1States Grants (Water Resources Measurement) Act 1973

States Grants (Water Resources Measurement) Act 1973

No. 29 of 1973

AN ACT

To grant Financial Assistance to the States in connexion with the Measurement and Investigation of their Water Resources.

[Assented to 15 May 1973]

BE IT ENACTED by the Queen, the Senate and the House of Representatives of Australia, as follows:—

Short title.

1. This Act may be cited as the States Grants (Water Resources Measurement) Act 1973.

Commencement.

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

Interpretation.

3. (1) In this Act, unless the contrary intention appears—

“discharge”, in relation to a river, means the volume of water that flows past a point or place in the course of the river during an interval of time;

“measurement” includes the recording, arrangement, analysis or publication of information obtained by measurement;

“river” means a surface river and includes any surface watercourse.

(2) For the purposes of this Act, the following years are years to which this Act applies:—

(a) the year ending on 30th June, 1974; and

(b) each of the next two succeeding years.

Grants for measurement of discharge of rivers.

4. Where—

(a) a State furnishes the Treasurer with such information as he requires with respect to the amount of expenditure incurred by the State during a year to which this Act applies in connexion with the works, equipment, facilities and things approved under section 7 in relation to that year in connexion with the measure­ment of the discharge of the rivers in the State; and

(b) the amount of expenditure that the Treasurer is satisfied has been so incurred by the State exceeds the amount specified opposite to the name of that State in the second column of Schedule 1,

there is payable to the State in respect of that year for the purpose of financial assistance—

(c) the amount specified opposite to the name of that State in the third, fourth or fifth column of that Schedule, whichever is applicable to that year;

(d) the amount of that excess; or

(e) an amount equal to one-half of the amount of expenditure referred to in paragraph (b),

whichever is the least.

Grants for underground water investigation.

5. Where—

(a) a State furnishes the Treasurer with such information as he requires with respect to the amount of expenditure incurred by the State during a year to which this Act applies in connexion with the works, equipment, facilities and things approved under section 7 in relation to that year in connexion with the investiga­tion and measurement of the underground water resources of the State; and