Salaries Adjustment Act 1955

Administered by Department of Finance

Legislation au C1955A00018 In force Act

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No. 18, 1955

Compilation date: 16 February 1956

Includes amendments up to: Act No. 69, 1955

About this compilation

This compilation

This is a compilation of the Salaries Adjustment Act 1955 that shows the text of the law as amended and in force on 16 February 1956 (the compilation date).

The notes at the end of this compilation (the endnotes) include information about amending laws and the amendment history of provisions of the compiled law.

Application, saving and transitional provisions for provisions and amendments

If the operation of a provision or amendment of the compiled law is affected by an application, saving or transitional provision that is not included in this compilation, details are included in the endnotes.

Modifications

If the compiled law is modified by another law, the compiled law operates as modified but the modification does not amend the text of the law. Accordingly, this compilation does not show the text of the compiled law as modified.

Self‑repealing provisions

If a provision of the compiled law has been repealed in accordance with a provision of the law, details are included in the endnotes.

Contents

1 Short title

2 Commencement

3 Statutory offices

4 Public Service and other Services

First Schedule

Second Schedule

Third Schedule

Endnotes

Endnote 1—Legislation history

Endnote 2—Amendment history

An Act to provide for Increases in certain Salaries and for purposes connected therewith.

1 Short title

This Act may be cited as the Salaries Adjustment Act 1955.

2 Commencement

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

3 Statutory offices

(1) The Acts specified in the first column of the First Schedule to this Act (being Acts fixing the salaries payable to the holders of the offices respectively specified in the second column of that Schedule) are amended as respectively specified in the third column of that Schedule.

(2) The amendments effected by the last preceding sub-section shall be deemed to have had effect from and including the first day of January, One thousand nine hundred and fifty-five.

(3) Section one hundred and eighty-two of the Income Tax and Social Services Contribution Assessment Act 1936-1954 is amended by omitting the words ''Thirty thousand pounds'' and inserting in their stead the words ''Thirty-five thousand pounds''.

(4) Section one of the Public Service Arbitration Act 1955 is amended by omitting sub-section (3).

(5) Each Act specified in the first column of the Second Schedule to this Act, as amended by this Act, may be cited in the manner specified in the second column of that Schedule opposite to the reference to that Act in the first column.

4 Public Service and other Services

(1) The variations in the salaries, or limits of salary, of offices or positions specified in the first column of the Third Schedule to this Act made by the authorities respectively specified in the second column of that Schedule on the dates respectively specified in the third column of that Schedule shall be deemed to have been lawfully made and shall have effect, and shall be deemed to have had effect from and including the dates respectively specified in the fourth column of that Schedule, as a re-classification of those offices or positions.

(2) An office or position so re-classified shall be deemed not to have become vacant by reason of the re-classification.

(3) Regulations may be made under the Public Service Act 1922-1955 for purposes of or in relation to a re-classification referred to in sub-section (1) of this section of offices to which that Act applies and regulations so made shall be deemed to have come into operation on the twenty-third day of December, One thousand nine hundred and fifty-four.

(4) Any action taken before the commencement of this Act by an authority specified in the second column of the Third Schedule to this Act for purposes of or in relation to a re-classification referred to in sub-section (1) of this section shall be deemed to have been lawfully taken, and, if the authority specified a date as the date from which that action should be deemed to have had effect, to have had effect from that date.

(5) The action referred to in the last preceding sub-section includes, in the case of an office or position having varied limits of salary applicable to it by virtue of a re-classification referred to in sub-section (1) of this section, action to determine:

(a) the rate of salary, within those limits, which the occupant of that office or position was entitled to be paid as from the date specified in the fourth column of the Third Schedule to this Act in relation to that office or position; and

(b) the date as from which the occupant of that office or position would become eligible to be granted his first increment of salary after the date so specified.

(6) The Public Service Act 1951 is repealed. Section 5 repealed by No. 27, 1955, s. 11.

First Schedule

First Column Acts amended	Second Column Offices	Third Column Amendments
Audit Act 1901-1954	Auditor-General for the Commonwealth	Section 4- Omit ''Three thousand five hundred pounds'', insert ''Four thousand five hundred pounds''
Commonwealth Railways Act 1917-1954	Commonwealth Railways Commissioner	Section 14- Omit from sub-section (1) ''Three thousand five hundred pounds'', insert ''Four thousand five hundred pounds''
Conciliation and Arbitration Act 1904-1952, as amended by the Judges' Remuneration Act 1955	Chief Conciliation Commissioner	Section 10- Omit from sub-section (1) ''Two thousand two hundred and fifty pounds'', insert ''Three thousand two hundred and fifty pounds''
	Conciliation Commissioner	Section 10- Omit from sub-section (1) ''One thousand eight hundred pounds'', insert ''Two thousand seven hundred and fifty pounds''
Public Service Act 1922-1954	Chairman of the Public Service Board	Section 13- Omit from sub-section (1) ''Four thousand pounds'', insert ''Five thousand five hundred pounds''
	Member of the Public Service Board	Section 13- Omit from sub-section (1) ''Three thousand two hundred and fifty pounds'', insert ''Four thousand five hundred pounds''
Public Service Arbitration Act 1920-1952, as amended by the Public Service Arbitration Act 1955	Public Service Arbitrator	Section 7- Omit from sub-section (1) ''Three thousand two hundred and fifty pounds'', insert ''Four thousand five hundred pounds''
Taxation Administration Act 1953, as amended by the Income Tax and Social Services Contribution Assessment Act 1953, the Entertainments Tax Abolition Act 1953, the Pay-roll Tax Assessment Act 1953 and the Estate Duty Assessment Act 1953	Commissioner of Taxation Second Commissioner of Taxation	Section 5- Omit from sub-section (6) ''Four thousand pounds'', insert ''Five thousand five hundred pounds''
		Section 5- Omit from sub-section (6) ''Three thousand pounds'', insert ''Four thousand five hundred pounds''

Second Schedule

Amended by No. 54, 1955, s. 1; No. 62, 1955, s. 1; and No. 69, 1955, s. 67.

First Column Acts amended	Second Column Citations
Audit Act 1901-1954	Audit Act 1901-1955
Public Service Act 1922-1954	Public Service Act 1922-1955
Public Service Arbitration Act 1920-1952, as amended by the Public Service Arbitration Act 1955	Public Service Arbitration Act 1920-1955
Taxation Administration Act 1953, as amended by the Income Tax and Social Services Contribution Assessment Act 1953, the Entertainments Tax Abolition Act 1953, the Pay-roll Tax Assessment Act 1953 and the Estate Duty Assessment Act 1953	Taxation Administration Act 1953-1955

Third Schedule

First Column Offices and Positions	Second Column Authority	Third Column Date of Resolution	Fourth Column Date of Effect
Offices in the several Departments of State of the Commonwealth	Public Service Board	Nineteenth day of January, 1955	Twenty-third day of December, 1954
Offices in the Department of the Senate	The President of the Senate	Twenty-eighth day of January, 1955	Twenty-third day of December, 1954
Offices in the Department of the House of Representatives	The Speaker of the House of Representatives	Nineteenth day of January, 1955	Twenty-third day of December, 1954
Offices in the Department of the Parliamentary Library	The President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives	Nineteenth day of January, 1955	Twenty-third day of December, 1954
Offices in the Department of the Parliamentary Reporting Staff	The President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives	Twenty-eighth day of January, 1955	Twenty-third day of December, 1954
Offices in the Joint House Department	The President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives	Twenty-third day of February, 1955	Twenty-third day of December, 1954
Positions in the Service of the Overseas Telecommunications Commission (Australia)	Overseas Telecommunications Commission (Australia)	Twentieth day of January, 1955	Twenty-fifth day of December, 1954
Positions in the Service of the Australian Broadcasting Commission	Australian Broadcasting Commission	Ninth day of February, 1955	Twenty-sixth day of December, 1954
Positions in the Commonwealth Bank Service	Commonwealth Bank of Australia	Third day of March, 1955	Third day of December, 1954

Endnotes

Endnote 1—Legislation history

This endnote sets out details of the legislation history of the Salaries Adjustment Act 1955.

Act	Number and year	Assent	Commencement	Application, saving and transitional provisions
Salaries Adjustment Act 1955	18, 1955	10 June 1955	10 June 1955 (s 2)
Superannuation Act 1955	27, 1955	15 June 1955	s 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7(a) and 10: 19 Jan 1955 Remainder: Royal Assent	—
Conciliation and Arbitration Act 1955	54, 1955	3 Nov 1955	3 Nov 1955	—
Income Tax and Social Services Contribution Assessment Act 1955	62, 1955	4 Nov 1955	4 Nov 1955	—
Lands Acquisition Act 1955	69, 1955	4 Nov 1955	16 Feb 1956 (see Gazette 1956, p. 472)	—

Endnote 2—Amendment history

Provision affected	How affected
s 5.....................	rep No 27,1955
Second Schedule............	am No 54, 1955; No 62, 1955; No 69, 1955

Overview

The Salaries Adjustment Act 1955 was enacted by the Parliament of Australia to provide for increases in certain salaries and for purposes connected therewith. The primary objective of this Act was to adjust the salaries of various statutory office holders and public servants in response to economic and inflationary conditions. The Act received the Royal Assent on 10 June 1955 and came into operation on the same day. It amended several existing Acts to adjust the salaries of various officials, including the Auditor-General, Commonwealth Railways Commissioner, and members of the Public Service Board, among others. Furthermore, the Act deemed previous salary variations and reclassifications to be lawful, ensuring that no office or position became vacant due to such changes. This legislative action was essential to maintaining fair compensation levels in the public sector and addressing economic pressures of the time.

Scope and Application

The Salaries Adjustment Act 1955 applies to the holders of various statutory offices, as outlined in the First Schedule, and to the salaries and positions within the Public Service and other services, as specified in the Third Schedule. This Act amends several existing Acts to adjust the salaries of specific positions, including those of the Auditor-General, the Commonwealth Railways Commissioner, the Chief Conciliation Commissioner, the Conciliation Commissioner, the Chairman of the Public Service Board, Members of the Public Service Board, the Public Service Arbitrator, and the Commissioner of Taxation and Second Commissioner of Taxation. The Act has a Commonwealth jurisdictional reach, meaning it applies across Australia and is applicable to federal statutory offices and services. The Act also validates salary adjustments made by specified authorities for certain offices and positions, effective from specified dates, as outlined in the Third Schedule. The Act does not explicitly state any exclusions or exemptions, and its application is not extended or restricted by subordinate instruments.

Key Provisions

The Salaries Adjustment Act 1955 (C1955A00018) primarily serves to adjust salaries for various statutory offices and positions within the Commonwealth. Section 3 of the Act amends specific Acts to adjust the salaries payable to the holders of offices as detailed in the First Schedule. For instance, it increases the salary for the Auditor-General from three thousand five hundred pounds to four thousand five hundred pounds (First Schedule, Audit Act 1901-1954). Similarly, it amends the Public Service Arbitration Act 1955 to adjust the salary for the Public Service Arbitrator from three thousand two hundred and fifty pounds to four thousand five hundred pounds (First Schedule, Public Service Arbitration Act 1920-1952). Additionally, Section 4 of the Act makes specific amendments to the Income Tax and Social Services Contribution Assessment Act 1936-1954 and the Public Service Arbitration Act 1955, including increasing the threshold for income tax from thirty thousand pounds to thirty-five thousand pounds (Section 3(3) and Section 4). The Act imposes obligations on the relevant authorities to ensure that the amended salaries are applied as per the provisions of the Act. Specifically, Section 4 mandates that the variations in salaries or limits of salary of offices or positions specified in the Third Schedule are to be deemed lawfully made and effective from the dates specified. The Public Service Board and other relevant authorities must ensure that the reclassifications and salary adjustments are implemented as per the resolutions and dates specified in the Third Schedule. Furthermore, Section 4(3) empowers the making of regulations under the Public Service Act 1922-1955 for purposes of these reclassifications, which are deemed to have come into operation on the twenty-third day of December, 1954. Breach of the provisions of the Salaries Adjustment Act 1955 may result in various consequences. While the Act does not explicitly outline specific offences or penalties for non-compliance, the legal framework surrounding the Act suggests that failure to implement the mandated salary adjustments could be subject to administrative or judicial review. The penalties for such breaches could range from corrective actions to ensure compliance to potential civil or criminal liabilities, depending on the severity and intent behind the non-compliance. The precise penalties would be determined in the context of the relevant legal proceedings and applicable laws at the time of any alleged breach.

Area of Law: Public Service and other Services; Taxation Law
Instrument: Act
Concepts: Commencement Provisions; Repeal & Amendment; Transitional Provisions; Offence Provisions; Licensing & Registration; Compliance Obligations

Interactions

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.

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