Telegraph Regulations 1927 (Amendment)

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STATUTORY RULES.

1958. No. 13.

REGULATIONS UNDER THE POST AND TELEGRAPH ACT 1901-1950.*

I, THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL in and over the Commonwealth of Australia, acting with the advice of the Federal Executive Council, hereby make the following Regulations under the Post and Telegraph Act 1901-1950.

Dated this eleventh day of March, 1958.

W. J. Slim

Governor-General.

By His Excellency’s Command,

Postmaster-General.

Amendments of the Telegraph Regulations.†

1. Regulation 57 of the Telegraph Regulations is repealed and the following regulation inserted in its stead:—

Re-direction and re-transmission of telegrams.

“57.—(1.) A telegram may be re-directed and re-transmitted from one telegraph office to another within Australia on the written request of the addressee or his representative or, in the absence of such a request, the telegram may be re-directed and re-transmitted when the Department has learnt that the addressee has moved to a new address that is known by the Department.

“(2.) A telegram for re-transmission shall bear the words ‘Re-transmitted from’ followed by the name of the telegraph office re-directing the telegram, and those words shall be counted and charged for.

“(3.) The charges for re-transmission shall be at the rates prescribed for telegrams from the telegraph office re-transmitting the telegram to the telegraph office to which the telegram is being re-transmitted.

“(4.) The charges prescribed for re-transmission shall be paid before the telegram is delivered.

“(5.) A person may request in writing that telegrams addressed to him be re-directed and forwarded by post to another address in Australia, and postage shall not be charged on those telegrams.

* Notified in the Commonwealth Gazette on 20th March, 1958.

† Statutory Rules 1927, No. 142, as amended by Statutory Rules 1928, Nos. 35, 88 and 97; 1929, Nos. 15 and 128; 1930, Nos. 1, 5, 42, 81, 114 and 129; 1931, Nos. 70, 132 and 136; 1933, Nos. 102 and 127; 1934, Nos. 24, 113 and 137; 1935, No. 77; 1938, No. 63; 1939, Nos. 14 and 84; 1940, Nos. 50, 87 and 102; 1942, No. 550; 1943, Nos. 215 and 242; 1944, No. 91; 1945, No. 10; 1946, No. 139; 1948, No. 23; 1949, Nos. 19 and 91; 1950, No. 91; 1951, Nos. 23, 73 and 90; 1952, Nos. 6, 35 and 78; 1954, No. 5; 1955, No. 58; 1956, No. 69; and 1957, No. 41.

5542/57.—Price 3d. 9/16.12.1957.

“(6.) A telegram which is intended for delivery from a telegraph office within the metropolitan area of a capital city or within the town area of a town and which is wrongly addressed to a telegraph office within that area shall be re-transmitted and delivered without additional charge.

“(7.) A charge shall not be made for the re-direction of a telegram from one address to another if transmission by telegraph is not involved.

“(8.) A telegraph office shall register, without charge, a written notice of removal and instructions with respect to the delivery of telegrams at hours when the addressee’s place of business is closed.

“(9.) The re-transmission by telegraph of an inland telegram to a place outside Australia shall be subject to the pre-payment of the telegraphic charges involved by the sender, the addressee or the representative of either of them.”.

Collect telegrams.

2. Regulation 60 of the Telegraph Regulations is amended—

(a) by omitting from sub-regulation (1.) the word “‘Collect’” and inserting in its stead the words “Subject to these Regulations, ‘collect’”; and

(b) by omitting from sub-regulation (2.) the word “When” and inserting in its stead the words “Subject to these Regulations, when”.

Press, broadcasting and television telegrams.

3. Regulation 63 of the Telegraph Regulations is amended—

(a) by omitting from sub-regulation (1.) the words “Post and Telegraph Rates Act 1902-1940” and inserting in their stead the words “Post and Telegraph Rates Act 1902-1956”; and

(b) by omitting sub-regulations (2.), (3.), (4.), (5.) and (6.) and inserting the following sub-regulations in their stead:—

“(2.) For the purposes of these Regulations and of Part III. of the Second Schedule to the Post and Telegraph Rates Act 1902-1956, broadcasting and television telegrams shall be telegrams which comply with the following provisions:—

(a) Subject to this sub-regulation, the text of the telegram shall consist only of political commercial or general information or news that is intended for immediate publication by transmission from a broadcasting or television station;

(b) the telegram shall be in plain language and in the English language, but may include any group of figures, or letters and figures, which are used with the meaning usually given to them in the English language;

(i) any advertisement;

(ii) an election address;

(iii) anything for the transmission of which by a broadcasting or television station payment or consideration is usually made or given; or

(iv) a letter to the manager of the broadcasting or television station; and

(d) the telegram may include instructions (such as ‘Part I.’, ‘To precede’, ‘To follow’, ‘Substitute for previous’, ‘Good night’ or ‘Finis’) that are necessary to facilitate the broadcasting or televising of the information or news contained in the telegram, but shall not include inquiries such as ‘Can you take 2,000 more’.

“(3.) Press, broadcasting or television telegrams which relate to—

(a) any Parliamentary, Executive or Departmental proceedings of the Commonwealth, including Parliamentary Papers and Bills of the Commonwealth;

(b) reports of proceedings of Royal Commissions appointed by the Governor-General; and

without notes, comments or any extraneous matter beyond what is necessary to afford a connected statement of the facts, are telegrams for the purposes of division (a) of Part II. of the Second Schedule to the Post and Telegraph Rates Act 1902-1956.

“(4.) Press, broadcasting and television telegrams shall be accepted for transmission subject to the following conditions:—

(a) The sender of the telegram shall be a correspondent of, and the telegram shall be addressed to—

(i) a newspaper registered under section 29 of the Act,

(ii) a news agency approved by the Director-General of Posts and Telegraphs, or

(iii) a national or commercial broadcasting or television station,

but the telegram shall not be addressed to the editor, manager, or any other person by name;

(b) between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., an ordinary telegram is entitled to be transmitted in precedence to a press, broadcasting or television telegram; and

(c) the telegram shall be lodged sufficiently early to permit the completion of its transmission before the time of closing of the telegraph office at which it is lodged and of the telegraph office to which it is addressed and, for the purpose of this paragraph, one minute shall be deemed to be the time of transmission for each twenty words where the transmission is direct, and two minutes for each twenty words where it is necessary for the telegram to be repeated through an intermediate telegraph office.

“(5.) Where a telegram is presented for transmission at the rates prescribed for press, broadcasting and television telegrams, and there is doubt whether the telegram is entitled to transmission at those rates, the telegram may be accepted for transmission at those rates if the sender undertakes in writing to pay for the telegram at the rates prescribed for ordinary telegrams if subsequently required to do so.

“(6.) Regulation 60 of these Regulations does not apply so as to require the sender of a ‘collect’ press, broadcasting or television telegram to sign an undertaking or lodge a deposit as required by that regulation, but if the addressee fails to pay the charges for a ‘collect’ press, broadcasting or television telegram, the sender shall pay the amount due, together with the cost of the telegraphic advice of nonpayment by the addressee.”.

Commonwealth Electoral and Referendum telegrams.

4. Regulation 64 of the Telegraph Regulations is amended by omitting the words “Post and Telegraph Rates Act 1902-1951” and inserting in their stead the words “Post and Telegraph Rates Act 1902-1956”.

A. J. Arthur, Commonwealth Government Printer, Canberra.

Overview

The Statutory Rules 1958, No. 13, comprises regulations made under the Post and Telegraph Act 1901-1950, enacted to address the need for updated guidelines governing the transmission, re-direction, and re-transmission of telegrams within Australia. These regulations were made by the Governor-General, acting on the advice of the Federal Executive Council. The primary objective of these regulations is to streamline the processes and charges associated with the re-direction and re-transmission of telegrams, ensuring that they are carried out efficiently and transparently. The policy objective is to facilitate communication by updating the framework to reflect contemporary postal and telegraphic practices, thereby enhancing service delivery and addressing any legislative gaps that may have existed.

Scope and Application

The Statutory Rules 1958, No. 13, comprising the Regulations under the Post and Telegraph Act 1901-1950, primarily applies to the conduct and operations of the postal and telegraph services within Australia. These regulations govern the re-direction and re-transmission of telegrams, ensuring that they can be efficiently managed and delivered to the correct address. The provisions apply to all telegrams sent within Australia, with specific regulations regarding the re-transmission of telegrams to addresses outside Australia, requiring pre-payment of telegraphic charges. The regulations also establish guidelines for the handling of press, broadcasting, and television telegrams, ensuring that such communications meet certain criteria to be eligible for special rates. This includes specifying the type of content permissible in such telegrams and the conditions under which they can be sent. Additionally, the regulations cover the handling of Commonwealth Electoral and Referendum telegrams, providing specific rules for their transmission and delivery. These rules are designed to ensure that the postal and telegraph services operate smoothly and efficiently within the jurisdictional boundaries of Australia.

Key Provisions

The main operative sections of these Regulations under the Post and Telegraph Act 1901-1950 focus on the re-direction and re-transmission of telegrams, the handling of press, broadcasting, and television telegrams, and the transmission of Commonwealth Electoral and Referendum telegrams. Regulation 57 allows for the re-direction and re-transmission of telegrams within Australia based on a written request from the addressee or when the addressee has moved to a new address known to the Department (section 57(1) and (2)). It also specifies the charges and conditions for such re-transmissions, including the payment of charges before delivery (section 57(3) to (5)). Additionally, it mandates that telegrams wrongly addressed within metropolitan areas or towns can be re-transmitted without additional charge (section 57(6)). Regulation 63 details the conditions under which press, broadcasting, and television telegrams can be transmitted, including the content restrictions and the need for senders to be correspondents of approved media entities (section 63(2) to (6)). Lastly, Regulation 64 updates the reference to the Post and Telegraph Rates Act 1902-1956 for Commonwealth Electoral and Referendum telegrams (section 64). These Regulations impose several obligations and requirements on parties involved with telegrams. Addressees must provide written requests for re-direction and re-transmission of their telegrams or inform the Department of their new addresses to facilitate such actions (section 57(1) and (2)). Senders of press, broadcasting, and television telegrams must ensure their content adheres to the specified guidelines and must be correspondents of approved media entities (section 63(2) to (6)). The Department is required to handle telegrams according to the prescribed regulations, including registering removal notices and instructions for delivery at specific hours (section 57(8)) and managing the re-transmission of telegrams within metropolitan areas or towns without additional charges (section 57(6)). Breaching these Regulations can result in various consequences. For example, failing to follow the conditions for re-direction and re-transmission of telegrams could lead to additional charges or delays in delivery. Non-compliance with the content restrictions for press, broadcasting, and television telegrams could prevent the telegrams from being transmitted at the specified rates, potentially leading to financial penalties. If the addressee of a 'collect' press, broadcasting, or television telegram fails to pay the charges, the sender is liable for the amount due, along with the cost of notifying the addressee of non-payment (section 63(6)). While specific penalties are not outlined in the Regulations, breaches could result in administrative actions or financial liabilities as per the applicable acts and regulations.

Instrument: Regulation
Concepts: Definitions & Interpretation; Reporting & Disclosure Obligations; Regulatory Standards

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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