STATUTORY RULES
1967 No. 130
REGULATIONS UNDER THE POST AND TELEGRAPH ACT 1901-1966 AND THE WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY ACT 1905-1966.*
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 Post and Telegraph Act 1901-1966 and the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1905-1966.
Dated this twenty-first day of September, 1967.
CASEY
Governor-General.
By His Excellency’s Command,
Postmaster-General.
Amendments of the Postal and Telegraphic Services (General) Regulations†
Commencement.
1. These Regulations shall come into operation on the first day of October, 1967.
Business outside ordinary hours.
2. Regulation 8 of the Postal and Telegraphic Services (General) Regulations is amended—
(a) by omitting from paragraph (b) of sub-regulation (1.) the words “telephone unit fee” and inserting in their stead the words “local call fee”;
(b) by omitting from sub-paragraph (iii) of paragraph (a) of sub-regulation (3.) the words “telephone unit fee” and inserting in their stead the words “local call fee”; and
(c) by omitting from sub-regulation (4.) the word “Where” and inserting in its stead the words “Subject to the next succeeding regulation, where”.
3. After regulation 8 of the Postal and Telegraphic Services (General) Regulations the following regulation is inserted:—
Variation of charge.
“8aa.—(1.) This regulation applies to a message accepted for transmission as a telegram in pursuance of the last preceding regulation that is telephoned from a public telephone or from the telephone of a subscriber that is fitted with a Departmental coin attachment that is designed for the receipt of coins of two or more denominations.
“(2.) Where an amount equal to the sum of the charge payable for the transmission of a message to which this regulation applies and the additional fees and charges payable under the last preceding regulation for telephoning the
* Notified in the Commonwealth Gazette on 1967.
† Statutory Rules 1933, No. 88, as amended by Statutory Rules 1934, No. 136; 1938, No. 62; 1940, Nos. 101 and 156; 1951, No. 24; 1955, No. 57; 1956, No. 84; 1958, No. 4; 1959, Nos. 86 and 102; 1963, No. 50; and 1966, No. 26.
11574/67—Price 5c 9/22.8.1967
message to a telegraph office is not a multiple of Five cents, there is payable, in place of the additional fees and charges so payable, an additional fee such that the sum of the charge for the transmission of the message and the additional fee is an amount equal to the multiple of Five cents that is next above that first-mentioned amount.”.
By Authority: A. J. Arthur, Commonwealth Government Printer, Canberra
Overview
The Statutory Rules 1967 No. 130, enacted under the Post and Telegraph Act 1901-1966 and the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1905-1966, address the need to update the fees associated with telegram services, particularly the charges for messages phoned from public telephones or subscriber telephones fitted with a Departmental coin attachment. The objective of these Regulations, issued by the Governor-General in accordance with the advice of the Federal Executive Council, is to streamline and rationalise the fee structure for telegram services, ensuring that charges are clearly defined and easily understood by the public. These amendments aim to replace outdated terminology and adjust fees to be more in line with contemporary practices, ensuring that the service remains accessible and efficient for users. The Regulations came into effect on the first day of October, 1967, marking a step towards modernising the postal and telegraphic services in Australia.
Scope and Application
The Statutory Rules 1967 No. 130, Regulations under the Post and Telegraph Act 1901-1966 and the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1905-1966, primarily apply to the amendment of existing postal and telegraphic services regulations. The legislation targets individuals and businesses involved in the transmission of messages, particularly telegrams, via public telephones or subscriber telephones equipped with specific coin attachments designed for receiving coins of two or more denominations. This encompasses both the general public utilising postal services and businesses that may be indirectly affected by changes to fees associated with these services. The regulations have a national reach, being enacted under Commonwealth authority, and they supersede and amend the Postal and Telegraphic Services (General) Regulations, which were previously established under the same Acts. The scope of the amendments includes the modification of fees and charges for messages transmitted outside ordinary business hours and the introduction of a new regulation that adjusts the additional fees for telephoned telegrams to ensure that total charges are rounded up to the nearest five cents. Notably, these regulations do not specify any exclusions or exemptions, suggesting that all transactions falling under the defined criteria are subject to the amended terms. The application of the Act may be further defined or extended through subsequent subordinate instruments, although the current rules focus on the specified amendments to existing regulations.
Key Provisions
The Regulations under the Post and Telegraph Act 1901-1966 and the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1905-1966, as outlined in Statutory Rules 1967 No. 130, make several key amendments to the Postal and Telegraphic Services (General) Regulations. These changes primarily involve the replacement of "telephone unit fee" with "local call fee" in specific sections (Regulation 2(a), (b), and (c)). Furthermore, a new regulation, 8aa, is introduced to manage the additional fees associated with telegrams sent via public telephones or subscriber telephones equipped with Departmental coin attachments (Regulation 3). This new regulation stipulates that if the total charge, including transmission and additional fees, is not a multiple of five cents, an additional fee is applied to make the total a multiple of five cents.
These Regulations impose specific obligations on parties involved in the transmission of telegrams via public telephones or subscriber telephones fitted with Departmental coin attachments. The obligation is to ensure that the total charge, which includes the message transmission and any additional fees, is adjusted to the nearest multiple of five cents if it is not already (Regulation 8aa(2)). This adjustment ensures uniformity in billing practices and simplifies the fee structure for users.
Failure to comply with these Regulations may result in administrative consequences. While the document does not explicitly detail penalties for non-compliance, it is implied that adherence to the prescribed fee structure is mandatory. In the context of Australian administrative law, non-compliance with statutory regulations could potentially lead to enforcement actions, fines, or other civil remedies, depending on the specific provisions of the underlying Acts and any related legislation. The precise penalties would be determined based on the severity and nature of the breach, in line with relevant legal frameworks.