Commonwealth act

States Grants Act 1946

RepealedCTH

This Act has been repealed and is no longer in force. It is retained for historical reference.

Jurisdiction

Commonwealth

Act Number

72 of 1946

Collection

act

Plain English Summary

1/10 complexity

This Act authorises a one-off payment of £3.67 million from the Commonwealth to three Australian States—South Australia, Western Australia, and Tasmania—for the 1946-47 financial year.

Key points:

Who gets what: South Australia receives £1.6 million, Western Australia gets £1.245 million, and Tasmania receives £825,000.
Why: The money is described as "financial assistance," meaning federal help for States that may struggle to fund essential services (like hospitals and schools) from their own revenue.
How it's paid: In equal monthly instalments throughout the financial year (starting 1 July 1946).
Where the money comes from: The Consolidated Revenue Fund—the Commonwealth's main account holding tax revenue.

This type of legislation was common in the post-World War II era to support smaller States with weaker economic bases, ensuring they could maintain basic services without facing bankruptcy.

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Current sections

Direct links to the current provisions in States Grants Act 1946.

States Grants Act 1946

STATES GRANTS.

No. 72 of 1946.

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 14th December, 1946.]

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 1946.

Commencement.

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

Payment of 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-six, for the purposes of financial assistance, the sum of Three million six hundred and seventy 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.....................	1,600,000
Western Australia....................	1,245,000
Tasmania.........................	825,000
	3,670,000

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 1946