States Grants (Water Resources Measurement) Act 1970 (Cth)

States Grants (Water Resources Measurement)

No. 108 of 1970

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

[Assented to 11 November 1970]

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

Short title.

1. This Act may be cited as the States Grants (Water Resources Measurement) Act 1970.

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—

“approved expenditure” means expenditure in connexion with the measurement of discharge of rivers, or the investigation and measurement of underground water resources, being expenditure approved by the Minister under section 7 of this Act;

“discharge”, in relation to a river in a State, 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;

“Schedule” means Schedule to this Act.

(2.) For the purposes of this Act, each of the following years is a year to which this Act applies:—

(a)the year ending on the thirtieth day of June, One thousand nine hundred and seventy-one; and

(b) each of the next two succeeding years.

Grants in respect of expenditure in connexion with measurement of discharge of rivers.

4. Where—

(a)a State furnishes to the Treasurer such information as he requires with respect to the amount of approved expenditure incurred by the State during a year to which this Act applies in connexion with the measurement of the discharge of the rivers of 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 the First Schedule,

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 that expenditure,

whichever is the least.

Grants in respect of expenditure on underground water investigation.

5. Where—

(a)a State furnishes to the Treasurer such information as he requires with respect to the amount of approved expenditure incurred by the State during a year to which this Act applies in connexion with the investigation and measurement of the underground water resources of the State; and

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

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 that expenditure,

whichever is the least.

 

Information to be verified.

6.Information furnished by a State as mentioned in paragraph (a)of each of the last two preceding sections shall not be accepted for the purposes of this Act unless it is certified to be correct by the Auditor-General of the State.

Approval of expenditure.

7.For the purposes of this Act, a State may, before or during a year to which this Act applies, request the Minister to approve, in relation to that year, expenditure in connexion with—

(a) the measurement of the discharge of the rivers in the State; or

(b)the investigation and measurement of the underground water resources of the State,

that the State has incurred or proposes to incur during that year, and the Minister may approve any such expenditure in relation to that year.

Information to be furnished by States.

8.—(1.) A State is not entitled to financial assistance under this Act in respect of a year to which this Act applies unless the State has duly furnished to the Minister a report in relation to the first six months of that year and a report in relation to the whole of that year, to the satisfaction of the Minister, setting out particulars of the works carried out, the facilities provided, and the things done, by the State during that period in connexion with—

(a) the measurement of the discharge of the rivers in the State; and

(b)the investigation and measurement of underground water resources of the State.

(2.) A report referred to in the last preceding sub-section is not duly furnished for the purposes of this Act unless it is received by the Minister—

(a) not later than—

(i) in the case of the report in relation to the first six months of a year—the last day of February in that year; or

(ii) in the case of the report in relation to the whole of a year—the last day of August next succeeding the end of that year; or

(b)within such further time as the Minister, before or after the relevant date specified in the last preceding paragraph, allows.

Advances.

9.The Treasurer may, at such times as he thinks fit, make advances of such amounts as he thinks fit to a State on account of an amount that may become payable under this Act to the State.

Overpayments.

10.Payment to a State under this Act of any amount (including an advance made under the last preceding section) is subject to the condition that the State will repay to the Commonwealth, on demand by the Treasurer, the amount by which, at the time of the demand, the total of the amounts (including any such advances) paid to the State under this Act exceeds the total of the amounts that have become payable to the State under sections 4 and 5 of this Act.

 

Appropriation.

11.Amounts payable to a State under this Act are payable out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund, which is appropriated accordingly.

 

THE SCHEDULES

——

FIRST SCHEDULE Section 4.

Measurement of Discharge of Rivers

First Column	Second Column	Third Column	Fourth Column	Fifth Column
Maximum amount of grant for year ending—
Name of State	Base amount of expenditure	30 June 1971	30 June 1972	30 June 1973
$	$	$	$
New South Wales...........................	299,400	308,400	321,500	334,500
Victoria.........................................	199,000	180,500	189,700	198,800
Queensland....................................	180,000	331,700	326,200	334,100
South Australia..............................	10,500	52,000	23,300	25,900
Western Australia...........................	176,000	249,700	296,200	318,400
Tasmania.......................................	89,500	47,400	47,400	47,400

———

SECOND SCHEDULE Section 5.

Investigation and Measurement of Underground Water Resources

First Column	Second Column	Third Column	Fourth Column	Fifth Column
Maximum amount of grant for year ending—
Name of State	Base amount of expenditure	30 June 1971	30 June 1972	30 June 1973
$	$	$	$
New South Wales...........................	136,000	554,500	557,900	565,000
Victoria.........................................	379,000	210,400	231,900	254,500
Queensland....................................	180,000	206,600	217,500	228,400
South Australia..............................	82,000	134,900	134,900	134,900
Western Australia...........................	260,000	321,900	374,100	391,500
Tasmania.......................................	15,000	23,100	23,100	23,100