Victoria Grant (River Murray Salinity)
No. 34 of 1968
An Act to grant Financial Assistance to the State of Victoria in
connexion with Measures to reduce the Salinity of the River Murray.
[Assented to 13 June 1968]
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 Victoria Grant (River Murray Salinity) Act 1968.
Commencement.
2. This
Act shall come into operation on the day on which it receives the Royal Assent.
Definition.
3. In
this Act, “the State” means the State of Victoria.
Grant of financial assistance.
4.—(1.) Subject
to this Act, there are payable to the State, by way of financial assistance,
amounts equal to the amounts expended by the State on or after the twenty-first
day of December, One thousand nine hundred and sixty-seven, in carrying out the
works, and doing the other things, referred to in the Schedule to this Act.
(2.) The amounts payable to the State under this
Act shall not exceed, in the aggregate, Three million six hundred thousand
dollars.
Power of Minister to vary description of work.
5. Where
the State so requests, the Minister may from time to time, by instrument in
writing, direct that this Act shall have effect in relation to a work referred
to in the Schedule to this Act as if the description in that Schedule of that
work were varied in such manner as is specified in the instrument.
Provision relating to carrying out of works.
6. The
State is not entitled to financial assistance under this Act in relation to
expenditure by the State, whether incurred before or after the commencement of
this Act, in carrying out a particular work—
(a)where the Minister has requested the
State to furnish information in relation to the design or construction of the
work—unless the State has duly furnished that information;
(b)unless the Minister is satisfied that
the design and construction of the work are in accordance with the purposes for
which the work was proposed by the State; and
(c)
where the expenditure was incurred under a contract providing for the
expenditure of more than Five hundred thousand dollars—unless the contract was
entered into with the approval of the Minister.
Information to be furnished by State in
relation to expenditure.
7. The
State is not entitled to financial assistance under this Act in relation to
particular expenditure by the State unless the State has burnished to the
Treasurer—
(a)a statement in respect of that
expenditure in a form approved by the Treasurer, accompanied by a certificate
of the Auditor-General of the State certifying that the expenditure shown in
the statement was incurred in carrying out works, or doing other things,
referred to in the Schedule to this Act; and
(b)such further information, if any, as
the Treasurer requires in respect of that expenditure.
Advances.
8. The
Treasurer may, at such times as he thinks fit, make advances of such amounts as
he thinks fit to the State on account of an amount that may become payable
under this Act to the State.
Overpayments.
9. Payment
to the State under this Act of any amount (including an advance) 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 advances) paid to the State under this Act exceeds the total
of the amounts that have become payable to the State under section 4 of this
Act.
Appropriation.
10.Amounts payable to the
State under this Act are payable out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund, which is
appropriated accordingly.
THE SCHEDULESection
4(1.).
MATTERS IN RESPECT OF WHICH FINANCIAL
ASSISTANCE IS GRANTED
Part I.
1. The
construction at Lake Hawthorne near Mildura of a pumping station with the
capacity to pump water at the rate of approximately twenty cubic feet per
second by means of the works referred to in the next succeeding paragraph.
2. The construction of works to convey saline
water to evaporating basins at a distance of approximately seven miles from the
pumping station.
3. The construction of embankments to provide
evaporating basins having a total area of approximately three thousand acres.
4. The carrying out of works incidental to any of
the works referred to in the preceding paragraphs of this Part of this
Schedule.
5. The acquisition of land required for the
carrying out of any of the works referred to in the preceding paragraphs of
this Part of this Schedule, and the payment of compensation for land affected
by any of those works.
The Schedule—continued
Part II.
1. The
construction near Kerang of two diversion weirs.
2. The construction at Barr Creek near Kerang of
a pumping station with the capacity to pump water at the rate of approximately
sixty cubic feet per second by means of the works referred to in the next
succeeding paragraph.
3. The construction of works to convey saline
water to Lake Tutchewop at a distance of approximately six miles from the
pumping station and to evaporating basins between the pumping station and Lake
Tutchewop.
4. The construction of works to divert
floodwaters from the evaporating basins.
5. The carrying out of works incidental to any of
the works referred to in the preceding paragraphs of this Part of this
Schedule.
6.