Commonwealth act

War Census Act (No. 2) 1915

RepealedCTH

This Act has been repealed and is no longer in force. It is retained for historical reference.

Jurisdiction

Commonwealth

Act Number

32 of 1915

Collection

act

Plain English Summary

1/10 complexity

This Act makes it free to mail War Census forms and legally treats them as delivered on schedule. During World War I, the Australian government ran a War Census (a national survey to track available manpower and resources for the war effort). This short law ensures that census papers can be sent through the post without paying postage fees, provided they follow postal rules.

It also creates a legal presumption (a rule that courts will assume is true unless someone proves otherwise): if a census document is properly addressed and posted, it is legally considered to have been received by the person on the normal delivery date. This prevents people from avoiding their census obligations by claiming they never got the forms.

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Current sections

Direct links to the current provisions in War Census Act (No. 2) 1915.

War Census Act (No. 2) 1915

WAR CENSUS (No. 2).

No. 32 of 1915.

An Act to provide for the free transmission of Postal Matter relating to the War Census.

[Assented to 6th September, 1915.]

BE it enacted by the King’s Most Excellent Majesty, the Senate, and the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Australia, as follows:—

Short title and citation.

1.—(1.) This Act may be cited as the War Census Act (No. 2) 1915.

(2.) The War Census Act 1915 and this Act shall be read together and may together be cited as the War Census Acts 1915.

The War Census Act 1915 is amended by inserting after section seventeen thereof the following section:—

Census matter to be sent free by post.

“17a. All papers provided for by this Act may be transmitted through the post free of charge, subject to any postal regulations, and all papers so transmitted, if duly addressed, shall, on proof of posting, unless the contrary be shown, be deemed to have been duly served on and received by the person to whom they were addressed on the day when in the ordinary course of post they should have been received at his address”

Source text

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

1 War Census Act (No. 2) 1915