Salaries (Statutory Offices) Adjustment Act 1950

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SALARIES (STATUTORY OFFICES) ADJUSTMENT.

No. 51 of 1950.

An Act to increase the Salaries payable to the Holders of certain Statutory Offices.

[Assented to 14th December, 1950.]

BE it enacted by the King’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 Salaries (Statutory Offices) Adjustment Act 1950.

Commencement.

2. This Act shall be deemed to have come into operation on the first day of July, One thousand nine hundred and fifty.

Amendment of certain Acts.

3. 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.

Citation of Acts.

4. 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.

THE SCHEDULES.

——

Sec. 3. FIRST SCHEDULE.

First Column.	Second Column.	Third Column.
Acts amended.	Offices.	Amendments.
Judiciary Act 1903–1948	Chief Justice of the High Court	Section 47— Omit from sub-section (1.) “Four thousand five hundred pounds”, insert “Five thousand pounds”
	Justice of the High Court	Section 47— Omit from sub-section (1.) “Four thousand pounds”, insert “Four thousand five hundred pounds”
Commonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Act 1904–1949	Chief Conciliation Commissioner and Conciliation Commissioner	Section 10— Omit sub-section (1.), insert the following sub-sections:— “(1.) The salary of the Chief Conciliation Commissioner shall be at the rate of Two thousand two hundred and fifty pounds a year and the salary of each other Conciliation Commissioner shall be at the rate of One thousand eight hundred pounds a year. “(1a.) The Consolidated Revenue Fund is, to the necessary extent, hereby appropriated accordingly.”
	Chief Judge of the Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration	Section 21— Omit from sub-section (1.) “Four thousand pounds”, insert “Four thousand five hundred pounds”
	Judge of the Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration	Section 21— Omit from sub-section (1.) “Three thousand five hundred pounds”, insert “Four thousand pounds”
Bankruptcy Act 1924–1948	Judge of the Federal Court of Bankruptcy	Section 18bb— Omit from sub-section (1.) “Three thousand five hundred pounds”, insert “Four thousand pounds”
Seat of Government Supreme Court Act 1933–1947	Judge of the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory	Section 8b— Omit from sub-section (1.) “Three thousand pounds”, insert “Three thousand five hundred pounds”

First Schedule—continued.

First Column.	Second Column.	Third Column.
Acts amended.	Offices.	Amendments.
Arbitration (Public Service) Act 1920–1947	Public Service Arbitrator	Section 7— Omit from sub-section (1.) “Two thousand seven hundred and fifty pounds”, insert “Three thousand two hundred and fifty pounds”
Audit Act 1901–1948...	Auditor-General......	Section 4— Omit “Two thousand seven hundred and fifty pounds”, insert “Three thousand two hundred and fifty pounds”
Commonwealth Public Service Act 1922–1943	Chairman of the Public Service Board	Section 13— Omit from sub-section (1.) “Three thousand five hundred pounds”, insert” Four thousand pounds”
	Member of the Public Service Board	Section 13— Omit “Two thousand seven hundred and fifty pounds” insert “Three thousand two hundred and fifty pounds”
Commonwealth Railways Act 1917–1936	Commonwealth Railways Commissioner	Section 14— Omit from sub-section (1.) “Three thousand pounds”, insert “Three thousand five hundred pounds”
Land Tax Assessment Act 1910–1949	Commissioner of Land Tax	Section 5— Omit from sub-section (5.) “Three thousand pounds”, insert “Three thousand five hundred pounds”
	Assistant Commissioner of Land Tax	Section 15— Omit from sub-section (5.) “Two thousand two hundred and fifty pounds”, insert “Two thousand seven hundred and fifty pounds”

Sec. 4. SECOND SCHEDULE.

First Column.	Second Column.
Acts amended.	Citations.
Judiciary Act 1903–1948	Judiciary Act 1903–1950
Commonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Act 1904–1949	Commonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Act 1904–1950
Bankruptcy Act 1924–1948	Bankruptcy Act 1924–1950
Seat of Government Supreme Court Act 1933–1947	Seat of Government Supreme Court Act 1933–1950
Arbitration (Public Service) Act 1920–1947	Arbitration (Public Service) Act 1920–1950
Audit Act 1901–1948	Audit Act 1901–1950
Commonwealth Public Service Act 1922–1948	Commonwealth Public Service Act 1922–1950
Commonwealth Railways Act 1917–1936	Commonwealth Railways Act 1917–1950
Land Tax Assessment Act 1910–1949	Land Tax Assessment Act 1910–1950

Overview

The Salaries (Statutory Offices) Adjustment Act 1950 was enacted by the Commonwealth Parliament to address the need for salary adjustments for various statutory office holders in Australia. This legislation was necessitated by the economic conditions and inflation of the post-war period, which required a review and adjustment of salaries for statutory office holders to ensure their remuneration remained competitive and commensurate with the cost of living. The Act amended several existing statutes to increase the salaries of various statutory office holders, including judges, commissioners, and other public officials, by specifying the new salary rates in the relevant legislation. The policy objective of the Act was to provide appropriate adjustments to the remuneration of statutory office holders, thereby maintaining their efficiency and effectiveness in their respective roles.

Scope and Application

The Salaries (Statutory Offices) Adjustment Act 1950 applies to the holders of specific statutory offices within the Commonwealth of Australia by amending various Acts to adjust their salaries. The Act amends the salaries of judicial and administrative officials, including the Chief Justice and Justices of the High Court, the Chief Conciliation Commissioner and Conciliation Commissioners under the Commonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Act 1904–1949, and the Chief Judge and Judges of the Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration, among others. This Act operates on a national level as it is a Commonwealth Act. The Act came into operation on 1 July 1950, and it is through this Act that the specified offices' salaries are increased as per the First Schedule. The Act does not explicitly state any exclusions or exemptions, but it is implicitly understood that only the offices listed in the First Schedule are subject to the amendments. The Act also provides for the citation of the amended Acts as specified in the Second Schedule.

Key Provisions

The Salaries (Statutory Offices) Adjustment Act 1950 (C1950A00051) amends the salaries of various statutory officeholders, as specified in the First Schedule (section 3). This includes increasing the salary of the Chief Justice of the High Court from four thousand five hundred pounds to five thousand pounds (section 47(1)), and the salary of a Justice of the High Court from four thousand pounds to four thousand five hundred pounds (section 47(1)). The Act also adjusts salaries for positions such as the Chief Conciliation Commissioner, Conciliation Commissioner, Chief Judge of the Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration, and Judge of the Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration, among others. The Act imposes obligations on the government to ensure that the amended salaries are paid to the relevant officeholders. For instance, the Consolidated Revenue Fund is appropriated to cover the new salary rates of the Chief Conciliation Commissioner and Conciliation Commissioners (section 10(1a)). Additionally, the salaries of various other officials, such as the Chief Judge of the Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration and the Judge of the Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration, are increased as specified. The Act does not explicitly outline any offences, penalties, or civil/criminal consequences for non-compliance with the salary adjustments. However, the legal requirement to adjust salaries and the appropriation of funds to cover these adjustments imply that failure to comply with the Act could potentially lead to legal repercussions. The exact nature of these consequences would depend on the specific legal context and the discretion of the courts in interpreting the Act.

Area of Law: Administrative Law
Instrument: Act
Concepts: Commencement Provisions; Repeal & Amendment; Amendment of certain Acts

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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