STATUTORY RULES.
1919. No. 55.
REGULATIONS UNDER THE AUSTRALIAN SOLDIERS’ REPATRIATION ACT 1917-18.
I, THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL in and over the Commonwealth of Australia, acting with the advice of the Federal Executive Council, hereby make the following Regulation, under the Australian Soldiers’ Repatriation Act 1917-1918, to come into operation forthwith.
Dated this twelfth day of March, 1919.
R. M. FERGUSON,
Governor-General.
By His Excellency’s Command,
A. POYNTON,
for Minister of State for Repatriation.
Amendment of Australian Soldiers’ Repatriation Regulations 1918.
(Statutory Rules 1918, No. 88, as amended (by Statutory Rules 1918, Nos. 179, 197, 215, 254, 296, 308, and 325, and Statutory Rules 1919, Nos. 20, 28, and 44.)
1. After regulation 127 of the Australian Soldiers’ Repatriation Regulations, the following regulation is inserted:—
Extracts from Register Book not to be published.
“127a. No person, firm or company, shall print, publish, sell or expose for sale, any book, periodical, pamphlet, circular, handbill, poster, or newspaper, containing any extract made from the Register Book.
“Penalty: Twenty pounds (£20).”
Printed and Published for the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia by Albert J. Mullett, Government Printer for the State of Victoria.
Overview
Statutory Rules 1919, No. 55, made under the Australian Soldiers’ Repatriation Act 1917-1918, was enacted to address the issue of the unauthorised dissemination of information from the Register Book. The Australian Soldiers’ Repatriation Act 1917-1918 was created in response to the need for a comprehensive system to support Australian soldiers who returned from World War I, ensuring they received necessary medical care, pensions, and other benefits. The enacting body was the Governor-General in Council, which included the Minister of State for Repatriation. The policy objective of these regulations was to protect the privacy of soldiers and their families by prohibiting the publication of extracts from the Register Book, thereby preventing potential exploitation and unauthorised use of sensitive personal information.
Scope and Application
The Regulations under the Australian Soldiers’ Repatriation Act 1917-1918 extend their application to any person, firm, or company engaging in the publication, sale, or distribution of materials derived from the Register Book. This includes any form of printed material such as books, periodicals, pamphlets, circulars, handbills, posters, or newspapers containing extracts from the Register Book. The regulations apply on a national level within the Commonwealth of Australia and are intended to restrict the dissemination of sensitive information contained within the Register Book. The penalty for non-compliance is a fine of twenty pounds, as stipulated in the newly inserted regulation 127a. These regulations are made under the authority of the Australian Soldiers’ Repatriation Act and are designed to maintain the confidentiality and integrity of the information held within the Register Book, thereby protecting the interests of those affected by the legislation.
Key Provisions
The main operative section of the Australian Soldiers' Repatriation Regulations 1919 (C1919L00055) is regulation 127a, which prohibits the printing, publishing, selling, or exposing for sale of any book, periodical, pamphlet, circular, handbill, poster, or newspaper containing any extract from the Register Book (section 127a). This regulation aims to protect the privacy and confidentiality of information contained within the Register Book, which likely includes details of individuals who have been repatriated under the Australian Soldiers' Repatriation Act 1917-1918.
The obligations imposed by this regulation are clear and direct: any person, firm, or company must refrain from engaging in the activities described above (section 127a). This means that no entity can legally distribute or make available any material that includes extracts from the Register Book. The intent is to ensure that sensitive information about repatriated soldiers is not disclosed to the public or to unauthorised parties.
Breaches of this regulation are subject to penalties, as stipulated in the regulation itself. Any person, firm, or company found guilty of violating this provision faces a penalty of twenty pounds (£20) (section 127a). This penalty serves as a deterrent against unauthorised publication of sensitive information, ensuring compliance with the privacy and confidentiality requirements established by the regulation. The specified penalty reflects the seriousness with which the regulation treats unauthorised dissemination of information from the Register Book.