Queensland Grant (Beef Cattle Roads) Act 1961

Legislation au C1961A00090 Not in force Act

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QUEENSLAND GRANT (BEEF CATTLE ROADS).

 

No. 90 of 1961.

An Act to grant Financial Assistance to the State of Queensland for Works in connexion with certain Roads to be used for the transport of Beef Cattle.

[Assented to 27th October, 1961.]

BE it enacted by the Queen’s Most Excellent Majesty, the Senate, and the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Australia, for the purpose of appropriating the grant originated in the House of Representatives, as follows:—

Short title.

1. This Act may be cited as the Queensland Grant (Beef Cattle Roads) Act 1961.

Commencement.

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


Definitions.

3. In this Act, unless the contrary intention appears—

“approved work” means a work approved by the Treasurer under this Act;

“the prescribed period” means the period of five years that commenced on the first day of July, One thousand nine hundred and sixty-one;

“the State” means the State of Queensland;

“year” means financial year.

Approval of works.

4.—(1.) The State may request the Commonwealth to approve, for the purposes of this Act, specified works in connexion with roads to be used for the transport of beef cattle, and the Treasurer may, subject to the next succeeding sub-section, approve any such work on behalf of the Commonwealth.

(2.) The Treasurer shall not approve a work under this section unless he is satisfied that the carrying out of the work is likely to result in a substantial increase in the production of beef and has taken into consideration, in addition to such other matters as he thinks fit, the estimated cost of the work in relation to the estimated increase in the production of beef.

(3.) The construction of a road between Normanton and Julia Creek shall, for the purposes of this Act, be deemed to be a work approved by the Treasurer under this section.

Grant of financial assistance.

5.—(1.) Subject to this Act, there are payable to the State, for the purpose of financial assistance, amounts equal to the amounts expended by the State in the prescribed period on approved works.

(2.) The amounts payable to the State in respect of the first One million pounds expended in the prescribed period on the construction of a road between Normanton and Julia Creek shall not exceed, in the aggregate, Six hundred and fifty thousand pounds.

(3.) The amounts payable to the State under this Act shall not exceed, in the aggregate, Five million pounds.

Standards of design and construction.

6. The Treasurer may, for the purposes of this Act, approve standards of design or construction for any approved work and if, after standards so approved have been notified to the State, expenditure is incurred by the State in carrying out that work otherwise than in accordance with those standards, the Treasurer may direct that payments under this Act shall not be made in respect of that expenditure.


Statements of expenditure.

7. Payments under section five of this Act shall be made n respect of expenditure by the State in the periods of six months ending on the thirty-first day of December and the thirtieth day of June in each year of the prescribed period, and the State is not entitled to a payment in respect of expenditure in any of those periods unless the State has furnished to the Treasurer, as soon as practicable after the end of the period—

(a) a statement, in accordance with a form approved by the Treasurer, giving particulars of that expenditure;

(b) a certificate by the Auditor-General of the State that the particulars shown in the statement are correct; and

(c) such other relevant information as the Treasurer requests.

Certain expenditure not to be taken into account for purposes of Commonwealth Aid Roads Act.

8.—(1.) Amounts expended by the State in respect of which payments are made to the State under this Act shall not be taken into account for the purposes of section six of the Commonwealth Aid Roads Act 1959.

(2.) Where the State expends in the prescribed period on the construction of a road between Normanton and Julia Creek amounts other than amounts referred to in the last preceding sub-section, the first Three hundred and fifty thousand pounds so expended shall not be taken into account for the purposes of section six of the Commonwealth Aid Roads Act 1959.

Advances.

9.—(1.) The Treasurer may, at such times as he thinks fit, make advances of such amounts as he thinks fit to the State on account of an amount that may become payable under this Act to the State.

(2.) Payment of an advance to the State shall be subject to the condition that the State will repay to the Commonwealth, on demand by the Treasurer, the amount by which, at the time of the demand, the total of the payments (including advances) paid to the State under this Act exceeds the total of the amounts that have become payable to the State under section five of this Act.

Appropriation.

10. Payments under this Act shall be made out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund, which is appropriated accordingly.

Overview

The Queensland Grant (Beef Cattle Roads) Act 1961 was enacted by the Parliament of Australia to provide financial assistance to the State of Queensland for infrastructure improvements related to roads used for the transportation of beef cattle. The Act was intended to address the need for enhanced road infrastructure to support the beef cattle industry, which was crucial for economic development and productivity in Queensland at the time. The primary policy objective of the Act is to facilitate substantial increases in beef production by improving road conditions, thereby supporting the state's agricultural sector. The Act authorises the Commonwealth to approve specific works and provides for financial assistance up to a specified limit, ensuring that the investment in infrastructure translates into tangible benefits for the beef cattle industry.

Scope and Application

The Queensland Grant (Beef Cattle Roads) Act 1961 applies to the State of Queensland and concerns the financial assistance provided by the Commonwealth to the State for specific works related to roads intended for the transport of beef cattle. The Act applies to the construction of roads within Queensland that are specifically meant for the transportation of beef cattle. The geographic reach of this Act is limited to the state of Queensland. The Act allows the Treasurer to approve works only if they are likely to result in a substantial increase in beef production and the costs are considered reasonable relative to the expected increase in production. Additionally, the Act sets specific thresholds for the maximum financial assistance, with a cap of Five million pounds for all approved works and a specific limit of Six hundred and fifty thousand pounds for the construction of a road between Normanton and Julia Creek. The Act also stipulates that certain expenditures will not be taken into account under other federal legislation, specifically the Commonwealth Aid Roads Act 1959. This Act may be further detailed or modified through subordinate instruments as needed.

Key Provisions

The Queensland Grant (Beef Cattle Roads) Act 1961 (section 1) is a legislative instrument designed to facilitate financial assistance from the Commonwealth to the State of Queensland for specified works related to roads intended for the transport of beef cattle. The Act came into operation immediately upon receiving Royal Assent (section 2). Key terms are defined in section 3, including "approved work", which refers to works approved by the Treasurer; "the prescribed period", which is a five-year period starting on July 1, 1961; "the State", meaning the State of Queensland; and "year", which means the financial year. Under the Act, Queensland may request the Commonwealth to approve specific works related to beef cattle transport roads (section 4). The Treasurer has the authority to approve such works, provided they are likely to result in a significant increase in beef production and that the estimated costs of the works are considered alongside the expected increase in beef production. Additionally, the construction of a road between Normanton and Julia Creek is automatically deemed approved by the Treasurer (section 4(3)). The Act stipulates that financial assistance in the form of payments to Queensland will be made for expenditures on approved works within the prescribed period (section 5). However, the total payments for the first £1 million spent on the Normanton-Julia Creek road are capped at £650,000, and the total payments for all approved works are capped at £5 million (section 5(2) and (3)). The Treasurer is empowered to approve standards of design or construction for approved works (section 6). If Queensland incurs expenditure on an approved work that deviates from the approved standards, the Treasurer may direct that no payments will be made for that expenditure. To receive payments under the Act, Queensland must furnish the Treasurer with a statement of expenditure, a certificate from the State's Auditor-General attesting to the accuracy of the statement, and any other relevant information requested by the Treasurer (section 7). Expenditures eligible for payments under this Act are excluded from consideration under section 6 of the Commonwealth Aid Roads Act 1959, except for the first £350,000 spent on the Normanton-Julia Creek road (section 8). The Treasurer has the authority to make advances to Queensland at their discretion (section 9). Any such advance is contingent on the condition that Queensland repays the Commonwealth any excess amounts if the total payments, including advances, exceed the total amounts that have become payable under the Act. All payments under this Act are to be made from the Consolidated Revenue Fund, which is appropriated accordingly (section 10).

Legal classification tags

Area of Law
Finance & Banking Law
Infrastructure Law
Instrument
Act
Concepts
Definitions & Interpretation
Commencement Provisions
Approval of works
Grant of financial assistance
Standards of design and construction
Reporting & Disclosure 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.