STATUTORY RULES.
1960. No. 91.
REGULATIONS UNDER THE DEFENCE ACT 1903-1956.*
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 1903-1956.
Dated this 4th day of November, 1960.
DUNROSSIL
Governor-General.
By His Excellency’s Command,
Minister of State for Defence.
DEFENCE COMMITTEE REGULATIONS.
Citation.
1. These Regulations may be cited as the Defence Committee Regulations.
Repeal.
2. The Defence Committee Regulations (comprising Statutory Rules 1946, No. 39; 1950, No. 80; and 1952, No. 73) are repealed.
Definitions.
3. In these Regulations, unless the contrary intention appears—
“the Committee” means the Defence Committee constituted under these Regulations;
“the Minister” means the Minister of State for Defence.
The Defence Committee.
4.—(1.) There shall be a committee, to be known as the Defence Committee which shall consist of—
(a) the Secretary to the Department of Defence;
(b) the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee;
(c) the Chief of the Naval Staff;
(d) the Chief of the General Staff;
(e) the Chief of the Air Staff;
(f) the Secretary to the Prime Minister’s Department;
(g) the Secretary to the Department of the Treasury; and
(h) the Secretary to the Department of External Affairs.
(2.) Whenever the Committee considers it necessary so to do, the Committee may, with the approval of the Minister, co-opt any person for the consideration of a matter before the Committee and that person shall for the time being be deemed to be a member of the Committee.
(3.) The Committee may call into consultation representatives of a Department or authority concerned in a matter under discussion.
* Notified in the Commonwealth Gazette on 10th November, 1960.
3397/60.—PRICE 3D. 10/31.5.1960.
(4.) If a member of the Committee specified in sub-regulation (1.) of this regulation (other than the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee) is unable to attend a meeting, he may be represented as a member—
(a) in the case of the Chief of Staff of a Service—by a senior officer of that Service nominated by the Chief of Staff of that Service; and
(b) in the case of the Secretary to a Department—by a senior officer of that Department nominated by the Secretary to that Department.
The Chairman.
5.—(1.) The Secretary to the Department of Defence shall be Chairman of the Committee and shall preside at each meeting of the Committee at which he is present.
(2.) In the absence from a meeting of the Secretary to the Department of Defence, the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee shall preside at the meeting.
(3.) In the absence from a meeting of the Secretary to the Department of Defence and the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, the senior of the Chiefs of Staff who is present shall preside at the meeting.
Meetings.
6.—(1.) The Secretary to the Department of Defence shall convene meetings of the Committee and shall give to each member of the Committee notice of the date, time and place fixed for each meeting.
(2.) If, for any reason, the Secretary to the Department of Defence is unable to call a meeting of the Committee, the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee or a senior officer of the Department of Defence nominated by the Secretary to that Department shall convene the meeting and give the notice in relation to the meeting referred to in the last preceding sub-regulation.
(3.) A meeting shall not be held unless the following persons are present:—
(a) the Secretary to the Department of Defence or the officer representing him;
(b) the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee and one of the three Chiefs of Staff, or two of the three Chiefs of Staff; and
(c) the officer representing a Chief of Staff who is not present at the meeting.
Secretary.
7. The Minister shall appoint an officer of the Department of Defence to be Secretary to the Committee.
Minutes.
8. The Secretary to the Committee shall keep minutes of all meetings of the Committee.
Functions of the Committee.
9. The functions of the Committee shall be to advise the Minister on—
(a) the defence policy as a whole;
(b) the co-ordination of military, strategic, economic, financial and external affairs aspects of the defence policy;
(c) matters of policy or principle and important questions having a joint Service or inter-departmental defence aspect; and
(d) such other matters having a defence aspect as are referred to the Committee by or on behalf of the Minister,
and may carry out such investigations as it thinks fit for the purpose of advising the Minister on those matters.
Standing committees and sub-committees.
10.—(1.) The Minister may, on the recommendation of the Committee, appoint such standing committees and sub-committees as he considers necessary for the investigation of any matter within the functions of the Committee.
(2.) The Committee may appoint such special sub-committees as it considers necessary for the investigation of any particular matter within the functions of the Committee.
(3.) The functions of standing committees shall be such as are approved by the Minister, on the recommendation of the Committee, and the functions of special sub-committees appointed by the Committee shall be such as are determined by the Committee.
Decisions of the Minister.
11. The Secretary to the Department of Defence shall inform the Secretary to the Committee and the Departments concerned of the decisions of the Minister on all matters on which the Committee has furnished advice to the Minister.
By Authority: A. J. ARTHUR, Commonwealth Government Printer, Canberra.