Australian Military Regulations 1916 (Amendment) (Cth)

STATUTORY RULES.

1920. No. 56.

 

REGULATIONS UNDER THE DEFENCE ACT 1903-1918.

I, THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL in and over the Commonwealth of Australia, acting with the advice of the Federal Executive Council, hereby make the following Regulations under the Defence Act 1903-1918, to come into operation forthwith.

Dated this thirty-first day of March, 1920.

R. M. FERGUSON,

Governor-General.

By His Excellency’s Command,

G. F. PEARCE,

Minister of State for Defence.

 

Amendment of the Australian Military Regulations.

(S.R. 1916, No. 166, as amended to this date.)

1. Regulations 8 to 11, both inclusive, of the Australian Military Regulations are repealed, and the following Regulations inserted in their stead:—

Constitution.

8. (1) The Military Board will be composed of the Minister (President) and the following members:—

The Chief of the General Staff (First Military Member and Chairman).

The Adjutant-General (Second Military Member).

The Quartermaster-General (Third Military Member).

Finance Member.

(2) The Military Board is charged with the control and administration of all matters relating to the Military Forces upon the policy directed by the Minister.

(3) Members of the Board and officers appointed in connexion therewith will severally and jointly exercise such powers and perform such duties as are from time to time assigned to them by the Minister.

(4) The Members of the Board will allot the duties of their Directors or other subordinates.

Meetings of the Board.

9. (1) Ordinary meetings of the Board may be convened by the First Military Member, who will be Chairman thereof. General meetings of the Board will be convened by the Minister, and the Minister, or his deputy, will preside thereat.

(2) Three Members of the Board shall constitute a quorum at either ordinary or general meetings.

(3) There will be a Secretary to the Board, who will be an officer of the Department of the Secretary, Department of Defence, and who will keep and distribute as directed all agenda, minutes, decisions, and recommendations of the Military Board.

 

(4) Military Members of the Military Board are empowered to cause the attendance in a consultative capacity at ordinary and general meetings of such of their technical advisers as may be deemed advisable; and the Finance Member shall have like power to cause the attendance of such advisers and consultants as may be employed in such a capacity with the concurrence of the Minister.

Imperial General Staff.

10. The Chief of the General Staff is the Chief of the Australian Section of the Imperial General Staff.

Military Board Rules of Business.

11. The following rules govern the conduct of the business of control and administration:—

(a) Matters of routine will be decided by and dealt with in the name of the responsible Member of the Military Board, who, if he thinks fit, may delegate this duty to such subordinates as he may decide.

(b) Any Member of the Military Board may, with the consent of the First Military Member, refer to the Board such matters as he considers should be dealt with or decided by the Board as a whole. The First Military Member may assemble ordinary meetings of the Military Board to deal with such matters or any matters dealt with by individual Members of the Military Board if he considers them matters for action by the Board in a corporate capacity. But where the subject is one of policy or important principle, the First Military Member will apply to the Minister for a general meeting of the Military Board.

(c) (i) The recommendations of a general meeting of the Military Board will be submitted for the decision of the Minister. The decisions of an ordinary meeting of the Military Board will be made at such meetings and corporate action will be taken thereon unless, in the opinion of the Board, action should be deferred until the Minister has been advised or until Ministerial sanction has been obtained, or unless the Minister has directed the matter to be submitted for his approval.

(ii) All decisions of the Military Board which involve an increase of expenditure, transfer of votes of expenditure, or any new principles governing expenditure, shall be submitted for Ministerial approval.

(d)The decisions of the Military Board, at ordinary or general meetings, and the decisions of individual members on important subjects, shall be communicated as may be directed in the name of the Military Board, and shall be signed by the Secretary thereof.

(e) The Secretary, Military Board, shall prepare an agenda for each meeting of the Military Board, and members shall be responsible for the preparation of précis of such matters as shall be submitted by them. Agenda and précis shall be submitted to the Minister, to each member, to the Inspector-General, and to the Secretary for Defence two days before the date of meetings.

(f) Copies of the decisions and recommendations of the Military Board, at ordinary or general meetings, will be furnished to the Minister, each member, the Inspector-General, and the Secretary for Defence directly after the meeting.

(g)The duties assigned to each member shall be such as the Minister may decide from time to time on the following principles:—

(i) The Chief of the General Staff shall in general be charged with all preparation for war, and in particular with intelligence; organization; war establishments; principles of mobilization; plans of operation and concentration; distribution of troops; issue of operation orders; defence schemes; fortifications; pattern, efficiency, and maintenance of ordnance and ordnance ammunition; censorship; training; musketry and education; libraries.

(ii) The Adjutant-General shall in general be charged with the provision, enrolment, allocation to approved organizations, mobilization in detail, issue of mobilization orders and the discipline of personnel; and in particular with reserves; registrations; exemptions; medical inspection; allocation upon peace establishment; discipline; military prisons; police; detention barracks; military and martial law; duties in aid of the civil power; medical services; sanitation; issue of routine orders; administration of administrative and instructional staff, or such organization as will include personnel thereof; appointments; promotions; retirements; posting; exchange and transfer of officers; casualties; discharges; desertion and fraudulent enlistment; medals; ceremonial; chaplains; cadets; rifle clubs.

 

(iii) The Quartermaster-General stall in general be charged with the provision, storage, and issue of the requirements of the troops; and in particular with supply; transport; equipment and stores of all kinds; provision, inspection, storage, and distribution of ordnance and ordnance ammunition; arms and ammunition; movements by land and sea other than operations of war; railways; conveyance of stores; quartering, including the occupation and allotment of barracks and other buildings; dress; remounts; veterinary service; postal service; ranges; patents and inventions; administration and mobilization of departments or services dealing with any of the above.

(iv) The Finance Member shall be responsible for military finance and accounting; consideration and compilation of Parliamentary Estimates; review of proposals for new expenditure, or the redistribution of the sums allotted to the different sub-heads of defence votes; Treasury requirements; claims—compensation, death or injury.

(h)All powers vested in District Commandants under these Regulations may also be exercised where necessary by the Military Board as a corporate body or by individual members thereof.

(i)The Military Board may form such sub-committees as may from time to time be required in order to consider and make recommendations for all promotions and appointments in the military forces above the rank of major. Such recommendations shall subsequently be laid before an ordinary meeting of the Military Board by whom they shall be submitted to the Minister for approval and gazettal.

2. Regulation 12a of the Australian Military Regulations is repealed.

3. Regulation 18 of the Australian Military Regulations is amended by omitting from sub-regulation (2) the words “Military Board” (first occurring) and inserting in their stead the word “Minister”.

      

Printed and Published for the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia by Albert J. Mullett, Government Printer for the State of Victoria.