Transferred Officers' Allowances Act 1948

Administered by Department of Finance

Legislation au C1948A00020 In force Act

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Transferred Officers’ Allowances Act 1948

Act No. 20 of 1948 as amended

This compilation was prepared on 17 October 2000
taking into account amendments up to Act No. 20 of 1956

The text of any of those amendments not in force
on that date is appended in the Notes section

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

 

 

 

Contents

1  Short title [see Note 1]

2  Commencement

3  Interpretation

4  Additional allowances

5  Further allowances

6  Further allowances from 12th November, 1955

7  Allowances to widows

8  Appropriation

Notes 

 

An Act to provide for the payment of Allowances to certain Transferred Officers

1  Short title [see Note 1]

  This Act may be cited as the Transferred Officers’ Allowances Act 1948.

2  Commencement

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

3  Interpretation

  In this Act:

the public service of the Commonwealth has the same meaning as in section eightyfour of the Constitution.

transferred officer means a person who, having been transferred from the public service of a State to the public service of the Commonwealth, is entitled, whether by virtue of section eightyfour of the Constitution or by virtue of a law of the Commonwealth, to retire, or has retired, from office on the pension or retiring allowance permitted by the law of the State as if his service with the Commonwealth were a continuation of his service with the State.

4  Additional allowances

 (1) Where a transferred officer receives from the Commonwealth or from the Commonwealth and from the State from the public service of which he was transferred to the public service of the Commonwealth, a pension or a retiring allowance of a periodical nature and the total amount of the pension or retiring allowance is at a rate less than Three hundred and sixty pounds per annum, there shall be payable to the transferred officer an allowance:

 (a) if the total amount of the pension or retiring allowance is at a rate which does not exceed Two hundred and eightyeight pounds per annum—at the rate of onequarter of that amount; or

 (b)  if the total amount of the pension or retiring allowance is at a rate which exceeds Two hundred and eightyeight pounds per annum but is less than Three hundred and sixty pounds per annum—at such rate as will increase the total amount of the pension or retiring allowance to Three hundred and sixty pounds per annum.

5  Further allowances

 (1) An allowance at the rate ascertained in accordance with subsection (3), (4) or (5), as the case requires, of this section is payable to a transferred officer who receives a pension or a retiring allowance of a periodical nature, not being a pension or allowance at a rate exceeding Seven hundred and two pounds per annum.

 (2) The allowance is payable under this section in addition to the allowance (if any) payable under the last preceding section.

 (3) Where the sum of the amount of the pension or retiring allowance and the amount of the allowance payable under the last preceding section is at a rate which does not exceed Two hundred and sixty pounds per annum, the allowance is at the rate of onefifth of that sum.

 (4) Where the sum of the amount of the pension or retiring allowance and the amount of the allowance (if any) payable under the last preceding section is at a rate which exceeds Two hundred and sixty pounds per annum but does not exceed Six hundred and fifty pounds per annum, the allowance is at the rate of Fiftytwo pounds per annum.

 (5) Where the amount of the pension or retiring allowance is at a rate which exceeds Six hundred and fifty pounds per annum but is less than Seven hundred and two pounds per annum, the allowance is at such rate as will increase the amount of the pension or retiring allowance to a rate of Seven hundred and two pounds per annum.

6  Further allowances from 12th November, 1955

 (1) There is payable to a transferred officer who receives a pension or a retiring allowance of a periodical nature an allowance at the appropriate rate set out in the second column of the following table:

Sum of the annual amounts of the pension or retiring allowance and the allowances (if any) payable under sections four and five of this Act

Allowance per annum

Not exceeding £156 pounds

£52

Exceeding £156 but not exceeding £312

Onesixth of the sum of the annual amounts plus £26

Exceeding £312 but not exceeding £448

£78

Exceeding £448 but not exceeding £500

£52, or such amount as will increase the sum of the annual amounts to £526, whichever is the greater

Exceeding £500

£52

 (2) The allowances payable under this section are in addition to the allowances payable under the last two preceding sections.

 (3) This section continues in operation until the thirtyfirst day of December, One thousand nine hundred and fiftysix, and no longer.

7  Allowances to widows

  Where the widow of a transferred officer receives a pension by virtue of being his widow, there is payable to her, in addition to the pension, allowances at onehalf of the rates of the allowances that would be payable under sections four, five and six of this Act to her husband if he were alive and in receipt of a pension.

8  Appropriation

  Allowances under this Act are payable by the Commonwealth out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund, which is appropriated accordingly.

Notes to the Transferred Officers’ Allowances Act 1948

Note 1

The Transferred Officers’ Allowances Act 1948 as shown in this compilation comprises Act No. 20, 1948 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

Transferred Officers’ Allowances Act 1948

20, 1948

18 May 1948

1 Feb 1948

 

Transferred Officers’ Allowances Act 1951

50, 1951

11 Dec 1951

S. 3: 1 Feb 1948 Remainder: 1 Oct 1951

Transferred Officers’ Allowances Act 1954

8, 1954

20 Apr 1954

31 Oct 1953

Transferred Officers’ Allowances Act 1956

20, 1956

12 May 1956

12 Nov 1955

Table of Amendments

ad. = added or inserted      am. = amended      rep. = repealed      rs. = repealed and substituted

Provision affected

How affected

S. 3....................

am. No. 8, 1954

S. 4....................

am. No. 50, 1951; No. 8, 1954

S. 5....................

ad. No. 50, 1951

 

am. No. 8, 1954

S. 6....................

ad. No. 8, 1954

 

am. No. 20, 1956

Ss. 7, 8.................

ad. No. 8, 1954

 

Overview

The Transferred Officers’ Allowances Act 1948, enacted by the Australian Parliament, was introduced to address the financial disparity faced by officers who transferred from state to federal public service and were entitled to pensions or retiring allowances. The Act aims to provide additional allowances to these officers to ensure their pensions or allowances do not fall below a certain threshold. The Act was first brought into operation on 1 February 1948 and has since been amended to adjust the allowances and their rates. The allowances are payable by the Commonwealth out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund, which is appropriated accordingly. This legislation also extends to the widows of transferred officers, who are entitled to receive half of the rates of the allowances their husbands would receive if they were still alive and receiving a pension.

Scope and Application

The Transferred Officers' Allowances Act 1948 provides for the payment of allowances to certain transferred officers who have been transferred from the public service of a state to the public service of the Commonwealth. The act applies to individuals who are transferred officers as defined in section 3 of the act, meaning those who are entitled to retire from office on the pension or retiring allowance permitted by the law of the state as if their service with the Commonwealth were a continuation of their service with the state. The act applies nationally as it is Commonwealth legislation. The act provides for additional allowances for transferred officers receiving a pension or retiring allowance of a periodical nature and the total amount of the pension or retiring allowance is at a rate less than Three hundred and sixty pounds per annum. Further allowances are also payable to a transferred officer under certain conditions. Allowances are also payable to the widows of transferred officers. The act is applicable until the 31st day of December, One thousand nine hundred and fifty-six, and no longer. The act does not provide for any exclusions, exemptions, or thresholds. The act may be extended or restricted through subordinate instruments.

Key Provisions

The Transferred Officers’ Allowances Act 1948 (the Act) establishes provisions for the payment of allowances to certain transferred officers. Section 4 provides that where a transferred officer receives a pension or a retiring allowance from the Commonwealth, or from both the Commonwealth and a State, of a periodical nature and the total amount of the pension or retiring allowance is less than £360 per annum, there shall be payable to the transferred officer an allowance at a rate that is one-quarter of the amount, or at such a rate as will increase the total amount to £360 per annum. Section 5 further provides that an allowance is payable to a transferred officer who receives a pension or a retiring allowance of a periodical nature, not exceeding £702 per annum. The rate of this allowance depends on the total amount of the pension or retiring allowance and the allowance payable under section 4. Section 6 introduces additional allowances for a transferred officer, effective from 12 November 1955, which are payable in addition to any allowances under sections 4 and 5. Section 7 provides for the payment of allowances to the widows of transferred officers, at half the rates of the allowances that would be payable to their husbands if they were alive and in receipt of a pension. The Act imposes obligations on the Commonwealth to pay allowances under the Act to eligible transferred officers and their widows, as determined by the provisions of the Act. It also requires that the allowances be paid out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Commonwealth. The Act does not expressly provide for offences, penalties, or consequences for breach of its provisions. However, any failure by the Commonwealth to pay allowances as required under the Act may result in legal action by the affected transferred officers or their widows for breach of statutory duty or for recovery of the unpaid allowances.

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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.