This Act has been repealed and is no longer in force. It is retained for historical reference.
Jurisdiction
Commonwealth
Act Number
3 of 1921
Collection
act
Plain English Summary
3/10 complexity
Supply Act (No. 1) 1921–22: Keeping the Lights On
This Act is a temporary government spending authorisation — essentially an emergency permission slip for the Commonwealth to keep paying its bills at the start of the 1921–22 financial year (which ran from 1 July 1921 to 30 June 1922).
What does it actually do?
It authorises the Treasurer to draw £2,716,924 (roughly £2.7 million pounds — equivalent to hundreds of millions of dollars in today's terms) from the Consolidated Revenue Fund (the government's main bank account, funded by taxes and other receipts). This money covers the day-to-day running costs of the entire Commonwealth government for the period.
Why was this needed?
Parliament typically passes a full annual Appropriation Act (a formal budget law) to fund government operations for the year. However, if that full budget hasn't been passed in time, a "Supply Act" bridges the gap — it provides a short-term funding top-up so public servants keep getting paid, services keep running, and the government doesn't grind to a halt.
Who does it affect?
Virtually every arm of the Commonwealth government at the time, including:
Parliament itself — salaries for Senators, MPs, the Parliamentary Library, and reporting staff (£5,866)
Prime Minister's Department — including the Governor-General's Office and Australia's representatives in London (High Commissioner) and Washington (£18,877)
Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation (legislation.gov.au), CC BY 4.0.
Treasury — covering tax collection, invalid and old-age pensions, maternity allowances, and coinage (£92,880)
Attorney-General's Department — funding the High Court, patents office, and copyright office (£8,384)
Home and Territories Department — elections, census, weather forecasting, the Northern Territory, and Papua (£58,265)
Department of Defence – Military — permanent forces, citizen military training, cadets, munitions, and military factories (£112,875)
Department of the Navy — sea-going naval forces, the Naval College, a boys' training ship, and ship maintenance (£240,643)
Air Services — a newly emerging branch of defence aviation (£14,000)
Trade and Customs — quarantine, lighthouses, navigation, and customs offices across all states (£81,889)
Works and Railways — including the Kalgoorlie–Port Augusta transcontinental railway and the early Federal Capital Territory (Canberra) railway (£60,820)
Postmaster-General's Department — by far the largest single recipient, covering postal services, telegraph, cables, overseas mail contracts, and the new Radio Service across all states and territories (£898,425)
War Services — supporting returned soldiers through the Repatriation Commission (pensions, hostels, vocational training) and the War Service Homes Commission (£304,000)
There is also a £750,000 Advance to the Treasurer — a flexible reserve fund allowing the Treasurer to cover urgent or unforeseen expenses without needing to come back to Parliament immediately.
The hard deadline
Critically, no money can be spent under this Act after 30 June 1922. The spending authority is strictly time-limited to one financial year.
Why does it matter historically?
This Act offers a vivid snapshot of early Commonwealth government. You can see:
A military still managing post-World War I repatriation of soldiers on a massive scale
The Post Office as the largest Commonwealth department by far — running not just mail but telegraphs, cables, and the brand-new radio service
Early infrastructure like transcontinental railways and the nascent Federal Capital Territory (Canberra was still being built)
Social services like old-age pensions and maternity allowances already embedded in government spending