STATUTORY RULES.
1928. No. 3.
REGULATIONS UNDER THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS ACT 1905-1920.
I, THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL in and over the Commonwealth of Australia, acting with the advice of the Federal Executive Council, do hereby make the following Regulations under the Census and Statistics Act 1905-1920, to come into operation forthwith.
Dated this seventeenth day of January, One thousand nine hundred and twenty-eight.
STONEHAVEN
Governor-General.
By His Excellency’s Command,
C. W. C. MARR
Minister of State for Home and Territories.
Statistics Regulations.
(Statutory Rules 1927, No. 1.)
Form XXXVI in the Schedule to the Statistics Regulations is repealed and the following form inserted in its stead:—
Form XXXVI.
Town— State—
District or Suburb— Office No. R.P.—
Weekly House Rent.
Particulars required under the Census and Statistics Act 1905-1920.
Name of Agent—
Address—
This slip is to be posted to the Commonwealth Statistician, Melbourne, in one of the enclosed envelopes which need not be stamped.
In filling up this form, please follow instructions carefully.
Instructions For Filling In Form.
It has been decided to adopt a different basis for the collection of house rents. Formerly House Agents were instructed to furnish particulars of predominant rents. In future the information required will be the weighted average rent. In order to arrive at the weighted average rent, House Agents are requested to adopt the following procedure, viz.: If, for example, an Agent in collecting rent in respect of, say, 50 four-roomed wooden houses and the number and rentals of these houses are—
10 | at | 10s., | equals | 100s. | |
20 | at | 15s., | equals | 300s. | 50, 820 (equals 16s. 5d.) |
10 | at | 20s., | equals | 200s. | |
10 | at | 22s., | equals | 220s. | |
50 | | | | 820s. | |
the computation shown above discloses that the weighted average of the rental paid by the 50 tenants is 16s. 5d., and that would be the rental to be furnished on the form below for houses of wood having four rooms, Similarly
1511.—PRICE 3d.
the weighted average rental of each other class should be ascertained. It will still be necessary for House Agents to exclude houses having exceptional conveniences on the one hand, or old or dilapidated houses on the other.
Note.—Kitchens should be included as rooms but not pantries or bathrooms.
Maintenance of Secrecy.—Your returns will be regarded as strictly confidential and will not be disclosed in any way. All the returns received will be put together so as to produce general statistical results only.
Return for 15th November, 19
Nature of House. | 4. rooms | 5 rooms | 6 rooms. |
| s. | d. | s. | d. | s. | d. |
Wooden............ | | | | | | |
Brick............. | | | | | | |
By Authority: H. J. Green, Government Printer, Canberra.
Overview
The Statutory Rules 1928, No. 3, issued under the Census and Statistics Act 1905-1920, represent an effort to refine the methodology for collecting data on house rents in Australia. Enacted by the Governor-General in the capacity of the Federal Executive Council, these regulations aim to enhance the accuracy and utility of statistical data by shifting the basis of collection from predominant rents to weighted average rents. This change addresses a gap in the previous methodology, which may not have accurately reflected the true market conditions due to its reliance on predominant rents. The policy objective, as stated, is to maintain the confidentiality of the collected data and to ensure that the information is aggregated to produce general statistical results, thereby maintaining public trust and facilitating informed policy decisions.
Scope and Application
The Statistics Regulations made under the Census and Statistics Act 1905-1920 apply to house agents who are required to provide information on house rents to the Commonwealth Statistician. These Regulations specifically outline the method for calculating the weighted average rent of houses, which is a departure from the previously required predominant rent information. This change affects entities involved in the rental market, particularly those managing residential properties in various districts or suburbs across the Commonwealth of Australia. The Regulations specify that the information should exclude houses with exceptional conveniences or those that are old or dilapidated. The data collection is intended to provide a general statistical overview, maintaining the confidentiality of individual returns. The scope of these Regulations is broad, applying nationally, and they extend the application of the parent Act by detailing specific instructions for data collection related to house rents.
Key Provisions
The key provisions of these regulations are contained within Form XXXVI (Regulation 2), which outlines the specific requirements for the collection of house rent data. This form replaces the previous form, adopting a new method for calculating the weighted average rent. Section 2 states that house agents are required to compute the weighted average rent for each class of rental property, excluding exceptional conveniences or old, dilapidated houses. Notably, kitchens should be included in the count of rooms, but not pantries or bathrooms. Section 3 provides instructions for filling in Form XXXVI, detailing how to calculate the weighted average rent by considering the number and rental amounts of each class of house. This form must be posted to the Commonwealth Statistician in Melbourne using one of the enclosed envelopes, which do not require a stamp. Section 4 emphasizes that all returns will be treated as strictly confidential and used solely for producing general statistical results.
These regulations impose several obligations on the parties they govern. House agents must accurately compute the weighted average rent for their rental properties by following the specified procedure in Form XXXVI. This includes excluding certain houses from their calculations and ensuring that kitchens are included in the room count, but not pantries or bathrooms. Additionally, house agents are required to maintain the secrecy of the information provided, as all returns are to be treated as strictly confidential and used only for statistical purposes. Furthermore, they must ensure that the completed form is posted to the Commonwealth Statistician in Melbourne using the provided envelopes.
The regulations do not explicitly outline specific offences, penalties, or civil/criminal consequences for breaches. However, the emphasis on confidentiality and the importance of accurate data suggest that any misuse or inaccurate reporting could potentially lead to legal ramifications. The precise consequences for non-compliance are not detailed within these regulations, but they would likely be addressed under the overarching Census and Statistics Act 1905-1920 or other relevant legislation. Failure to comply with these regulations could potentially result in penalties as stipulated under the broader legislative framework, although the exact nature of these penalties is not specified within these particular regulations.