States Grants (Roads Interim Assistance) Act 1977

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States Grants (Roads Interim Assistance) Act 1977

Act No. 78 of 1977 as amended

[Note: This Act is repealed by Act No. 118 of 1999]

This compilation was prepared on 19 July 2000
taking into account amendments up to Act No. 118 of 1999

Prepared by the Office of Legislative Drafting,
AttorneyGeneral’s Department, Canberra

 

 

 

Contents

1 Short title [see Note 1]...........................

2 Commencement [see Note 1].......................

3 Interpretation.................................

4 Approval of road works...........................

5 Grants of financial assistance to States..................

6 Conditions of payment...........................

Schedule

Notes 

 

An Act to provide for Financial Assistance to the States in relation to Roads

1  Short title [see Note 1]

This Act may be cited as the States Grants (Roads Interim Assistance) Act 1977.

2  Commencement [see Note 1]

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

3  Interpretation

 (1) In this Act, unless the contrary intention appears:

approved road works means proposed road works approved by the Minister under section 4.

government authority means a municipal, shire or other local authority, and includes an authority of a State, being an incorporated body, that is responsible for the construction and maintenance of certain of the roads in an area of the State.

road includes:

 (a) a road sign;

 (b) traffic control equipment;

 (c) street lighting equipment;

 (d) a vehicular ferry;

 (e) a bridge or tunnel, including a bridge or tunnel for the use of pedestrians;

 (f) a path for the use of persons riding bicycles;

 (g) a ramp provided to facilitate the launching of boats; and

 (h) vehicular access from a road to a ramp referred to in paragraph (g),

associated with a road.

road works means:

 (a) the construction of roads;

 (b) the maintenance of roads; and

 (c) minor traffic engineering and road safety improvements in relation to roads.

 (2) An amount paid by a State to a government authority for a particular purpose shall, for the purposes of this Act, be deemed to have been expended by the State for that purpose.

 (3) For the purposes of this Act, where an amount is expended by a State or by a government authority, by way of the payment of wages and an amount of tax is paid by the State or the authority (whether by way of a payment of moneys, the crediting of an account or otherwise) on those wages, being a tax imposed by a law of the State upon employers on wages paid by them, the amount of tax shall be deemed to be an additional amount of those wages.

 (4) In subsection (3), wages includes payments in the nature of wages.

 (5) Subject to subsection (3), for the purposes of this Act, moneys paid or credited by a State to a trust account or other account in the Treasury of the State shall not be taken, by reason only of their having been so paid or credited, to have been expended by the State.

4  Approval of road works

The Minister may approve proposed road works for the purposes of this Act.

5  Grants of financial assistance to States

 (1) There is payable to a State specified in column 1 of the Schedule, for the purpose of financial assistance with respect to approved road works in the State, the amount specified in column 2 of the Schedule opposite to the name of the State.

 (2) Payments in accordance with this section shall be made in such amounts, and at such times during the period of 3 months commencing on 1 July 1977, as the Treasurer approves.

 (3) The Minister may make it a condition of a payment under this section that the whole, or a specified part, of the payment will be expended by the State on approved road works specified by the Minister.

 (4) Payments in accordance with this section shall be made out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund, which is appropriated accordingly.

6  Conditions of payment

Payments to a State under this Act are subject to the following conditions:

 (a) that each amount paid to the State under this Act will be expended by the State before 30 June 1978 on approved road works and, where a condition referred to in subsection 5 (3) applies in relation to the amount, in compliance with that condition;

 (b) that the State will cause to be furnished to the Minister, at such times as the Minister requires, a statement containing such information as the Minister may require to satisfy himself that, in respect of an amount paid to the State under this Act, the condition specified in paragraph (a) has been fulfilled;

 (c) if the Treasurer so directs, the State will cause to be furnished to the Treasurer a certificate by the AuditorGeneral of the State certifying that, in his opinion, such of the information in a statement furnished to the Minister in compliance with the condition set out in paragraph (b) as the Treasurer specifies is correct; and

 (d) that, if the Minister informs the Treasurer of the State that he is satisfied that the State has failed, in respect of an amount paid to the State under this Act, to fulfil the condition specified in paragraph (a), the State will repay that amount to the Commonwealth.

Schedule

section 5

Column 1

State

Column 2

Amount of grants under section 5

 

$

New South Wales............................

38,450,000

Victoria...................................

24,725,000

Queensland................................

25,000,000

South Australia..............................

10,100,000

Western Australia............................

15,050,000

Tasmania..................................

5,425,000

Total................................

118,750,000

Notes to the States Grants (Roads Interim Assistance) Act 1977

Note 1

The States Grants (Roads Interim Assistance) Act 1977 as shown in this compilation comprises Act No. 78, 1977 amended as indicated in the Tables below.

Table of Acts

 

Act

Number
and year

Date
of Assent

Date of commencement

Application, saving or transitional provisions

 

 

States Grants (Roads Interim Assistance) Act 1977

78, 1977

16 June 1977

16 June 1977

 

Statute Stocktake Act 1999

118, 1999

22 Sept 1999

22 Sept 1999

 

 

Overview

The States Grants (Roads Interim Assistance) Act 1977 was enacted to provide financial assistance to states for approved road works. The legislation, which was passed by the Australian Parliament, was intended to address the gap in funding for road construction and maintenance at a time when states were facing significant infrastructure needs. The Act enabled the Minister to approve proposed road works and provided for grants to states to be paid out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund. These payments were subject to conditions, including the requirement that the funds be expended by 30 June 1978 on approved road works, with specific reporting obligations imposed on the states. The policy objective was to support the timely completion of essential road infrastructure projects across the country. The Act was later repealed by the Statute Stocktake Act 1999, which likely indicated a review and consolidation of related legislation, suggesting that the functions of this Act were integrated into other forms of assistance or funding mechanisms. This repeal reflects changes in the legislative landscape or a shift in policy focus concerning state grants and infrastructure funding.

Scope and Application

The States Grants (Roads Interim Assistance) Act 1977 applies to the States of Australia and provides for the payment of financial assistance to these states for the purpose of interim assistance with respect to approved road works. The Act defines key terms such as "approved road works," "government authority," and "road," and specifies that payments are made from the Consolidated Revenue Fund. The financial assistance is granted to the states specified in the Schedule, with payments subject to conditions including the expenditure of funds on approved road works before 30 June 1978, and the provision of required statements and certificates to the Minister and Treasurer. The Act's scope is limited to the geographic and jurisdictional boundaries of the Commonwealth of Australia and the specified states. It should be noted that this Act has been repealed by the Statute Stocktake Act 1999. The application and reach of the Act may be further extended or restricted through subordinate instruments, although this Act itself does not provide for such extensions or restrictions.

Key Provisions

The primary provisions of the States Grants (Roads Interim Assistance) Act 1977 (sections 4 to 6) focus on the approval of road works, the allocation of financial assistance to states for these works, and the conditions governing these payments. Section 4 allows the Minister to approve proposed road works, while section 5 outlines the grants payable to specified states for the financial assistance of approved road works. The specific amounts for each state are detailed in the Schedule to the Act. Section 6 sets out the conditions under which payments are made, including that the funds must be used for approved road works before 30 June 1978 and that states must provide necessary information and certifications to the Minister and, if required, the Treasurer. The Act imposes several obligations on the parties involved. The Minister is tasked with approving proposed road works (section 4), while the Treasurer is responsible for determining the amounts and timing of payments under section 5. States receiving grants must ensure that the funds are used exclusively for approved road works before the specified deadline and provide required statements and certifications to the Minister and Treasurer. The states must also repay any funds that are not used in accordance with the conditions specified in section 6(a). The Act does not explicitly outline specific offences, penalties, or consequences for breach. However, the requirement for states to repay any funds not used for approved road works (section 6(d)) implies a financial consequence for non-compliance. Although the Act does not specify maximum penalties for such breaches, the obligation to repay funds suggests a serious consequence for failing to adhere to the conditions of the payment.

Legal classification tags

Area of Law
Environmental Law
Finance & Banking Law
Instrument
Act
Concepts
Definitions & Interpretation
Commencement Provisions
Grants & Subsidies
Conditions of Assistance
Financial Reporting
Audit & Accountability

Interactions

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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.