Commonwealth act

States Grants Act 1944

RepealedCTH

This Act has been repealed and is no longer in force. It is retained for historical reference.

Jurisdiction

Commonwealth

Act Number

34 of 1944

Collection

act

Plain English Summary

1/10 complexity

This is a straightforward 'money bill' that authorises the federal government to give a specific amount of cash to three Australian states during the 1944-45 financial year.

What it does:

Takes £2,846,000 (nearly £3 million) from the federal budget — formally called the Consolidated Revenue Fund (the government's main bank account) — and gives it to South Australia, Western Australia, and Tasmania as financial assistance.
The breakdown:
- South Australia gets £1,200,000
- Western Australia gets £904,000
- Tasmania gets £742,000
How it's paid: Each state receives their money in 12 equal monthly payments over the year.

Why it matters: This Act reflects the historical system of federal-state funding before modern arrangements like the GST. It provides direct 'top-up' funding to the smaller states to help them pay for public services, ensuring they could meet their expenses during the final year of World War II.

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Current sections

Direct links to the current provisions in States Grants Act 1944.

States Grants Act 1944

STATES GRANTS.

No. 34 of 1944.

An Act to grant and apply out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund sums for the purposes of Financial Assistance to the States of South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania.

[Assented to 6th October, 1944.]

Preamble.

BE it enacted by the King’s Most Excellent Majesty, the Senate, and the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Australia, for the purpose of appropriating the grant originated in the House of Representatives, as follows:—

Short title.

This Act may be cited as the States Grants Act 1944.

Commencement.

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

Payment for financial assistance to States.

There shall be payable to the States of South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania, during the year which commenced on the first day of July, One thousand nine hundred and forty-four, for the purposes of financial assistance, the sum of Two million eight hundred and forty-six thousand pounds.

Allocation of grant.

The amount payable to each State under this Act shall be the amount shown in the following table opposite the name of that State:—

	£
South Australia.....................	1,200,000
Western Australia...................	904,000
Tasmania.........................	742,000
	2,846,000

Method of payment.

The amount payable to any State under this Act shall be paid to that State in equal monthly instalments.

Appropriation.

Payments in accordance with this Act shall be made out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund, which is hereby appropriated accordingly.

Source text

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

1 States Grants Act 1944