Parliamentary Retiring Allowances (Increases) Act 1971

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Legislation au C1971A00075 In force Act

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Parliamentary Retiring Allowances (Increases) Act 1971

 

No. 75 of 1971

 

 

 

 

 

An Act to provide for Increases in certain Parliamentary Retiring Allowances

 

 

 

 

Contents

1  Short title

2  Commencement

3  Increases in rates of pensions in relation to persons who died or retired before 1 July 1962

4  Increases in rates of pensions in relation to persons who died or retired on or after 1 July 1962 and before 1 November 1964 [see Note 2]

5  Increases in rates of pensions of persons who died or retired on or after 1 November 1964 and before 1 December 1968  [see Note 2]

6  Increases in rates of pensions in relation to certain office‑holders [see Note 2]

7  Increases in rates of pension in relation to certain other office‑holders [see Note 2]

8  Increases in rates of pensions payable to widows of certain former Prime Ministers [see Note 2]

9  Pension increases deemed to be payable under Parliamentary Retiring Allowances Act [see Note 2]

10  Commonwealth to reimburse Fund for increases in pensions [see Note 2]

11  Application of former Act [see Note 2]

12  Application

 

 

 

Parliamentary Retiring Allowances (Increases) Act 1971

 

No. 75 of 1971

 

 

 

An Act to provide for Increases in certain Parliamentary Retiring Allowances

[Assented to 1 October 1971]

The Parliament of Australia enacts:

1  Short title

  This Act may be cited as the Parliamentary Retiring Allowances (Increases) Act 1971.

2  Commencement

  This Act shall come into operation on the day on which it receives the Royal Assent.

3  Increases in rates of pensions in relation to persons who died or retired before 1 July 1962

 (1) A person:

 (a) who was, immediately before the commencement of this Act entitled to a pension in accordance with the Parliamentary Retiring Allowances Act 19481955; or

 (b) who was, immediately before the commencement of this Act, entitled to a pension in accordance with the Parliamentary Retiring Allowances Act 19481959 and in relation to whom, or, in the case of a person to whom pension was payable as a widow, in relation to whose deceased husband, section 18 of the Parliamentary Retiring Allowances Act 19641966 applied,

is entitled to an increase in the rate of that pension in accordance with the following table:

 


Weekly amount of pension

Weekly amount of increase in pension

$

$

48.16

13.98

56.89

16.78

57.79

16.78

63.79

16.78

 (2) Where a male person the rate of whose pension is increased under the last preceding subsection dies, any pension to which his widow becomes entitled in accordance with paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of section 19 of the Parliamentary Retiring Allowances Act 19481955 or of the Parliamentary Retiring Allowances Act 19481959, as the case may be, shall be at the rate of Sixtytwo dollars fourteen cents a week.

4  Increases in rates of pensions in relation to persons who died or retired on or after 1 July 1962 and before 1 November 1964 [see Note 2]

 (1) A person who was, immediately before the date of commencement of this Act, entitled to a pension in accordance with the Parliamentary Retiring Allowances Act 19481959 and in relation to whose pension a provision of section 17 of the Parliamentary Retiring Allowances Act 19641966 applied immediately before that date is entitled to an increase in the rate of that pension in accordance with the following table:

 


Annual amount of pension

Annual amount of increase in pension

$

$

2,729.17

729.16

3,275.00

875.00

3,587.86

875.00

 

 (2) Where a male person the rate of whose pension is increased under the last preceding subsection dies, any pension to which his widow becomes entitled in accordance with paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of section 19 of the Parliamentary Retiring Allowances Act 19481959 shall be at the rate of Three thousand four hundred and fiftyeight dollars thirtythree cents a year.

5  Increases in rates of pensions of persons who died or retired on or after 1 November 1964 and before 1 December 1968 [see Note 2]

 (1) A person who was, immediately before the commencement of this Act, entitled to a pension in accordance with section 18 or section 19 of the Parliamentary Retiring Allowances Act 19481968, being a pension to which the person became entitled before the first day of December, One thousand nine hundred and sixtyeight, or to which the person became entitled on or after that date by reason of the death of a person who was in receipt of a pension immediately before that date, is entitled to an increase in the rate of that pension in accordance with the following table:

 


Annual amount of pension

Annual amount of increase in pension

$

$

2,916.67

729.16

3,500.00

875.00

3,812.86

875.00

 

 (2) Where a male person the rate of whose pension is increased under the last preceding subsection dies, any pension to which his widow becomes entitled in accordance with paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of section 19 of the Parliamentary Retiring Allowances Act 19481968 shall be at the rate of Three thousand six hundred and fortyfive dollars eightythree cents a year.

6  Increases in rates of pensions in relation to certain office‑holders [see Note 2]

 (1) A person who was, immediately before the commencement of this Act, entitled to a pension in accordance with section 22H or section 22K of the Parliamentary Retiring Allowances Act 19481966 is entitled to an increase in the rate of that pension in accordance with the following table:

 


Weekly amount of pension

Weekly amount of increase in pension

$

$

15.00

7.12

18.00

8.54

20.00

10.33

23.33

11.36

28.00

13.63

 

 (2) Where a male person the rate of whose pension is increased under the last preceding subsection dies, the rate of any pension to which his widow becomes entitled in accordance with subparagraph (i) of paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of section 22K of the Parliamentary Retiring Allowances Act 19481966 shall be increased by fivesixths of the rate at which her deceased husband’s pension was increased by virtue of the last preceding subsection.

7  Increases in rates of pension in relation to certain other office‑holders [see Note 2]

  Where a person has become entitled before the commencement of this Act, or becomes entitled after the commencement of this Act, to a pension in accordance with section 22H or section 22K of the Parliamentary Retiring Allowances Act 19481968, being a person who:

 (a) ceased to be an officeholder within the meaning of Part VA of that Act, or, if he has been such an officeholder more than once, last ceased to be such an officeholder, before the first day of December, One thousand nine hundred and sixtyeight; or

 (b) is the widow of a person who so ceased or last ceased to be an officeholder,

the rate of that pension is increased in accordance with the following table:

 


Annual amount of pension

Annual amount of increase in pension

$

$

1,050

183.75

1,260

220.50

2,500

437.50

3,000

525.00

 

8  Increases in rates of pensions payable to widows of certain former Prime Ministers [see Note 2]

  The rate of a pension payable under subsection (2) of section 19A of the Parliamentary Retiring Allowances Act 19481968, being a pension that became payable before the first day of March, One thousand nine hundred and fiftynine, is increased by onehalf.

9  Pension increases deemed to be payable under Parliamentary Retiring Allowances Act [see Note 2]

  Where the rate of any pension payable in accordance with the Parliamentary Retiring Allowances Act 1948 or that Act as amended and in force at any time has been increased by virtue of the operation of this Act or of any Act passed before the commencement of this Act, the increase shall, for the purposes of the Parliamentary Retiring Allowances Act 19481968, be deemed to be, and to have been at all times, payable under that Act.

10  Commonwealth to reimburse Fund for increases in pensions[see Note 2]

 (1) Where an amount of pension paid to a person (including a pension that becomes payable to the widow of a person who dies after the commencement of this Act) is, by virtue of this Act, greater than it would otherwise be:

 (a) in the case of a pension payable under Part V of the Parliamentary Retiring Allowances Act 19481968:

 (i) the amount by which the amount of pension so paid is greater (in this paragraph referred to as the amount of the increase) shall, for the purposes of paragraphs (a) and (b) of section 14 of that Act, be deemed not to have been paid; and

 (ii) the Commonwealth shall pay to the Parliamentary Retiring Allowances Fund an amount equal to the amount of the increase; and

 (b) in the case of a pension payable under Part VA of the Parliamentary Retiring Allowances Act 19481968:

 (i) the amount by which the amount of pension so paid is greater (in this paragraph referred to as the amount of the increase) shall, for the purposes of section 22F of that Act, be deemed not to have been paid; and

 (ii) the Commonwealth shall pay to the Ministerial Fund an amount equal to the amount of the increase.

 (2) The Consolidated Revenue Fund is, to the necessary extent, appropriated for the purposes of subparagraph (ii) of paragraph (a), and subparagraph (ii) of paragraph (b), of the last preceding subsection.

11  Application of former Act [see Note 2]

 (1) The reference in subsection (2) of section 9 of the Parliamentary Retiring Allowances Act 19481968 to moneys paid into the Parliamentary Retiring Allowances Fund by the Commonwealth in pursuance of that Act shall be read as including a reference to moneys paid to that Fund by the Commonwealth in pursuance of this Act.

 (2) The reference in subsection (3) of section 9 of the Parliamentary Retiring Allowances Act 19481968 to pensions and other benefits provided by that Act shall be read as including a reference to increases in pensions under Part V of that Act payable by virtue of this Act.

 (3) The reference in section 9B of the Parliamentary Retiring Allowances Act 19481968 to payments by the Commonwealth to the Fund under that Act shall:

 (a) except in a case to which paragraph (b) of this subsection applies, be read as including a reference to payments by the Commonwealth to the Parliamentary Retiring Allowances Fund under this Act; and

 (b) in the application of that section to and in relation to the Ministerial Fund by virtue of section 22C of that Act—be read as including a reference to payments by the Commonwealth to the Ministerial Fund under this Act.

 (4) The reference in subsection (2) of section 22B of the Parliamentary Retiring Allowances Act 19481968 to moneys paid into the Ministerial Fund by the Commonwealth in pursuance of Part VA of that Act shall be read as including a reference to moneys paid to that Fund by the Commonwealth in pursuance of this Act.

 (5) The reference in subsection (3) of section 22B of the Parliamentary Retiring Allowances Act 19481968 to pensions provided by Part VA of that Act shall be read as including a reference to increases in pensions under that Part payable by virtue of this Act.

12  Application

 (1) Increases in pensions payable by virtue of subsection (1) of section 3, subsection (1) of section 4, subsection (1) of section 5, subsection (1) of section 6 and section 8 of this Act have effect from and including the first fortnightly payment of pensions made after the date of commencement of this Act.

 (2) Any increase payable by virtue of section 7 of this Act in a pension to which a person became entitled before the date of commencement of this Act has effect from and including the first fortnightly payment of that pension made after that date.

 

 

 

 

Overview

The Parliamentary Retiring Allowances (Increases) Act 1971, enacted by the Parliament of Australia, aims to address the need for increasing certain pension rates for members of Parliament who retired or passed away before specific dates. This legislation provides for incremental increases to the pensions of former members and office-holders, as well as their widows, ensuring that their financial security is adjusted to reflect changes over time. The objective of this Act is to amend existing pension rates retroactively to provide necessary adjustments to retirees and their dependents, thereby maintaining the integrity of the retirement benefits system for those who have served in Parliament. This Act stipulates that the Commonwealth will reimburse the Parliamentary Retiring Allowances Fund and the Ministerial Fund for any pension increases resulting from its provisions. It also ensures that these pension increases are considered as having been payable under the Parliamentary Retiring Allowances Act 1948-1968, maintaining legal continuity and coherence with existing pension frameworks.

Scope and Application

The Parliamentary Retiring Allowances (Increases) Act 1971 applies to individuals who were entitled to pensions under specific Parliamentary Retiring Allowances Acts prior to the commencement of this Act. This Act provides for the increases in the rates of pensions for individuals who retired or died before certain dates, as well as for certain office-holders and widows of former Prime Ministers. The Act applies across the Commonwealth of Australia and specifies the increased pension rates for different categories of individuals based on the date of their retirement or death. The Commonwealth is responsible for reimbursing the Parliamentary Retiring Allowances Fund or the Ministerial Fund for the increased pension amounts. Notably, the Act does not specify any exclusions, exemptions, or thresholds, and it is not extended or restricted through subordinate instruments. The increases in pension rates are effective from the first fortnightly payment of pensions made after the commencement of this Act.

Key Provisions

The Parliamentary Retiring Allowances (Increases) Act 1971 (C1971A00075) provides for increases in certain parliamentary retiring allowances. The Act specifies different rates of increase for pensions based on the date of retirement or death of the pensioner, as well as for specific office-holders and widows of former Prime Ministers. For example, section 3 provides for increases in rates of pensions for persons who retired or died before 1 July 1962, with different weekly increases depending on the amount of the pension (subsection (1)). Section 4 covers increases for those who retired or died between 1 July 1962 and 1 November 1964, with different annual increases (subsection (1)). Similar provisions are made for those who retired or died between 1 November 1964 and 1 December 1968 in section 5 (subsection (1)). The Act also provides for increases in pensions for certain office-holders under sections 6 and 7, and for widows of former Prime Ministers in section 8. The Act imposes obligations on the Commonwealth to reimburse the Parliamentary Retiring Allowances Fund and the Ministerial Fund for the increased pension payments. According to section 10(1), where an amount of pension paid to a person is greater than it would otherwise be due to the Act, the Commonwealth must compensate the relevant Fund for the difference. The Consolidated Revenue Fund is appropriated to cover these payments, as stated in section 10(2). The Act also clarifies the application of previous legislation, ensuring that references to payments and pensions under the Parliamentary Retiring Allowances Act 1948-1968 include the increases provided by this Act, as detailed in section 11. The Act does not explicitly outline specific offences, penalties, or civil/criminal consequences for non-compliance. However, the obligations placed on the Commonwealth to reimburse the relevant Funds for increased pension payments imply that failure to do so could result in legal repercussions. The precise penalties for non-compliance would depend on the context and any relevant administrative or judicial processes.

Legal classification tags

Area of Law
Social Security Law
Instrument
Act
Concepts
Commencement Provisions
Reporting & Disclosure Obligations
Pension Increases
Reimbursement Obligations

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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.