Prune Bounty Act 1936

Prune Bounty Act 1936

This is a short, one-off piece of legislation that pays a cash bonus (called a "bounty") to Australian prune growers who exported their prunes during 1935. Think of it as a government export incentive — a reward for selling Australian prunes overseas.

Who does it affect?

• Prune growers who exported prunes from Australia during the calendar year 1935 and complied with the relevant export regulations at the time.

What does it actually do?

• Sets the payment rate: Growers were entitled to receive three farthings (an old currency unit — roughly three-quarters of a penny) for every pound of prunes exported. This was a small per-unit subsidy to make Australian prunes more competitive on international markets.
• Limits who can claim: Only the grower of the fruit — not a trader or exporter — could receive the bounty payment.
• Sets a hard deadline: Any grower wanting to claim had to lodge their application with the Secretary of the Department of Commerce by 30 June 1936. Miss the deadline, miss the money.
• Draws the money from public funds: The bounty is paid from the Consolidated Revenue Fund (the main Commonwealth government account).
• Prevents fraud: It is an offence to falsely claim a bounty, make misleading statements, or present false documents. The penalty is a £100 fine or one year in prison.