Parliamentary Papers Act 1974 (Cth)

PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS ACT 1974

No. 33 of 1974

An Act to amend the Parliamentary Papers Act 1908-1963.

 

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

Short title and citation.

1. (1) This Act may be cited as the Parliamentary Papers Act 1974.

(2) The Parliamentary Papers Act 1908-1963 is in this Act referred to as the Principal Act.

(3) The Principal Act, as amended by this Act, may be cited as the Parliamentary Papers Act 1908-1974.

Commencement.

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

3. Section 1a of the Principal Act is repealed and the following section substituted:—

Definitions.

“1a. In this Act—

‘Committee’ means a Committee of either House or of both Houses of the Parliament;

‘joint sitting’ means a joint sitting of the members of the Senate and of the House of Representatives convened by the Governor-General in pursuance of section 57 of the Constitution. ”.

Publication of Parliamentary Papers.

4. Section 2 of the Principal Act is amended by omitting from subsection (1) the words “either the Senate or the House of Representatives” and substituting the words “the Senate, the House of Representatives or a joint sitting”.

Authority to Government Printer to publish.

5. Section 3 of the Principal Act is amended by adding at the end thereof the following sub-sections:—

“(3) Where a joint sitting orders a document or evidence to be printed, the joint sitting shall be deemed, unless the contrary intention appears in the order, to have authorized the Government Printer to publish the document or evidence.

“(4) A joint sitting shall be deemed to have authorized the Government Printer to publish the reports of the debates and proceedings of the joint sitting.”.

6. Section 4 or the Principal Act is amended—

No action for publishing Parliamentary Papers.

(a) by omitting from sub-section (1) the words “section two of this Act” and substituting the words “section 2 or deemed by section 3 to have been given”;

(b) by omitting from sub-section (2) the words “section two of this Act” and substituting the words “section 2 or deemed by section 3 to have been given”; and

(c) by inserting in sub-section (2), after the words “as the case requires,”, the words “or, in the case of a document or evidence published under an authority given or deemed to have been given by a joint sitting, a certificate under the hand of the person who presided at the joint sitting, the Clerk of the Senate or the Clerk of the House of Representatives.”. ___________________________________________________________________________