Commonwealth act

States Grants (Unemployment Relief) Act 1936

RepealedCTH

This Act has been repealed and is no longer in force. It is retained for historical reference.

Jurisdiction

Commonwealth

Act Number

71 of 1936

Collection

act

Plain English Summary

1/10 complexity

This 1936 law authorised the federal government to pay £150,000 (roughly $15-20 million in today's money) to the six Australian states to help people who were out of work during the Great Depression.

Key points:

The money: £150,000 was taken from the Commonwealth's main bank account (the Consolidated Revenue Fund) and given to the states as grants.
How it was split: New South Wales received the most (£59,200), followed by Victoria (£40,900), Queensland (£21,700), South Australia (£13,000), Western Australia (£10,000), and Tasmania (£5,200).
The catch: States had to use this money specifically to provide relief or assistance to unemployed people. They couldn't spend it on roads, schools, or other government costs.

This was a temporary measure to tackle unemployment during the economic crisis of the 1930s.

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Current sections

Direct links to the current provisions in States Grants (Unemployment Relief) Act 1936.

States Grants (Unemployment Relief) Act 1936

STATES GRANTS (UNEMPLOYMENT RELIEF).

No. 71 of 1936.

An Act to grant and apply out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund sums for the purposes of Financial Assistance to the States of the Commonwealth in the provision of Assistance to persons out of employment.

[Assented to 5th December, 1936.]

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 (Unemployment Relief) Act 1936.

Appropriation of £150,000 for financial assistance to States.

There shall be payable out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund, which is hereby appropriated accordingly, for the purpose of financial assistance to the States, the sum of One hundred and fifty thousand pounds.

Grants to States.

3.—(1.) Out of the amount appropriated by this Act there shall, subject to this section, be granted to each State, by way of financial assistance, the amount specified in this section opposite the name of that State, namely:—

	£
New South Wales.............................	59,200
Victoria...................................	40,900
Queensland.................................	21,700
South Australia..............................	13,000
Western Australia.............................	10,000
Tasmania..................................	5,200

(2.) Any amount granted to a State under this section shall be granted upon condition that it is expended by the State in the provision of assistance to persons out of employment.

Source text

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

1 States Grants (Unemployment Relief) Act 1936