:27.42%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:1.5%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:41.32%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">(b) sub-section (1) of this</span><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"> </span><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">section</span></p></td><td style="width:1.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:27.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">sub-section (1)</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height:1pt"><td style="width:27.42%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Section 72</span><span style="width:55.4pt; text-indent:0pt; font-family:'Lucida Console', monospace; display:inline-block">..........</span></p></td><td style="width:1.5%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:41.32%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">1904-1974</span></p></td><td style="width:1.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif; font-style:italic"></span></p></td><td style="width:27.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif; font-style:italic">1904</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height:1pt"><td style="width:27.42%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Paragraph 74 (1) (a)</span><span style="width:20.93pt; text-indent:0pt; font-family:'Lucida Console', monospace; display:inline-block">...</span></p></td><td style="width:1.5%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:41.32%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Australia</span></p></td><td style="width:1.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:27.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">the Commonwealth</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height:1pt"><td style="width:27.42%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Paragraph 74 (1) (b)</span><span style="width:20.43pt; text-indent:0pt; font-family:'Lucida Console', monospace; display:inline-block">...</span></p></td><td style="width:1.5%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:41.32%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Australia</span></p></td><td style="width:1.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:27.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">the Commonwealth</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height:1pt"><td style="width:27.42%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Sub-section 74 (2)</span><span style="width:27.16pt; text-indent:0pt; font-family:'Lucida Console', monospace; display:inline-block">.....</span></p></td><td style="width:1.5%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:41.32%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Australia</span></p></td><td style="width:1.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:27.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">the Commonwealth</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height:1pt"><td style="width:27.42%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Sub-section 74 (3)</span><span style="width:27.16pt; text-indent:0pt; font-family:'Lucida Console', monospace; display:inline-block">.....</span></p></td><td style="width:1.5%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:41.32%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Australia</span></p></td><td style="width:1.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:27.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">the Commonwealth</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height:1pt"><td style="width:27.42%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Sub-section 75 (2)</span><span style="width:27.16pt; text-indent:0pt; font-family:'Lucida Console', monospace; display:inline-block">.....</span></p></td><td style="width:1.5%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:41.32%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Australia</span></p></td><td style="width:1.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:27.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">the Commonwealth</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height:1pt"><td style="width:27.42%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Sub-section 75 (4)</span><span style="width:27.16pt; text-indent:0pt; font-family:'Lucida Console', monospace; display:inline-block">.....</span></p></td><td style="width:1.5%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:41.32%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Australia (twice occurring)</span></p></td><td style="width:1.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:27.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">the Commonwealth</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height:1pt"><td style="width:27.42%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Paragraph 78 (1) (c)</span><span style="width:20.93pt; text-indent:0pt; font-family:'Lucida Console', monospace; display:inline-block">...</span></p></td><td style="width:1.5%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:41.32%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Australia</span></p></td><td style="width:1.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:27.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">the Commonwealth</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height:1pt"><td style="width:27.42%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Paragraph 78 (2) (b)</span><span style="width:20.43pt; text-indent:0pt; font-family:'Lucida Console', monospace; display:inline-block">...</span></p></td><td style="width:1.5%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:41.32%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Australia</span></p></td><td style="width:1.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:27.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">the Commonwealth</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height:1pt"><td style="width:27.42%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Section, 83</span><span style="width:53.15pt; text-indent:0pt; font-family:'Lucida Console', monospace; display:inline-block">.........</span></p></td><td style="width:1.5%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:41.32%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Australia</span></p></td><td style="width:1.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:27.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">the Commonwealth</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height:1pt"><td style="width:27.42%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Sub-section 110 (1)</span><span style="width:22.66pt; text-indent:0pt; font-family:'Lucida Console', monospace; display:inline-block">....</span></p></td><td style="width:1.5%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:41.32%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Australia</span></p></td><td style="width:1.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:27.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">the Commonwealth</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height:1pt"><td style="width:27.42%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Paragraph 116 (a)</span><span style="width:29.18pt; text-indent:0pt; font-family:'Lucida Console', monospace; display:inline-block">.....</span></p></td><td style="width:1.5%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:41.32%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-left:14.4pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-14.4pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">Australia</span></p></td><td style="width:1.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif"></span></p></td><td style="width:27.88%; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; line-height:normal; font-size:9pt"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif">the Commonwealth</span></p></td></tr></tbody></table>

NOTE

No. 54, 1975, as amended. For previous amendments, see Nos. 36 and 170, 1978; No. 7, 1979; No. 177, 1980; Nos. 61 and 74, 1981; No. 80, 1982; and No. 39, 1983.

1 Postal and Telecommunications Amendment Act 1983

Postal and Telecommunications Amendment Act 1983

No. 147 of 1983

An Act to amend the Postal Services Act 1975 and the Telecommunications Act 1975, and for other purposes

[Assented to 22 December 1983]

BE IT ENACTED by the Queen, and the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Australia, as follows:

PART I—PRELIMINARY

Short title, &c.

(1) This Act may be cited as the Postal and Telecommunications Amendment Act 1983.

(2) The Postal Services Act 19751 is in this Act referred to as the Principal Act.

Commencement

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

PART II—AMENDMENTS OF POSTAL SERVICES ACT

Interpretation

Section 3 of the Principal Act is amended—

(a) by inserting in the definition of “mail” in sub-section (1) “, by courier service or by electronic mail service” after “post”;

(b) by omitting from sub-section (1) the definition of “postal article” and substituting the following definition:

“ ‘postal article’ means an article transmissible by—

(a) the post;

(b) the courier service; or

Powers of the Commission

Section 9 of the Principal Act is amended—

(a) by omitting from paragraph (3) (d) “but not required for the purposes of the Commission”; and

(b) by omitting from paragraph (3) (e) “the use of which is not for the time being required by the Commission”.

After section 9 of the Principal Act the following sections are inserted:

Courier Service

“(2) The courier service may, subject to and in accordance with the By-laws, provide for—

The Act introduces and reshapes a small number of legal concepts that mediate how postal, courier and electronic transmissions are regulated and who may do what.

Expanded definitions. The Act alters the Principal Act’s definitional core: “mail” and “postal article” now formally include courier and electronic mail service transmissions (s 3). That expansion pulls the new modes into the Act’s regulatory field, so that offences, charges, by-laws and protections that apply to “post” may apply to the new services once the textual references have been amended (see the range of amendments in ss 4-25).
Courier service, as a defined statutory function. Section 10 defines a courier service as a collection and delivery service for articles transmissible by courier service, and it expressly permits two operational patterns: (a) collection at a Commission office of an article transmitted by post for delivery to a non-office place, and (b) collection at non-Commission locations for lodging at a Commission office for onward posting (s 10(2)). The Act leaves the detailed scope of “article transmissible by courier service” to the By-laws (s 10(3)).
Electronic mail as a hybrid concept. Section 10a defines electronic mail services in two alternative ways. The principal definition covers transmission of information partly by electromagnetic energy and partly by physical documents derived from that information (s 10a(1), (4)). The Act contemplates a pure-electromagnetic model too, but only subject to consents and limits (s 10a(2)-(3), (5)). The definition of “document” for this purpose is broad (s 10a(8)), and “prescribed user” is a two‑part category: foreign postal administrations or persons/bodies declared by the Minister (s 10a(8)).
Consent and prescribed-user controls. For pure-electromagnetic transmissions the Act requires the Commission to obtain consent from other telecommunications bodies: the Australian Telecommunications Commission for domestic transmissions, the Overseas Telecommunications Commission (Australia) for transmissions that originate or terminate abroad, and the Ministerial declaration of prescribed users for cross-border exchanges (s 10a(2)-(5), (8)). Those consents can be given in respect of specified transmissions or classes of transmissions (s 10a(3)).
Immunity for Commission’s processing. Section 10a(6) creates a limited statutory immunity: no action for defamation, breach of confidence or copyright infringement lies against the Commission, an officer or an employee in respect of anything done in accordance with section 10a. Section 10a(7) further insulates the Commission’s act of transmission from being treated as authorisation by the Commission of subsequent recipient conduct under those areas of law.
Agency power with constraints. The Commission may make arrangements to act on behalf of other persons (new s 12(2)), but the acts performed under such arrangements are limited geographically and by subject matter to matters capable of being done in conjunction with the Commission’s functions (s 12(2)-(4)). The list of permissible contexts includes Commonwealth places, inter‑State or international trade or commerce and certain classes of corporations (s 12(3)).
By-laws and regulatory form. The Act recasts the legal status and procedural handling of By-laws under the Principal Act and the Telecommunications Act. It applies selected provisions of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901 to By-laws, disapplies the designation of By-laws as statutory rules while carrying over certain publication and tabling requirements from the Statutory Rules Publication Act 1903 (s 27, s 28), and validates previous Gazette notices (s 29). New By-law heads are expressly added to cover establishment and operation of the courier service and electronic mail services (amendment to s 115).
Limited market carve-outs. The Act inserts explicit exceptions into the restriction on carrying letters for reward. A private carrier may carry a letter where the consideration is at least ten times the highest postage for a domestic letter or ten times the highest airmail postage for a 20 gram letter to the destination country (s 85(2)(aa)-(ab)). Those thresholds create high-cost exceptions to the general carriage prohibition.
Financial and operational flexibility. The Commission may make arrangements under which fees for courier or electronic mail need not be pre-paid, and it may transmit and deliver articles whose transmission fee has not been paid (s 15(4)). The term “postage” throughout the Principal Act is replaced with broader language such as “charges” so that pricing and fee regulation can cover courier and electronic mail (amendments to s 20, s 115).

These concepts combine to import courier and certain forms of electronic transmission into the postal statutory regime, to permit the Commission to operate services that compete functionally with private couriers and telecommunications providers, and to create a framework of ministerial and inter-agency controls, administrative rules (By-laws) and particular immunities and exceptions that shape the governance and legal risk profile of the Commission’s new activities.

The Act affects a variety of actors, with different costs and decision rights.

The Commission. The most direct effect falls on the Commission, which gains a statutory power to operate courier and electronic mail services (s 10, s 10a). The Commission gains explicit discretion to act as agent for other persons to perform related acts, subject to territorial and subject-matter limits (s 12(2)-(4)). The Commission can adopt by-laws to define what is transmissible by courier and by electronic mail and to set charges, and it may operate non-prepaid arrangements (s 115, s 15(4)). The Commission also obtains limited civil-law immunities for its operation of electronic mail (s 10a(6)-(7)) and a reward power for information leading to identification of thieves (new s 105a).
Private courier and delivery businesses. The Commission’s new powers allow it to enter or expand in markets traditionally served by private couriers. Section 10(2) contemplates courier activity that connects to post offices. Private operators are also affected by the carve-outs in s 85(2)(aa)-(ab), which permit carriage of letters for reward where the fee is at least ten times the highest postage, effectively leaving high-priced private carriage outside the statutory prohibition. Private courier operators need to pay attention to the By-laws which will define the scope of “article transmissible by courier service” (s 10(3)) and potential pricing competition from the Commission under the amended "charges" regime.
Telecommunications bodies. The Australian Telecommunications Commission and the Overseas Telecommunications Commission (Australia) obtain a gatekeeper role for electronic mail that is solely by electromagnetic means. The Commission must obtain their consent in specified cases (s 10a(2)). These bodies therefore gain practical regulatory leverage over the Commission’s pure-electromagnetic electronic mail offerings.
The Minister and governmental administrators. The Minister may declare prescribed users by Gazette and thereby control which foreign persons or bodies qualify to exchange electronic mail with the Commission (s 10a(8), s 10a(5)). The amendments to By-laws tie certain publication practices to the Minister administering the Act (s 27(4), s 28(4)). The Minister’s discretion over prescribed users is therefore a decision node with operational consequences.
Senders and recipients of mail, courier consignors, and account-holders. The Act changes the options available to senders and recipients. The Commission may allow non-prepaid transmission (s 15(4)), and the Act allows the Commission to process transmissions into documents and to alter presentation or addressing (s 10a(4)). Those actions affect privacy, confidentiality and the legal status of transmitted materials, and recipients may have constrained remedies against the Commission for processing actions done “in accordance with this section” (s 10a(6)).
Intellectual property right-holders, publishers and claimants in defamation or breach of confidence. Section 10a(6) creates a statutory carve-out from certain civil actions against the Commission for things done under s 10a. While that protection is limited to actions “in accordance with this section”, it reduces the legal exposure of the Commission for some content processing actions and thereby changes the risk allocation for right‑holders and claimants.
Law enforcement and prosecuting authorities. The Act extends existing criminal offences tied to the post to the courier service and electronic mail service by textual amendment (see ss 88-93, 100, 100a, 104). Investigations, prosecutions and evidence chains must accommodate the new service modalities, and law enforcement will deal with the Commission as a regulated entity that can be both operator and agent.
Foreign postal administrations and declared foreign users. The Commission may only conduct cross-border pure-electromagnetic transmissions with prescribed users, defined to include foreign postal administrations or persons declared by the Minister (s 10a(5), (8)). This privileges recognised postal administrations and Ministerially‑declared entities as counterparties for international electronic mail exchanges.
Commissioners and governance. The retirement age for Commissioners is lowered from 60 to 55 by amendment to s 57. That affects sitting Commissioners’ tenure and turnover timing, and therefore leadership continuity and institutional memory.
Users of prior By-laws. The Act validates prior Gazette notices and By-law publications where they have been published before the validation section (s 29). That reduces legal risk for persons who relied on or were affected by earlier notices that might otherwise have been vulnerable on procedural grounds.

In sum, the Act reallocates decision rights and commercial options: it empowers the Commission to enter courier and electronic mail markets, creates gatekeeper roles for telecommunications commissions and the Minister in respect of electromagnetic-only transmissions, adjusts criminal and civil liability contours for Commission operations, and alters the administrative form and review mechanisms for By-laws that will govern operational details. Those who supply, use or compete with postal, courier and electronic transmission services will need to read the new by-laws and administrative arrangements to see how the high-level powers are operationalised.

The Act establishes a set of powers, duties and immunities that allocate responsibilities and privileges among the Commission, other Commonwealth bodies, private parties and the Minister.

Rights and powers conferred

Commission may operate courier and electronic mail services, and the statutory text defines the permissible activities for each (s 10(1)-(3); s 10a(1)-(5)). The Commission may also make preparations to convert electromagnetic transmissions into documents and alter or enhance presentation and addressing (s 10a(4)).
Commission may act as agent for other persons to do acts “that can conveniently be done in conjunction with the performance of the functions of the Commission” (new s 12(2)). The Commission may prescribe the terms and conditions of such arrangements (s 12(4)).
By-laws and regulations: the Commission may make By-laws, including By-laws establishing and operating the courier service and electronic mail services, and may fix charges under section 18 and conditions of carriage (amended s 115(1)(p), (pa); amended s 115(1)(g)).
Reward powers: the Commission may pay a reward not exceeding $10,000 to a person whose information leads to identification of a person who stole Commission property or broke into Commission premises (new s 105a). The Commission may also pay rewards under amendment to s 106, which raises the maximum reward for information as to damage to property to $1,000.
Governance rights: Commissioners may adopt resolutions by majority sign-off on a circulated document, which is deemed to be a duly constituted meeting (s 34(10)-(11)).

Duties and limits imposed

Consent requirements for electromagnetic-only electronic mail: the Commission must obtain the consent of the Australian Telecommunications Commission for domestic solely-electromagnetic transmissions, or the Overseas Telecommunications Commission (Australia) for transmissions involving foreign endpoints (s 10a(2)). Consents may be confined to specified transmissions or classes (s 10a(3)).
Prescribed-user requirement for cross-border transmissions: the Commission shall not operate an electronic mail service in which information is transmitted between Australia and a foreign country by electromagnetic energy unless the foreign person or body is a prescribed user (s 10a(5)). A “prescribed user” is either a foreign postal administration or a person/body declared by the Minister by Gazette (s 10a(8)).
Agency constraints: the Commission’s power to act for another person is limited by jurisdictional and subject-matter tests; it cannot act for others unless the acts take place in a Territory, in a Commonwealth place, or in relation to trade/commerce among the States, international trade, banking or insurance (with exceptions for State banking/insurance), or where the counterparty is a foreign, trading or financial corporation or a Territory-incorporated body corporate (s 12(3)).
By-laws subject to specified procedural rules: By-laws are to be treated as if certain sections of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901 applied (s 27(2)), and specified sub-sections of the Statutory Rules Publication Act 1903 apply to By-laws though they are not statutory rules (s 27(3)). The administrative machinery for notification and publication thus applies but in a modified fashion.
Criminal offences extended: numerous provisions which criminalised conduct in relation to “the post” are now expressly extended to apply to the courier service and electronic mail service (see amendments to ss 88-93, 100, 100a, 104). That imposes duties of lawful conduct on persons who handle or intercept materials outside the post.

Immunities and exclusions

Limited civil immunity for Commission employees. Section 10a(6) provides that no action for defamation, breach of confidence or copyright infringement lies against the Commission, an officer or employee in respect of anything done in accordance with s 10a. Section 10a(7) clarifies that transmission does not constitute Commission authorisation or approval of subsequent recipient conduct for the purposes of the law relating to those subjects.
Exceptions to the carriage prohibition. Section 85 is amended to allow some private carriage of letters where the payment is at least ten times the highest postage applicable under specified heads, creating an explicit high-price exception to the general prohibition on carrying letters for reward.

Operational duties

Prepayment and accounting flexibility. The Commission may make arrangements where prepayment is not required for courier or electronic mail services, and may transmit and deliver postal articles the fee for which has not been paid (s 15(4)). That creates account and billing obligations on the Commission and commercial customers which choose credit or account arrangements.
By-law compliance. Persons using or operating courier or electronic mail services must comply with the Commission’s By-laws once made, and those By-laws will set the operational detail, categories of transmissible articles, charges and conditions (amended s 115).
Publication and notice requirements for By-laws. By-laws must be published in line with the modified procedural regime set by s 27 and s 28; prior Gazette notices are validated by s 29, and the Ministerial reference point for notification is clarified.

Taken together, these rights and duties give the Commission operational discretion and protections to expand into courier and electronic mail markets, while imposing gatekeeper roles on telecommunications commissions and the Minister, procedural obligations with respect to By-laws, and extending the reach of criminal prohibitions to the new modalities.

The Act primarily adjusts scope rather than creating an extensive new penalty schedule in the textual excerpt provided, but it does alter enforcement reach and enforcement incentives through three mechanisms: extension of existing offences, modified regulatory instruments (By-laws), and reward and protective provisions.

Extension of offences and enforcement footprint

The Act expands the reach of numerous criminal provisions that previously applied to the post by inserting the courier service and electronic mail service into the statutory text of those offences. For example, s 88 (fraudulently removing stamps), s 89 (retaining or secreting postal articles), s 90 (improperly obtaining postal articles), s 91 (wrongful delivery), s 92 (stealing postal articles), s 93 (tampering with the mail), s 100 and s 100a (explosives and hoax explosives) and s 104 (protection from actions) are amended so that the same prohibitions apply to articles transmitted by courier or electronic mail where the statute now references those services. The practical effect is to align criminal liability on the same basis as for traditional postal services, and to expand the universe of potential offences and investigative jurisdictions to include those handling courier consignments and electronic mail transmissions.
The Act repeals sections 101 and 101a (s 20). The removal of those sections changes the statutory map of offences and defences, but the substantive content of the repealed provisions is not present in the amendment text. Users and prosecutors must consult the Principal Act as amended to see the full penalty architecture post-repeal.

By-laws and administrative enforcement

By-laws are the instrument through which the Commission will set operational rules, charges and conditions for courier and electronic mail services (amended s 115). The Act modifies the legal form of By-laws by applying relevant provisions of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901 and certain sub‑sections of the Statutory Rules Publication Act 1903 (ss 27-28). By-laws are not to be treated as statutory rules, but specific publication, tabling and availability provisions are applied in a tailored way (s 27(2)-(4); s 28(2)-(4)). Enforcement of By-laws will depend on whether the Principal Act gives specific sanctions for contravention, and on the Commission’s internal compliance and administrative enforcement mechanisms.
Section 29 validates prior Gazette notices concerning By-laws, preventing procedural challenges to acts already taken. That reduces the risk that enforcement steps taken pursuant to earlier By-laws would be set aside on procedural grounds.

Rewards and enforcement incentives

The Act creates a reward power aimed at incentivising information reporting. New section 105a authorises the Commission to pay up to $10,000 (or a higher amount prescribed by regulation) to a person who first furnishes information that leads the Commission to the identity of a thief who stole Commission property or who broke into Commission premises. Section 106 raises the reward for information as to damage to property from $100 to $1,000. Those statutory reward ceilings create a programme whereby private informants are financially incentivised to assist enforcement.

Immunity and limits that affect enforcement remedies

Section 10a(6) limits civil remedies against the Commission for particular kinds of harms in the context of electronic mail operations: no action for defamation, breach of confidence or copyright infringement lies against the Commission, an officer or employee in respect of anything done in accordance with s 10a. Section 10a(7) also provides that mere transmission by the Commission shall not be taken to constitute authorisation by the Commission of the recipient’s subsequent actions for purposes of defamation, confidence or copyright law. These immunities narrow the set of private civil remedies against the Commission for its handling of electronic mail, and therefore affect enforcement of private rights, while not displacing criminal liability that applies to third parties committing sabotage, theft or tampering.

Inter-agency consent as enforcement chokepoint

The requirement to obtain consent from the Australian Telecommunications Commission or the Overseas Telecommunications Commission (Australia) before operating solely-electromagnetic electronic mail provides an enforcement and regulatory control point operated by those agencies (s 10a(2)). Those consents may be given for specified transmissions or classes of transmissions (s 10a(3)), which allows the telecommunications bodies to impose operational constraints as a condition of consent.

What this means in practice

Enforcement bodies have broader statutory scope to investigate theft, tampering, wrongful delivery and explosive threats across physical courier consignments and electronic mail channels, because the relevant criminal statutes have been reworded to include those services.
Private claimants seeking civil remedies against the Commission for defamation, breach of confidence or copyright in relation to processing or transmission of electronic mail face a statutory immunity barrier for acts done “in accordance with this section” (s 10a(6)). That immunity will reduce litigation against the Commission on those grounds, but it does not directly affect litigation against private carriers or third parties.
The mixed regulatory status of By-laws, which are not statutory rules but are subject to selected Acts Interpretation and Statutory Rules Publication provisions (s 27-28), reshapes how courts or tribunals may review them. Section 29’s validation reduces the risk of collateral challenges against acts taken pursuant to earlier notices.
The creation of explicit rewards for information is an enforcement instrument designed to generate private assistance in detection and prosecution of property offences relating to the Commission’s operations (new s 105a; amended s 106).

Overall, the Act shifts enforcement breadth and private enforcement risk: it enlarges criminal enforcement coverage, creates administrative rule-making power for the Commission in new domains, inserts immunity for Commission acts in narrow civil law domains, and centralises certain cross-border electronic mail controls with telecommunication agencies and the Minister.

The amendments create multiple points of interaction with Commonwealth statutes and common law areas. The Act itself references and imports the operation and terminology of several other statutes.

References imported and operational interactions

Acts Interpretation Act 1901. The amendments apply sections 48, 49 and 50 of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901 to By-laws as if references to regulations were references to By-laws (s 27(2); s 28(2)). Those sections of the Acts Interpretation Act concern the form and operation of subordinate instruments, and their application to By-laws affects interpretation, commencement and application clauses that underpin By-law validity.
Statutory Rules Publication Act 1903. By-laws are not to be treated as statutory rules, but sub-sections 5(3) to (3c) of the Statutory Rules Publication Act 1903 are applied to By-laws “in like manner as they apply in relation to statutory rules” (s 27(3); s 28(3)). Sub-section 5(3b) references the Minister of State for Administrative Services; the Act provides that that reference should be read as the Minister of State administering this Act (s 27(4); s 28(4)). The net effect is that publication and certain tabling requirements are imposed on By-laws, albeit through modified text.
Commonwealth Places (Application of Laws) Act 1970. The Commission’s power to act for others is constrained to acts done in Commonwealth places as defined by the Commonwealth Places (Application of Laws) Act 1970 (new s 12(3)(b)). That statutory reference limits the Commission’s agency role geographically.
Constitution and corporations power. The agency power set out in new s 12(3)(d) explicitly references constitutional paragraph 51(xx) by using the phrases “foreign corporation within the meaning of paragraph 51(xx) of the Constitution” and “trading or financial corporation within the meaning of that paragraph formed within the limits of the Commonwealth”. Those references indicate the Commission may lawfully contract with certain corporations under the federal trading corporations head but restricts the power to the categories specified.

Interplay with telecommunications law

Telecommunications Act 1975. The Act amends section 111 of the Telecommunications Act 1975 in analogous manner to how it treats By-laws under the Principal Act (s 28). More substantively, the Commission must obtain the consent of the Australian Telecommunications Commission or the Overseas Telecommunications Commission (Australia) before operating solely-electromagnetic electronic mail (s 10a(2)). That creates operational interdependence between postal and telecommunications regimes and is likely to produce regulatory coordination between agencies.

Interaction with defamation, confidentiality and copyright law

The Act alters private law remedies by providing a statutory immunity for the Commission in respect of defamation, breach of confidence and copyright actions arising from conduct “in accordance with” s 10a (s 10a(6)-(7)). That immunity interacts directly with the substantive common law and statute law of those areas, limiting private law recourse against the Commission while leaving private actions against third parties unaffected. The immunity affects how claimants will map remedies against the Commission versus other actors, and will be relevant to court assessments of Article-processing conduct by the Commission.

Interaction with criminal law

Multiple penal provisions are extended to include courier and electronic mail services. Hence common criminal law offences relating to theft, tampering, explosives and forgery as set out in the Principal Act will operate across the new modalities (see amendments to ss 88-93, 100, 100a, and others). Criminal procedure, evidence and search powers that apply to postal offences may need to be applied to courier and electronic mail operations.

Regulatory instruments and ministerial power

The definition of “prescribed user” for electronic mail includes “a person or body declared by the Minister, by notice published in the Gazette” (s 10a(8)). That is a ministerial declaration power exercisable by Gazette notice. The Act also validates earlier Gazette notices and delegates the reference to the Minister for publication handling in the Statutory Rules Publication Act context (s 29; s 27(4)). The result is a design in which the Minister and the Gazette are active administrative levers.

Other statutory cross-references

The Schedule contains numerous formal amendments altering geographical and institutional references across the Principal Act, replacing occurrences of “Australia” with “the Commonwealth” in various places, and adjusting cross-references to a suite of Commonwealth employment and superannuation statutes. Those formal amendments affect where Commonwealth law applies and will interact with other federal statutes in those contexts (Schedule).

Points of practical interaction and friction

Where the Commission chooses to operate pure-electromagnetic electronic mail, it must coordinate with telecommunications bodies, and compliance will likely require contractual and regulatory alignment with the Telecommunications Act regime (s 10a(2)-(3)). The prescribed-user requirement (s 10a(5)-(8)) links international electronic mail exchanges to diplomatic/administrative recognition of counterparties.
The immunity for the Commission changes risk allocation for content-based claims and interacts with IP and defamation litigation strategies, because claimants will need to focus potential claims on other parties where the Commission has acted in accordance with s 10a.
By-law procedure changes create a hybrid route for judicial review and parliamentary oversight, since By-laws are not statutory rules but certain publication and tabling requirements still apply. Those procedural adjustments will influence the appropriate grounds and forum for challenging By-laws (s 27-29).

In sum, the Act is an amendment package that deliberately sits across the postal, telecommunications and administrative law spheres. Compliance requires attention to the Telecommunications Act, the Acts Interpretation Act 1901, the Statutory Rules Publication Act 1903, and the broader spectrum of common law rights in defamation, confidence and copyright.

The Act itself records both what it changes in the Principal Act and some contextual history in the Schedule and the Note. The following is a focused account of the amendments and the statutory genealogy as reflected in the text.

Immediate amendments effected by this Act

Core insertions and text changes are made to the Postal Services Act 1975, including:
- s 3: alterations to definitions of “mail” and the replacement of the definition of “postal article” to include courier and electronic mail transmissions (s 3(a)-(c)).
- s 9: textual deletions in paragraph (3)(d) and (3)(e) to refine Commission powers (s 4).
- insertion of new ss 10 and 10a establishing statutory powers to operate a courier service and electronic mail services respectively (s 5).
- s 12: new subsections permitting the Commission to act as agent for others subject to the limitations set out in s 12(3) and (4) (s 6).
- s 15: insertion allowing arrangements where fees for courier or electronic mail need not be prepaid and enabling transmission of articles with unpaid fees (s 7).
- s 18/20/115/116: substitution of “postage” vocabulary for broader “charges” language and insertion of By-law heads to include courier and electronic mail (ss 8, 24, 25).
- s 34: new provisions enabling resolutions by document signed by a majority of Commissioners (s 9).
- s 57: reducing the retirement age from 60 to 55 (s 10).
- s 85: new high-price exceptions to the letters-for-reward prohibition (s 11).
- ss 88-93, 100, 100a, 104: amendments to extend the scope of offences and protective provisions to courier and electronic mail (ss 12-21).
- s 101, s 101a: repeal (s 20).
- new s 105a: reward for identifying thieves who stole Commission property or broke into Commission premises up to $10,000 (s 22).
- s 106: increased reward for information as to damage to property from $100 to $1,000 (s 23).
- s 115 and s 116: By-law and regulations heads amended to cover courier and electronic mail (ss 24-25).
- Schedule: formal amendments adjusting wording across the Principal Act (s 26 and the Schedule itself).
Part III amends the law relating to By-laws under both the Postal Services Act and the Telecommunications Act. It replaces ss 115(2)-(3) of the Principal Act and s 111(2)-(3) of the Telecommunications Act with new subsections that apply specified Acts Interpretation Act provisions and certain parts of the Statutory Rules Publication Act to By-laws (ss 27-28). Section 29 validates earlier Gazette notices.

Commencement

Section 2 states that the Act comes into operation on the day it receives Royal Assent. The printed front matter shows assent on 22 December 1983.

Context and prior amendments to the Principal Act

The Note at the foot of the Schedule indicates the Principal Act is No. 54 of 1975, “as amended”, and lists prior amendment Acts for the reader’s context: Nos. 36 and 170, 1978; No. 7, 1979; No. 177, 1980; Nos. 61 and 74, 1981; No. 80, 1982; and No. 39, 1983. That shows the 1975 Act has been repeatedly amended before this 1983 package and situates the 1983 Act as a continuation of iterative statutory reform.

Formal (schedule) amendments

The Schedule to the Act sets out formal and stylistic amendments to the Principal Act, including replacing references to “Australia” with “the Commonwealth” in a number of provisions, and other textual substitutions. Those formal changes are intended to harmonise application wording across the Act and may affect how the Act applies in specified locations or to specified categories of employees and subjects listed in the schedule.

Validation and remedial amendments

Section 29 retroactively validates Gazette notices concerning By-laws published before the commencement of that validation section. Practically, this removes procedural challenge risk for past By-law notifications.

Amendments to the Telecommunications Act

Section 28 makes parallel changes to s 111 of the Telecommunications Act 1975, so that By-laws under that Act are treated consistently with By-laws under the Postal Services Act in terms of the Acts Interpretation Act and the Statutory Rules Publication Act.

Regulatory design evolution

The amendments alter how subordinate instruments (By-laws) are conceived: they are not statutory rules in name, but selected publication and tabling mechanisms still apply. That design choice is a clear legislative decision to alter the form of oversight and the avenue for public record, compared with orthodox statutory rules.

Taken together, the Act is both substantive (creating courier and electronic mail powers, extending offences, granting immunity, setting consents) and formal (textual harmonisation, By-law procedure changes, validation). The Act should be read in conjunction with the Principal Act as previously amended to identify the full operative legal framework.

The text of the Postal and Telecommunications Amendment Act 1983, as provided, does not name any cases and contains no judicial history. There are therefore no cases directly referenced in the Act or in the material supplied. That means a practitioner seeking litigation authorities will need to look beyond the statute for judicial interpretation that will arise post-enactment.

Nevertheless, the amendments contain a number of provisions that present likely areas of litigation and judicial review. The Act itself creates several legal question points that courts are likely to be asked to resolve in future disputes.

Plausible litigation points that are directly traceable to the text

Scope of s 10a immunity. Section 10a(6) immunises the Commission, an officer or an employee from civil actions for defamation, breach of confidence or copyright infringement in respect of anything done “in accordance with this section”. Litigation is likely to test what acts are “in accordance with” s 10a, for example whether particular kinds of automated content processing, conversion of electromagnetic transmissions to documents, or addressing and presentation modifications fall within the protected activities, and whether the immunity applies where negligence or malice is asserted. Courts will have to interpret the phrase “in accordance with this section” against statutory purpose and ordinary meaning.
Meaning of “electronic mail service” and “document”. Section 10a’s definitions are broad. Disputes can be expected about whether certain technical transmission methods fall within the two alternative models contemplated by s 10a(1) and s 10a(2), such as whether a given system is “solely” electromagnetic or partly document-based, and whether conversion processes performed by the Commission cross the threshold of “document” as defined in s 10a(8). Judicial interpretation will set practical boundaries.
Validity and reviewability of By-laws. The Act treats By-laws in a hybrid way; they are not statutory rules but are subject to selected publication and tabling provisions (s 27(2)-(3), s 28(2)-(3)). Litigation may address whether that hybrid form limits merits review or curtails judicial scrutiny, whether the applicable tabling obligations were complied with, and whether the retrospective validation in s 29 cures procedural defects in a way that precludes relief such as injunctions or declarations.
Ministerial discretion to declare prescribed users. Section 10a(8) allows the Minister to declare a person or body a “prescribed user” by Gazette notice. Challenges could arise about the legality of a particular declaration or a refusal to declare, especially where cross‑border electronic mail business prospects are at issue. Judicial review may focus on whether the Minister exercised powers lawfully, non-arbitrarily and with appropriate procedural fairness.
Inter‑agency consent and conditions. The requirement for consent from telecommunications commissions for solely-electromagnetic transmissions (s 10a(2)-(3)) could give rise to disputes about the lawfulness of consent decisions, the scope of the necessary consent, and whether those bodies may impose conditions. Litigation might test whether consent denials unreasonably restrict the Commission’s statutory powers or whether consent-granting bodies properly considered telecommunications policy and technical constraints.
Interaction with common law causes of action. Because s 10a(7) provides that the Commission’s transmission is not to be taken as authorisation or approval for defamation, breach of confidence or copyright purposes, courts will need to assess how that statutory statement interacts with broader common law principles, for instance defamation attribution, secondary liability, or the scope of authorisation doctrines.
Territorial and constitutional limitations on agency arrangements. New s 12(3) confines the Commission’s power to act as agent to specific geographic and subject-matter contexts, referencing Commonwealth places and paragraph 51(xx) corporations. Litigation may arise where the Commission acts for a private party outside those bounds, leading to questions of vires and the constitutional limits on federal agencies contracting in areas reserved to State competence.

Other procedural litigation risks

Challenges to the retrospective validation of Gazette notices under s 29 may be raised on constitutional or administrative law grounds, for instance if a party argues that retrospective validation cannot cure certain jurisdictional errors or breaches of natural justice. The Act’s text seeks to pre-empt such challenges by deeming previous publications sufficient, but courts may be asked to consider whether that validation has limits.
Civil liability claims against third parties. While the Commission acquires an immunity in limited respects, private carriers, telecommunications providers or Commission contractors may face litigation for defamation, breach of confidence, copyright or torts relating to the same transmissions. That creates multi-party disputes where the Commission’s immunity affects claims structure and remedies.

Because the Act is a statutory amendment package, the real litigation history will be generated as the Commission implements services, makes By-laws, and as commercial actors and claimants test the boundaries of consents, prescribed-user declarations, and immunity. Practitioners should monitor subsequent case law for judicial construction of s 10a, s 12, and the procedural status of By-laws, and should review the Principal Act as amended to see how repeals and formal substitutions in the Schedule operate in practice.

This Act contains several drafting choices and procedural devices that create practical risks and trapdoors for practitioners, officials and commercial operators. The following are concrete “watch outs” grounded in the statutory text.

Limited civil immunity is narrow but consequential, and its trigger phrase is precise

Section 10a(6) extinguishes actions for defamation, breach of confidence and copyright infringement against the Commission, an officer or an employee in respect of “anything done in accordance with this section”. The immunity is not blanket. The key question for a litigant or adviser is whether the contested conduct was “in accordance with” s 10a, not whether the conduct merely relates to electronic mail. That makes the factual matrix of processing critical to determining immunity. Counsel should therefore document operational rules and decision‑making to evidence that processing was done pursuant to s 10a powers and by-laws.

Prescribed-user and consent requirements create a two-tier gateway for cross-border e-mail

Section 10a(2) conditions purely electromagnetic electronic mail transmission on consent from telecommunications commissions, and s 10a(5) requires prescribed users for international transmissions. The discretion to declare prescribed users sits with the Minister by Gazette notice (s 10a(8)). That structure gives rise to potential operational delays, commercial risk, and legal challenge points where a foreign counterparty is not gazetted as a prescribed user or where consents are withheld. Commercial entities negotiating international messaging with the Commission should obtain early confirmation of prescribed-user status and any consent regimes.

By-laws are not statutory rules but are treated as if certain statutory instruments applied

The Act explicitly states By-laws are not statutory rules under the Statutory Rules Publication Act 1903, but it applies sub‑sections 5(3)-(3c) of that Act to By-laws (s 27(3)). This hybrid treatment may produce uncertainty about parliamentary scrutiny and reviewability. Practitioners should not assume the same tabling and disallowance mechanisms attach as for standard regulations; they should check the precise publication steps the Commission follows, because s 29 retrospectively validates earlier Gazette notices and may limit procedural challenges.

Agency power is geographically and substantively constrained

New s 12(3) imposes a detailed set of jurisdictional limits on the Commission’s power to act as agent. The Commission cannot lawfully act as agent for routine private domestic business unless the acts fall within the constitutional or territorial categories listed. Counsel should carefully check s 12(3) before structuring agency arrangements because acting outside those lines risks vires challenges.

The postal monopoly exceptions are high-cost; do not rely on them for routine private carriage

The new s 85(2)(aa)-(ab) permits private carriage of letters only where consideration is at least ten times the highest postage rate under the specified paragraphs. That threshold is deliberately high, and private carriers offering ordinary business services will not be covered. Parties contemplating private letter carriage for reward should verify the applicable postage levels at the time of carriage and calculate whether the tenfold test is met.

Repeal of sections 101 and 101a may remove particular defences or procedural provisions

Sections 101 and 101a were repealed by s 20. The amendment text does not reproduce the repealed material, and the absence could remove specific defences, exemptions or procedures previously available. Practitioners must consult the Principal Act as amended to determine precisely what has gone, because gaps left by repeal might have unexpected consequences for prosecutions or civil claims.

The Commission’s ability to refuse prepayment or deliver unpaid articles alters debtor-creditor exposure

Section 15(4) allows the Commission to transmit and deliver postal articles whose fee has not been paid, or to enter arrangements where prepayment is not required. That creates credit exposure for the Commission and contractual exposure in commercial accounts. Private businesses and the Commission should adopt clear contractual and security arrangements for account customers; otherwise unpaid fee risk may accumulate.

Validation clause narrows procedural attack windows

Section 29 validates earlier Gazette notices concerning By-laws published before the commencement of that section. That may extinguish a procedural basis for challenging existing By-laws. If a party is seeking relief against actions taken pursuant to earlier By-laws, they must now identify legal grounds that are not cured by the validation (for example, jurisdictional error beyond mere publication defect).

Interplay between immunities and third-party liability is not simple

Although the Commission receives immunity in limited respects, private entities and contractors involved in courier or electronic mail operations remain potentially liable to third parties. Commercial counter-parties should therefore allocate liability risks in contracts and consider indemnities, insurance and compliance regimes.

Ministerial Gazette declarations are administratively light-touch

The ability of the Minister to declare prescribed users by Gazette notice is administratively efficient but provides limited procedural formality. Stakeholders affected by such declarations should monitor the Gazette and seek robust records of any consultations or criteria used to make declarations, because a lack of transparency could drive administrative law challenges.

Each of these points is a concrete operational or legal risk traceable to the Act’s text. Practitioners must map the Act’s high-level provisions onto the Commission’s forthcoming By-laws, the consents regime in telecommunications bodies, and contract terms used when the Commission acts as agent or when private operators carry letters for reward.

Compliance with the amended Postal Services Act 1975 requires both institutional and transactional measures. Below is a practical checklist tailored to the different affected actors, linked to the specific statutory provisions.

For the Commission , operational and legal steps

Draft and publish comprehensive By-laws

Prepare By-laws defining “article transmissible by courier service” (s 10(3)) and the scope and conditions of electronic mail services (s 115(1)(p), (pa)). Ensure By-laws specify categories of items, packaging/format requirements, security protocols, and liability allocation.
Follow the notification, publication and tabling steps required by the Acts Interpretation Act and the Statutory Rules Publication Act as they apply to By-laws under the amended ss 115 and 111 and Pt III (ss 27-28). Keep documentary proof of Gazette notices because s 29 validates prior notices and publication is key to legal robustness.

Seek and document consents for solely-electromagnetic transmissions

For any electronic mail service that would operate solely by electromagnetic energy, obtain the consent of the Australian Telecommunications Commission for domestic transmissions or of the Overseas Telecommunications Commission (Australia) for transmissions involving foreign endpoints (s 10a(2)). If consent is granted, ensure the consent’s scope, conditions and any specified classes of transmissions are documented (s 10a(3)).

Implement prescribed-user procedures for cross-border messaging

Maintain a Gazette‑track register of prescribed users (s 10a(8)). If you intend to exchange pure-electromagnetic electronic mail with foreign counterparties, ensure they are either foreign postal administrations or have been declared by the Minister. Make operational adjustments where a foreign counterparty is not a prescribed user.

Operationalise immunity and procedural safeguards

Where the Commission’s staff perform acts that might otherwise expose them to defamation, confidence or copyright claims, maintain clear internal procedures that link those acts to statutory powers in s 10a. Keep written protocols that evidence acts were “in accordance with this section” to rely on the protection in s 10a(6). Implement a compliance checklist to log conversion, addressing, and presentation changes performed under s 10a(4).

Agency arrangements within the s 12(3) constraints

When entering arrangements to act on behalf of others (new s 12(2)), verify the act is permitted under s 12(3). If the activity is outside Commonwealth places or not within the listed categories of trade or corporations, do not proceed without legal advice. Document the terms and conditions required by s 12(4).

Credit and prepayment policy

If providing services without prepayment or delivering items with unpaid fees (s 15(4)), establish credit assessment, billing and recovery procedures. Create contractual terms that govern liability for unpaid charges and set provisions for security, retention of title, or debt recovery.

Rewards programme governance

Implement policies and record-keeping for payment of rewards under new s 105a and amended s 106, including procedures for determining eligibility, proof of being the first informer, limits to payments, and ministerial/regulatory reporting if required.

For private couriers and commercial users

Review and adjust service models in light of s 85 exceptions

If providing letter carriage for reward, confirm that the consideration equals or exceeds ten times the highest applicable postage for the relevant category (s 85(2)(aa)-(ab)). Do not assume a routine business will qualify; obtain a formal calculation at the time of carriage.

Contractual allocation of risk with the Commission

If the Commission acts as agent or otherwise interacts with private carriers, clarify liability, indemnities and insurance in contracts. Keep in mind the Commission’s limited immunity (s 10a(6)) will not extend to private carriers; allocate responsibility accordingly.

Data handling and confidentiality

For electronic mail services that involve conversion of electromagnetic transmissions to documents, review and, where necessary, strengthen confidentiality protocols, data protection and IP handling, because the Commission’s immunity may not insulate other parties from breach claims.

For telecommunications bodies and the Minister

Define consent processes and timelines

The Australian Telecommunications Commission and the Overseas Telecommunications Commission (Australia) should adopt documented consent frameworks for s 10a(2) permissions, including technical standards, security certifications, and review timings. This reduces transaction risk for the Commission and commercial counterparties.

Prescribed-user criteria and transparency

The Minister’s office should set and publish criteria for declaring prescribed users, to provide predictability to foreign partners and to reduce administrative law challenge risk under s 10a(8).

For enforcement and legal compliance

Train operational staff on offence extensions

Staff involved in handling courier consignments and electronic mail should be trained on the extended scope of criminal offences (ss 88-93, 100, 100a, etc.). Ensure chain-of-custody, security checks and incident reporting processes match the legal exposures.

Maintain detailed logs and retention policies

Keep operational logs for transmissions, conversions, consents, By‑law notices and agency arrangements to create an evidentiary trail supporting compliance with s 10a and s 12 obligations and to demonstrate adherence to By-laws and publication obligations.

Legal review of By-laws and policies

Before substantive By-laws are finalised, obtain legal review to check consistency with the Acts Interpretation Act, Statutory Rules Publication Act provisions as applied, and constitutional constraints embedded in s 12(3). Consider pre-publication consultation if it reduces procedural challenge risk.

For litigators and claimants

Map defamation, breach of confidence and copyright claims carefully

Determine whether an actionable defendant is the Commission (subject to s 10a immunity) or a private third party. If the Commission is the likely defendant, develop arguments that the contested act was not “in accordance with this section”, or seek alternative defendants not protected by s 10a(6).

Consider administrative review avenues

If a challenge concerns a withheld consent by telecommunications bodies, or a Ministerial refusal to declare a prescribed user, consider judicial review grounds directed at the exercise of that administrative discretion.

Practical timeline and early actions

Immediate: publish internal compliance manuals, start drafting By-laws, and open lines of communication with the Australian Telecommunications Commission and the Overseas Telecommunications Commission (Australia).
Short term: finalise By-laws and Gazette notices in accordance with s 27-29 publication patterns; set up prescribed-user registry processes; implement credit and prepayment policies.
Medium term: negotiate contractual allocation of risk where the Commission acts as agent; adjust business models for private couriers in light of s 85 thresholds.

This compliance blueprint should be layered on top of the Principal Act as amended, and tailored to the Commission’s chosen operational model for courier and electronic mail services. When in doubt on any point of vires, consents, or scope of immunity, seek specific legal advice and document decision-making steps.

Postal and Telecommunications Amendment Act 1983

Plain English Summary

Deep Dive

What it does

Current sections

Postal and Telecommunications Amendment Act 1983

Source text: opening excerpt

1 Postal and Telecommunications Amendment Act 1983

Main concepts

Who it affects

Key duties and rights

Penalties and enforcement

How it interacts with other laws

Amendment history

Litigation history

Gotchas

How to comply