Publication of Newspapers in Foreign Languages Regulations

Legislation au C1934L00013 Regulations Not in force Legislative Instrument

Legislation content

STATUTORY RULES.

1934. No. 13.

_______

REGULATIONS UNDER THE WAR PRECAUTIONS ACT REPEAL ACT 1920-1928.

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 War Precautions Act Repeal Act 1920-1928.

Dated this twenty-fifth day of January, 1934.

ISAAC A. ISAACS

Governor-General.

By His Excellency’s Command,

J. A. LYONS

Prime Minister.

________

Publication of Newspapers in Foreign Languages Regulations.

Short title.

1. These Regulations may be cited as the Publication of Newspapers in Foreign Languages Regulations.

Publication of newspapers in foreign languages

2.—(1.) Any person who, without the consent in writing of the Prime Minister, or of some person thereto authorized by the Prime Minister, publishes in a foreign language any newspaper or periodical, or any portion thereof (whether the matter contained in such newspaper or periodical be printed, or be produced by any other mode of representing or reproducing words in a visible form), shall be guilty of an offence.

Penalty: One hundred pounds or imprisonment for six months or both.

(2.) The provisions of sub-regulation (1.) of this Regulation shall not apply to the publication in a foreign language of any portion of a newspaper or periodical where the portion does not exceed two hundred words.

Conditions of consent.

3.—(1.) The consent of the Prime Minister, or a person thereto authorized by the Prime Minister, to the publication of a newspaper or periodical, or any portion thereof, in a foreign language, may be granted subject to such conditions as the Prime Minister or the authorized person (as the case may be) determines, and may be withdrawn at any time by notice served personally on the publisher or by registered letter addressed to him at his last known address, or by notice published in the Gazette.

(2.) Where consent to the publication of a newspaper or periodical, or a portion thereof, in a foreign language has been granted subject to conditions, the publisher shall comply with such conditions.

Penalty: Fifty pounds or imprisonment for three months or both.

3362.—Price 3d.

Translation of matter in foreign language may be required.

4. Without limiting the effect of regulation 3 of these Regulations, the consent to the publication of a newspaper or periodical, or any portion thereof, in a foreign language may at the discretion of the Prime Minister or a person thereto authorized by him, be subject to the condition that there be published, in a column parallel to that containing the matter published in a foreign language, a translation in the English language of that matter.

Name and address of printer and publisher to be published.

5.—(1.) No newspaper or periodical, or portion thereof exceeding two hundred words, shall be published in a foreign language unless the imprint of the printer and publisher appears at the foot of the first page of the newspaper or periodical.

(2.) The imprint appearing upon any newspaper or periodical published in a foreign language shall, in any proceedings under these Regulations, be prima facie evidence that the newspaper or periodical was printed and published by or on behalf, of the person or persons specified in the imprint.

(3.) For the purposes of this regulation, “imprint” mean’s a true statement of the name and address of the printer and the name and address of the publisher of the newspaper or periodical.

(4.) Any person who publishes any newspaper or periodical in contravention of this regulation, or causes any newspaper or periodical to be published in contravention of this regulation, shall be guilty of an offence.

Penalty: One hundred pounds or imprisonment for six months or both.

Publisher to supply copy of newspaper if required.

6. The publisher of any newspaper or periodical published in a foreign language shall, whenever so required by notice in writing signed by or on behalf of the Secretary, Prime Minister’s Department, forward or deliver to him or to a person, specified in the notice, within the period specified in the notice—

(a) a copy of any specified issue of the newspaper or periodical, or

(b) copies of all issues published during any specified period

in accordance with the requirements of the notice.

Penalty: Fifty pounds or imprisonment for three months or both.

Seizure of newspapers published in contravention of Regulations.

7. Where the Prime Minister is satisfied that any newspaper or periodical has been, or is about to be published in contravention of these Regulations, he may authorize such persons as he thinks fit to enter, if need be by force, any premises, and to seize any copies of the newspaper or periodical found thereon, and also any type or other plant used, or capable of being used for the printing or production of the newspaper or periodical, and to deal with any articles so seized in such manner as the Prime Minister directs:

Repeal.

8. The Publication of Newspapers in Foreign Languages Regulations, 1921 (being Statutory Rules, 1921, No, 2, as amended by Statutory Rules 1932, No. 127) are repealed.

______________________

By Authority: L. F. Johnston, Commonwealth Government Printer, Canberra.

Overview

The Publication of Newspapers in Foreign Languages Regulations 1934, made under the War Precautions Act Repeal Act 1920-1928, was enacted to address the need for stringent control over the publication of newspapers and periodicals in foreign languages during a time of national security concerns. This legislative instrument was issued by the Governor-General, acting on the advice of the Federal Executive Council, with the overarching aim of maintaining national security by regulating the dissemination of information in languages other than English. The primary policy objective was to prevent the unauthorised publication of foreign language newspapers and periodicals that could potentially be used to spread subversive or harmful information. Publishers were required to obtain explicit written consent from the Prime Minister or an authorised delegate, and any publication in contravention of these regulations could result in substantial penalties. Additionally, these regulations required the parallel publication of translations in English and the mandatory inclusion of the printer and publisher's imprint on all foreign language publications.

Scope and Application

The Publication of Newspapers in Foreign Languages Regulations made under the War Precautions Act Repeal Act 1920-1928 governs the publication of newspapers or periodicals in any foreign language within the Commonwealth of Australia. This regulation applies to any person who intends to publish any portion of a newspaper or periodical in a foreign language, whether by printing or any other means of representing words in a visible form. The regulation stipulates that such publication without the written consent of the Prime Minister or an authorised person is an offence, with penalties including fines up to one hundred pounds, imprisonment for up to six months, or both. However, this prohibition does not apply to the publication of a portion in a foreign language that does not exceed two hundred words. The consent granted by the Prime Minister or an authorised person may be subject to conditions and can be withdrawn at any time. Additionally, the consent may require that a translation of the foreign language content be published in parallel with the original content in English. Furthermore, any newspaper or periodical published in a foreign language must include the imprint with the name and address of the printer and publisher at the foot of the first page. Publishers are also required to supply copies of the newspaper or periodical to the Secretary, Prime Minister’s Department, upon request. The Prime Minister also has the authority to seize any copies of newspapers or periodicals published in contravention of these Regulations, along with any related printing equipment. These Regulations effectively repeal the earlier Publication of Newspapers in Foreign Languages Regulations, 1921.

Key Provisions

The key operative sections of the Publication of Newspapers in Foreign Languages Regulations (Regulations) establish the framework for controlling the publication of newspapers and periodicals in foreign languages. According to Regulation 2(1), any person who publishes a newspaper or periodical, or any portion thereof, in a foreign language without the written consent of the Prime Minister or an authorized person commits an offence. This consent can be granted subject to certain conditions (Regulation 3). Exceptions are made for portions of newspapers or periodicals that do not exceed two hundred words in length (Regulation 2(2) and Regulation 5(1)). The Regulations impose several obligations on publishers. Firstly, they must obtain written consent from the Prime Minister or an authorized person before publishing in a foreign language (Regulation 2(1)). If consent is granted, it can be subject to specific conditions that the publisher must comply with (Regulation 3(2)). Additionally, publishers must ensure that the imprint, which includes the name and address of the printer and publisher, appears at the foot of the first page of any foreign language publication exceeding two hundred words (Regulation 5(1)). Furthermore, publishers are required to supply copies of the newspaper or periodical to the Secretary of the Prime Minister’s Department upon request (Regulation 6). Failure to comply with the Regulations results in civil penalties. For instance, publishing a foreign language newspaper or periodical without the required consent is an offence, punishable by a fine of one hundred pounds, imprisonment for six months, or both (Regulation 2(1)). Similarly, not complying with the conditions of consent, failing to include the required imprint, or refusing to supply copies when requested are also punishable by a fine of fifty pounds, imprisonment for three months, or both (Regulations 3(2) and 6). The Prime Minister also has the authority to seize any offending newspapers or periodicals, as well as any equipment used in their production, and to direct the disposal of such items (Regulation 7).

Legal classification tags

Area of Law
National Security Law
Instrument
Legislative Instrument
Concepts
Offence Provisions
Reporting & Disclosure Obligations
Enforcement Powers
Prohibited Conduct

Interactions

Authorises

All Versions

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.