Delivered Meals Subsidy Act 1973
No. 129 of 1973
AN ACT
To amend the Delivered Meals Subsidy Act 1970-1972.
[Assented to 13 November 1973]
[Date of Commencement 11 December 1973]
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 Delivered Meals Subsidy Act 1973.
(2) The Delivered Meals Subsidy Act 1970-1972 is in this Act referred to as the Principal Act.
(3) The Principal Act, as amended by this Act, may be cited as the Delivered Meals Subsidy Act 1970-1973.
Interpretation.
2. Section 3 of the Principal Act is amended by omitting sub-section (2) and substituting the following sub-section:—
“(2) A reference in this Act to a period to which this Act applies shall be read as a reference to—
(a) the year 1973; and
(b) the period of three months commencing on 1st January, 1974, and each succeeding period of three months.”.
3. Section 6 of the Principal Act is repealed and the following section substituted:—
Authorization of payments.
“6. (1) Subject to this Act, the Director-General may, in his discretion, authorize the payment to an approved organization, in respect of a period to which this Act applies, of an amount calculated at the rate of—
(a) twenty-five cents for each meal in which is included fresh fruit or fruit juice in accordance with an arrangement approved under section 5; and
(b) twenty cents for each other meal,
being a meal provided by that organization in the course of conducting an approved meal service in the immediately preceding period to which this Act applies.
“(2) Where the Minister is satisfied that an. organization that was, during the whole or part of a period to which this Act applies, an approved organization, has ceased to exist before receiving a payment under this Act in respect of the next succeeding period to which this Act applies, he may give a direction in writing that the meals provided by that organization in the course of conducting an approved meals service in the first-mentioned period shall be deemed, for the purposes of subsection (1), to have been so provided by such approved organization or organizations and in such proportions as between those organizations (if more than one) as he thinks fit.”.
Saving.
4. The amendments made by this Act do not affect the application of the Principal Act with respect to payments in respect of the year 1973 or an earlier year.
Formal amendments.
5. The Principal Act is amended as set out in the Schedule.
SCHEDULE Section 5
FORMAL AMENDMENTS
1. The following provisions of the Principal Act are amended by omitting the words “of this Act” and “of this section” (wherever occurring):—
Sections 3(1) (definitions of “approved meal service” and “approved organization”) and 5(3).
2. Section 3(1), definition of “eligible organization”, omit “of this definition”.
Overview
The Delivered Meals Subsidy Act 1973, enacted by the Queen, the Senate, and the House of Representatives of Australia, is an amendment to the Delivered Meals Subsidy Act 1970-1972, aiming to update the scope and payment rates for subsidies related to delivered meals. The Act was assented to on 13 November 1973 and commenced on 11 December 1973. The primary objective of this legislation is to refine the criteria for the subsidy payments and adjust the rates based on the nutritional content of the meals provided, thereby ensuring more targeted support for approved meal services. The policy objective appears to be to provide a subsidy to organizations that deliver meals containing fresh fruit or fruit juice, thereby encouraging nutritionally beneficial meal services.
Scope and Application
The Delivered Meals Subsidy Act 1973 amends and extends the provisions of the Delivered Meals Subsidy Act 1970-1972. This Act applies to approved organizations that provide meal services during the specified periods of the year 1973 and subsequent three-month periods commencing on January 1, 1974. The Act authorizes the Director-General to make discretionary payments to these organizations for meals that include fresh fruit or fruit juice, as well as for other meals, based on a defined rate per meal. The Act also provides for formal amendments to the Principal Act, including changes to definitions and references within the legislation. The amendments do not affect the application of the Principal Act with respect to payments made in 1973 or earlier years. The scope of the Act is further extended through subordinate instruments, which may include regulations or guidelines that detail specific eligibility criteria and payment procedures.
Key Provisions
The Delivered Meals Subsidy Act 1973 (the "Act") amends the Delivered Meals Subsidy Act 1970-1972 (the "Principal Act") to introduce new provisions regarding the subsidy payments for delivered meals, particularly focusing on the year 1973 and subsequent three-month periods starting from 1 January 1974. The Act specifies that the payment rate for meals including fresh fruit or fruit juice is set at twenty-five cents per meal, while other meals are subsidized at twenty cents per meal (Section 6(1)). Additionally, it allows the Director-General to authorize payments to approved organizations that provide meal services during the relevant periods. If an approved organization ceases to exist before receiving payment for the next period, the Minister may direct that the meals provided by that organization during the previous period be deemed to have been provided by other approved organizations (Section 6(2)).
The Act imposes certain obligations on the Director-General and the Minister, requiring them to authorize payments and manage the distribution of subsidies to approved organizations according to the specified rates. It also grants the Minister the authority to issue written directions in cases where approved organizations cease to exist, ensuring continuity in meal service provision and subsidy payments (Section 6(2)). Furthermore, the Act mandates that the amendments it introduces do not affect the application of the Principal Act with respect to payments made in 1973 or earlier years (Section 4).
Breaches of the provisions in the Delivered Meals Subsidy Act 1973 may lead to civil or criminal consequences, although the specific offences and penalties are not detailed in the text provided. Typically, in such legislative contexts, penalties might include fines or other civil remedies for non-compliance, and in more severe cases, criminal charges for deliberate or negligent breaches. The maximum penalties, if stipulated, would depend on the specific nature of the breach and the jurisdiction's legal framework. However, the exact nature and extent of these penalties are not explicitly stated in the excerpt provided.