Telephone Regulations (Amendment) (Provisional)

Overview

The Statutory Rules 1913, No. 193, introduces amended Telephone Regulations under the Post and Telegraph Act 1901-1910, establishing provisional regulations for telephone lines in country districts not fully constructed by the Postmaster-General. This legislative instrument was enacted to address the urgency in regulating the telephone equipment used by licensees in regions where telephone lines were either not fully established or only partially erected by the Postmaster-General. The Governor-General, acting on the advice of the Federal Executive Council, certified the immediate operation of these provisional regulations. The amendment specifically targets Regulation 81 by replacing Sub-regulation (2) to ensure that licensees must provide their own telephone equipment, which must be of an approved pattern and maintained to the satisfaction of the Postmaster-General. This legislative change underscores the policy objective of maintaining standards and ensuring reliable communication services in the country districts.

Scope and Application

The Provisional Regulation under the Post and Telegraph Act 1901-1910, specifically amending the Telephone Regulations, applies to licensees of telephone services in country districts where the telephone lines are not fully erected by the Postmaster-General. The regulation ensures that telephones used by these licensees must be provided by them, be of a pattern approved by the Deputy Postmaster-General, and maintained to the satisfaction of the Postmaster-General. This regulation has a national reach as it pertains to the Commonwealth of Australia and extends to all relevant licensees within the country. The regulation was enacted with urgency to come into immediate operation, highlighting its importance in the context of postal and telegraph services during that period. The amendment to Regulation 81 explicitly excludes any telephones provided by the Postmaster-General in districts where the lines are fully erected, thereby clarifying the scope and application of the regulation to specific circumstances.

Key Provisions

The main operative sections of this Provisional Regulation concern the requirements for telephones in country districts where the lines have not been fully erected by the Postmaster-General (Reg. 81(2)). This regulation specifies that the telephone equipment must be provided by the licensee and must be of a pattern approved by the Deputy Postmaster-General. Furthermore, the licensee is obligated to maintain the telephone to the satisfaction of the Postmaster-General. The obligations imposed by this regulation are primarily on the licensees who operate telephones in the specified country districts. These licensees must ensure that the telephone equipment they use is of an approved pattern and that it is maintained in a satisfactory condition as determined by the Postmaster-General. This includes the responsibility of the licensee to source and install the approved telephone equipment. In terms of consequences for non-compliance, the regulation does not explicitly state any offences, penalties, or civil or criminal consequences for breaches. However, the requirement for the equipment to be maintained to the satisfaction of the Postmaster-General implies that failure to do so could result in penalties or other actions taken by the Postmaster-General. The exact nature of these penalties is not detailed in the regulation itself but would likely be defined in other related legislation or administrative guidelines.