Commonwealth act

States Grants Act 1956

RepealedCTH

This Act has been repealed and is no longer in force. It is retained for historical reference.

Jurisdiction

Commonwealth

Act Number

107 of 1956

Collection

act

Plain English Summary

1/10 complexity

This Act authorises the Commonwealth Government to make specific cash payments to three Australian states during the 1956-57 financial year.

What it does:

Appropriates £18.5 million (in pre-decimal pounds) from the federal budget to distribute as "financial assistance"
Payments are split between:
- South Australia: £5.8 million
- Western Australia: £9.2 million
- Tasmania: £3.5 million

Why it matters: This represents the old method of federal-state funding before modern systems like the GST (Goods and Services Tax). Instead of states raising all their own revenue, the Commonwealth would pass specific laws to share surplus national revenue with states that needed help balancing their budgets. This Act simply opens the federal purse for these three states for one specific year, after which the authority expires.

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Current sections

Direct links to the current provisions in States Grants Act 1956.

States Grants Act 1956

STATES GRANTS.

No. 107 of 1956.

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

[Assented to 15th November, 1956.]

BE it enacted by the Queen’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 1956.

Commencement.

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

Payment of financial assistance to States.

There is payable, during the year which commenced on the first day of July, One thousand nine hundred and fifty-six, to a State specified in the Schedule to this Act, for the purpose of financial assistance, the amount specified in that Schedule opposite to the name of that State.

Appropriation.

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

THE SCHEDULE. Section 3.

	£
South Australia....................................	5,800,000
Western Australia..................................	9,200,000
Tasmania........................................	3,500,000
	18,500,000

Source text

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

1 States Grants Act 1956