Financial Agreement Act 1966

Legislation au C1966A00030 Not in force Act

Legislation content

Financial Agreement Act 1966

Act No. 30 of 1966 as amended

[Note: This Act is repealed by Act No. 43 of 1996]

This compilation was prepared on 10 March 2003
taking into account amendments up to Act No. 43 of 1996

The text of any of those amendments not in force
on that date is appended in the Notes section

The operation of amendments that have been incorporated may be
affected by application provisions that are set out in the Notes section

Prepared by the Office of Legislative Drafting,
AttorneyGeneral’s Department, Canberra

 

 

 

Contents

1 Short title [see Note 1]...........................

2 Approval of Agreement

3 Amendments of the Financial Agreement Act 1928

The Schedule

The Schedule—Amendments of the Financial Agreement consequential on the introduction of decimal currency

Notes

 

 

An Act to approve an Agreement to amend the Financial Agreement, and for related purposes

1  Short title [see Note 1]

  This Act may be cited as the Financial Agreement Act 1966.

2  Approval of Agreement

  The Agreement made on the eleventh day of February, One thousand nine hundred and sixty–six, a copy of which is set out in the Schedule to this Act is approved.

3  Amendments of the Financial Agreement Act 1928

 (1) Section 3 of the Financial Agreement Act 1928 is amended by omitting the words “for the purposes of this Act”.

 (2) After section 5 of the Financial Agreement Act 1928 the following section is inserted:

“6  Interpretation

  References in the last three preceding sections to “the Agreement” shall be deemed to include references to the Agreement referred to in section 2 of this Act as amended by any subsequent agreement approved by the Parliament.”.

 (3) The Financial Agreement Act 1928, as amended by this section, may be cited as the Financial Agreement Act 1928-1966.

 

The Schedule

Section 2

AGREEMENT made the eleventh day of February, One thousand nine hundred and sixty–six BETWEEN THE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA (in this Agreement called “the Commonwealth”) of the first part, THE STATE OF NEW SOUTH WALES of the second part, THE STATE OF VICTORIA of the third part, THE STATE OF QUEENSLAND of the fourth part, THE STATE OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA of the fifth part, THE STATE OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA of the sixth part and THE STATE OF TASMANIA of the seventh part, each of the parties of the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh parts being in this Agreement referred to as a “State” and the expression “the States” in this Agreement meaning, where the context so permits or requires, all of those parties.

WHEREAS an Agreement was made on the twelfth day of December, One thousand nine hundred and twenty–seven, between the parties to this Agreement with respect to the public debts of the States:

AND WHEREAS that Agreement has been varied by the following Agreements made pursuant to section 105A of the Constitution of the Commonwealth between the parties to this Agreement, namely, an Agreement made the third day of July, One thousand nine hundred and thirty–four, a copy of which is set forth in the Schedule to the Soldier Settlement Loans (Financial Agreement) Act 1935 of the Commonwealth, and an Agreement made the fifteenth day of November, One thousand nine hundred and forty–four, a copy of which is set forth in the Schedule to the Financial Agreement Act 1944, which Agreements are in this Agreement referred to as “the amending Agreements”:

AND WHEREAS the Currency Act 1965 of the Commonwealth provides for the introduction of a system of currency in which the denominations of moneys are to be the dollar and the cent:

NOW IT IS HEREBY AGREED as follows:—

1. This Agreement shall come into force on the fourteenth day of February, One thousand nine hundred and sixty–six, being the date on which section 8 of the Currency Act 1965 of the Commonwealth is to come into operation.

2. In this Agreement, “the Financial Agreement” means the Agreement made on the twelfth day of December, One thousand nine hundred and twenty–seven, between the parties to this Agreement, as varied by the amending Agreements.

3. The Financial Agreement is amended as set out in the Schedule to this Agreement.

4. The Financial Agreement is further amended by adding after clause 17 the following clause:—

“DECIMAL CURRENCY.

“18.—(1.) A reference to an amount of money stated in this Agreement in the currency provided for by the Coinage Act 1909–1947 of the Commonwealth that is immediately followed in parenthesis by a reference to an amount of money in the currency provided for by the Currency Act 1965 of the Commonwealth shall, for the purposes of the operation of this Agreement on and after 14th February, 1966, be read as a reference to the amount of money stated in the currency provided for by the Currency Act 1965 of the Commonwealth immediately so following.

“(2.) In relation to the references in subclauses (5.) and (6.) of clause 12 of this Agreement to ‘£100 ($200)’, subclause (1.) of this clause applies only in relation to new loans raised by a State or by the Commonwealth for and on behalf of a State on or after 14th February, 1966.

“(3.) For the purposes of the operation of subclause (10.) of clause 3 and subclause (21.) of clause 12 of this Agreement on and after 14th February, 1966, the equivalent in the currency provided for by the Currency Act 1965 of the Commonwealth of One pound in the currency provided for by the Coinage Act 1909–1947 of the Commonwealth is Two dollars, the like equivalent of One shilling is Ten cents and the like equivalent of One penny is Fivesixths of a cent.

“(4.) A reference in this clause to the Currency Act 1965 of the Commonwealth includes a reference to that Act as amended by any other Act of the Parliament of the Commonwealth.”.

The Schedule—Amendments of the Financial Agreement consequential on the introduction of decimal currency

Clause 3

 

Provision amended  Amendment

Amendment

Clause 11 ..  

Omit from subclause (2.):—

 

 “£2,917,411

 

 2,127,159

 

 1,096,235

 

 703,816

 

 473,432

 

 266,859

 

 

£7,584,912”,

 

 

insert—

 

 “£2,917, 411

($ 5,834,822)

 

 2,127,159

(   4,254,318)

 

 1,096,235

(   2,192,470)

 

 703,816

(   1,407,632)

 

 473,432

(       946,864)

 

 266,859

(       533,718)

 

 

£7,584,912

 

($15,169,824)”.

 

Clause 12 ..

Omit from subclause (1.) “7s. 6d.”. insert “7s. 6d. (75 cents)”.

 

Omit from subclause (2.) “2s. 6d.” and “5s.” (wherever occurring), insert “2s. 6d. (25 cents)” and “5s. (50 cents)”, respectively.

 

Omit from subclause (3.) “7s. 6d.” (wherever occurring), insert “7s. 6d. (75 cents)”.

 

Omit from subclause (5.) “10s.” and “£100”, insert “10s. ($1.00)” and “£100 ($200)”, respectively.

 

Omit from subclause (6.) “5s.” and “£100”, insert “5s. (50 cents)” and “£100 ($200)”, respectively.

 

Omit from paragraph (c) of subclause (11.) “5s.” and “15s.”, insert “5s. (50 cents)” and “15s. ($1.50)”, respectively.

 

IN WITNESS whereof the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia and the Premier of each of the States of New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania have signed this Agreement respectively for and on behalf of the Commonwealth of Australia and of the said States.

 

SIGNED by the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia for and on behalf of the said Commonwealth in the presence of—

 

HAROLD HOLT

F. JENNINGS

 

 

SIGNED by the Premier of the State of New South Wales for and on behalf of the said State in the presence of—

 

R. W. ASKIN

A. J. OLIVER

 

 

SIGNED by the Premier of the State of Victoria for and on behalf of the said State in the presence of—

 

HENRY E. BOLTE

E. W. COATES

 

 

SIGNED by the Premier of the State of
Queensland for and on behalf of the said State in the presence of—

 

GORDON W. CHALK
Acting Premier

J. A. SEWELL

 

 

SIGNED by the Premier of the State of South Australia for and on behalf of the said State in the presence of—

 

 

FRANK WALSH

G. F. SEAMAN

 

 

SIGNED by the Premier of the State of Western Australia for and on behalf of the said State in the presence of—

 

 

DAVID BRAND

P. M. THORNBER

 

 

SIGNED by the Premier of the State of }
Tasmania for and on behalf of the said State in the presence of—

 

 

ERIC REECE

K. J. BINNS

 

 

 

Notes to the Financial Agreement Act 1966

Note 1

The Financial Agreement Act 1966 as shown in this compilation comprises Act No. 30, 1966 amended as indicated in the Tables below.

Table of Acts

 

Act

Number
and year

Date
of Assent

Date of commencement

Application, saving or transitional provisions

Financial Agreement Act 1966

30, 1966

24 May 1966

21 June 1966

 

Statute Law Revision Act 1996

43, 1996

25 Oct 1996

Schedule 1 (in part): Royal Assent

 

 

Overview

The Financial Agreement Act 1966 was enacted by the Commonwealth Parliament to approve an Agreement to amend the Financial Agreement, originally made on 12 December 1927, in light of the introduction of decimal currency. The primary objective of the Act was to align the Financial Agreement with the new currency system established by the Currency Act 1965. This alignment was necessary to ensure that financial provisions and agreements between the Commonwealth and the states could continue to operate effectively under the new monetary system. The Financial Agreement Act 1966 received Royal Assent on 24 May 1966 and commenced on 21 June 1966. It was subsequently repealed by the Statute Law Revision Act 1996.

Scope and Application

The Financial Agreement Act 1966 applies to the Commonwealth of Australia and the six states involved in the Agreement: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, and Tasmania. The Act approves the Financial Agreement made on February 11, 1966, which modifies the Financial Agreement of 1927 in light of the introduction of decimal currency, as provided for by the Currency Act 1965. This agreement affects the public debts of the states and the Commonwealth. The Act amends the Financial Agreement Act 1928 to incorporate the new agreement and specifies the conversion rates between the old and new currencies. The Financial Agreement Act 1966 was repealed by the Statute Law Revision Act 1996, which came into effect on October 25, 1996. The application, saving, or transitional provisions of the repealed Act were addressed in the Schedule of the Statute Law Revision Act 1996. The Act’s scope is limited to the specific amendments to the Financial Agreement consequential on the introduction of decimal currency, and any further application or restrictions are managed through subordinate instruments.

Key Provisions

The Financial Agreement Act 1966 (C1966A00030) serves primarily to approve an agreement related to the financial arrangements between the Commonwealth of Australia and the states. Section 2 of the Act approves the Agreement made on the eleventh day of February 1966, which is detailed in the Schedule of the Act. This Agreement modifies the Financial Agreement Act 1928 in response to the introduction of decimal currency in Australia. The amendments include changes to the references to monetary amounts and currency conversions from the old pound-shilling-pence system to the new dollar-cent system. The Act imposes specific obligations on the Commonwealth and the states to adhere to the terms of the approved agreement, ensuring that financial transactions and obligations are aligned with the decimal currency system. This involves updating financial records, documents, and agreements to reflect the new currency denominations. The insertion of Section 6 in the Financial Agreement Act 1928 ensures that future references to "the Agreement" include any subsequent agreements approved by Parliament. Breaches of the obligations outlined in the Act could lead to discrepancies in financial reporting and transactions, potentially causing legal and administrative complications. However, the Act does not explicitly outline specific offences, penalties, or consequences for non-compliance. The repealed status of the Act by the Statute Law Revision Act 1996 suggests that any enforcement mechanisms or penalties would be governed by subsequent legislation or administrative practices. The absence of explicit penalties in the Act implies that any breaches would likely be addressed through administrative or judicial processes under other relevant laws.

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Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation at 26 August 2026. For the latest information on Australian Government law please go to https://www.legislation.gov.au.