War Precautions (Mining) Regulations 1916

Legislation au C1916L00323 Regulations Not in force Legislative Instrument

Legislation content

STATUTORY RULES.

1916. No. 323.

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REGULATIONS UNDER THE WAR PRECAUTIONS ACT 1914–1916.

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 War Precautions Act 1914–1916, to come into operation forthwith.

Dated this twentieth day of December, One thousand nine hundred and sixteen.

R. M. FERGUSON,

Governor-General.

By His Excellency’s Command,

W. M. HUGHES,

for Minister of State for Defence.

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War Precautions (Mining) Regulations 1916

Short title

1. These Regulations may be cited as the War Precautions (Mining) Regulations 1916.

Definitions.

2. In these Regulations, unless the contrary intention appears—

“Natural-born British subject “ means a person who was born in some part of the British Dominions and who is still a British subject residing or carrying on business in some part of the British Dominions, and includes the wife or widow of any such person, but does not include a woman born in a part of the British Dominions who is the wife of a person other than a natural-born British subject;

“Mining or Metallurgical Company” means any Company incorporated in the Commonwealth, which carries on, or is formed for the purpose of carrying on, the business of mining for minerals or metals or of extracting minerals or metals from ores, or of refining minerals or metals;

“Mining or Metallurgical business “ means any business in connexion with which there are carried on such operations as mining for minerals or metals, extracting minerals or metals from ores, or refining minerals or metals;

“Mining Lease” means a lease granted under the law of any State or Territory for the purpose of mining.

 

 

 

C.16490.—Price 3d.


Certain contracts giving interest in mining or metallurgical business require consent of Attorney-General.

3. (1) From and after the date of these Regulations no contract or agreement for the purchase or acquisition of any mining or metallurgical company or business, or of any share or interest in any mining or metallurgical company or business, or of any security issued by any mining or metallurgical company or business for the purpose of raising money, by or on behalf of any person other than a natural-born British subject shall be entered into or made unless the consent in writing of the Attorney-General has first been obtained.

(2) The Attorney-General may, if he thinks fit, grant to any person a general or limited consent in writing to acquire shares in any mining or metallurgical company.

(3) The secretary or other proper officer of a mining or metallurgical company shall refuse to register the transfer of a share or interest in the company unless the provisions of sub-regulation (1) of this regulation have been complied with, and any person who registers a transfer in contravention of this regulation shall be guilty of an offence.

(4) Every person applying to be registered as the proprietor of any share or interest in any mining or metallurgical company shall, if so required by the Secretary or other proper officer of the company, make, before a Police, Stipendiary, or Special Magistrate, a Justice of the Peace, a Commissioner for Affidavits, a Commissioner for Declarations, or the Secretary or other proper officer of the company, a declaration in one of the following forms:—

 

I,

of

in the State of

do solemnly and sincerely declare:—

1. That I am acquiring the shares on my own behalf.

2. That I was born at   and am at the present time a   subject of  , and [in the case of a married woman] my husband was born at                             and is at the present time a                                           subject of

(Signature)

Declared at  this

day of  , 191

Before me

______

I,

of

in the State of

do solemnly and sincerely declare:—

1. That I am acquiring the shares on behalf of , who was born at   , and is at the present time a              subject of residing in                                           and [in the case of a married woman] whose husband was born at              , and is at the present time a               subject of               residing in

(Signature)

Declared at  this

day of  , 191

Before me

and any person who makes in any such Declaration any statement which is untrue in any particular shall be guilty of an offence.


Applications by persons other than natural-born British subjects for mining leases.

4. (1) From and after the date of these Regulations—

(a) No application for the grant of a mining lease to or for the benefit of any person other than a natural-born British subject for a term of more than five years shall be made; and

(b) No contract or agreement—

(i) for the assignment to or for the benefit of any person other than a natural-born British subject of a mining lease of which a period of five years is unexpired, or

(ii) providing for the acquisition in any contingency by or on behalf of any person other than a natural-born British subject of a mining lease of which a period of five years is unexpired,

shall be entered into or made,

unless the consent in writing of the Attorney-General has first been obtained.

(2) Where any mining lease contains provisions enabling the mining lease to be renewed for any further period upon the expiration of the original term thereof, such further period shall for the purposes of these Regulations be regarded as part of the term of the mining lease.

Contracts made in contravention of Regulations void.

5. (1) Any contract or agreement entered into or made, or mining lease granted, in contravention of Regulation 3 or 4, or of any Regulation repealed by those Regulations, shall be void and of no effect:

Provided that where the Attorney-General in writing declares that he is satisfied that the contravention was due to inadvertence and gives his consent to the contract, agreement, or mining lease, sub-regulation (1) of this Regulation shall not apply.

(2) A request for the consent of the Attorney-General under the provisions of Regulation 3 or 4 shall be made in writing to the Attorney-General, and shall be accompanied by a statutory declaration giving full particulars of the name, address, date, and place of birth, parentage, nationality, and occupation of the person making the request, and if the request is made on behalf of any other person, full particulars of the name, address, date and place of birth, parentage, nationality and occupation of such person, and the full particulars of the proposed contract, agreement, or application, and the grounds upon which the request for the consent of the Attorney-General is based, and (in the case of a mining lease) the area, situation and value of the land.

Consent of Attorney-General may be revoked.

6. Any general or limited consent granted by the Attorney-General under Regulation 3 hereof may be revoked by the Attorney-General as from a date specified by him, and shall from that date cease to have effect; and any letter, certificate, or other document containing a notification of the granting of such consent shall on demand in writing be delivered up to the Attorney-General.

Application of Regulations to certain natural-born British subjects.

7. Where in the case of any person who is a natural-born British subject, and whose father was or is a subject of a country with which the United Kingdom is now at war, the Attorney-General declares that there is in his opinion good reason to believe that that person is disloyal, or that it is desirable that these Regulations should apply to him as if he were a person other than a natural-born British subject, that person shall, for the purpose of these Regulations, be deemed to be a person other than a natural-born British subject.


Repeal of certain War Precautions (Land Transfer) Regulations.

8. (1) Regulation 4e of the War Precautions (Land Transfer) Regulations 1916 is hereby repealed, but such repeal shall not affect any right, privilege, obligation or liability acquired, accrued, or incurred under such repealed Regulation, and all matters arising under such repealed Regulation may be continued or dealt with under these Regulations, and all references in any documents prepared for the purpose of such repealed Regulation shall be construed as references to these Regulations.

(2) Regulation 5 of the War Precautions (Land Transfer) Regulations 1916 is amended by omitting the words “4c or 4e” wherever they occur, and inserting in their stead the words “or 4c”.

(3) Regulation 7 of the War Precautions (Land Transfer) Regulations 1916 is amended by omitting the words “4c or 4e” and inserting in their stead the words “or 4c”.

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Printed and Published for the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia by Albert J. Mullett, Government Printer for the State of Victoria.

Overview

The War Precautions (Mining) Regulations 1916 were enacted to address the need for heightened control over the mining and metallurgical sectors during the period of World War I. This legislative instrument was introduced under the authority of the War Precautions Act 1914–1916 by the Governor-General in Council, reflecting the Commonwealth's intent to safeguard national interests during wartime. The primary policy objective was to prevent the acquisition of mining interests by individuals who could potentially pose a threat to national security, particularly those not deemed loyal to the British Crown. The Regulations required the consent of the Attorney-General for non-natural-born British subjects to engage in the purchase or acquisition of mining companies or interests, and also regulated the application process for mining leases for such individuals. This legislative measure aimed to ensure that the mining sector, crucial for the war effort, remained under control of those loyal to the Allied cause.

Scope and Application

The War Precautions (Mining) Regulations 1916 apply to any person or entity involved in the purchase, acquisition, or transfer of shares, interests, or securities in a mining or metallurgical company, as well as to any natural-born British subject applying for a mining lease. The regulations specifically target transactions involving individuals who are not natural-born British subjects and mandate the requirement for written consent from the Attorney-General for such transactions. The scope of these regulations extends to the Commonwealth of Australia, affecting companies incorporated within its jurisdiction that engage in mining, metallurgical, or mineral extraction activities. Notably, the regulations exclude natural-born British subjects from these restrictions unless the Attorney-General deems them disloyal or necessary for the application of these regulations. Additionally, the regulations void any contracts or agreements made in contravention of the specified provisions, unless the Attorney-General grants an exception due to inadvertence. The regulations also provide for the revocation of previously granted consents and make amendments to other related regulations to ensure consistent application across the specified activities and transactions.

Key Provisions

The War Precautions (Mining) Regulations 1916 establish a set of requirements and restrictions aimed at safeguarding mining interests during wartime. Section 3 mandates that any contract or agreement for the purchase or acquisition of a mining or metallurgical company or business, or any share or interest in such a company or business, must not be entered into by a person who is not a natural-born British subject without written consent from the Attorney-General. This includes securities issued by these companies for the purpose of raising money. The Attorney-General may grant a general or limited consent in writing, and it is the duty of the company's secretary or proper officer to refuse to register the transfer of shares or interests if these provisions are not complied with. Failure to adhere to these requirements is considered an offence. Section 4 imposes similar restrictions on applications for mining leases. Specifically, applications for mining leases for a term of more than five years by non-natural-born British subjects are prohibited, and any contract or agreement for the assignment or acquisition of a mining lease for which five years remain must also obtain the Attorney-General's written consent. Any mining lease that contains provisions for renewal upon the expiration of the original term is considered part of the term for the purposes of these Regulations. Contracts or agreements made in contravention of these Regulations, or of any Regulations repealed by them, are declared void and of no effect, as stated in Section 5. However, the Attorney-General has the discretion to declare a contravention void if it was due to inadvertence and if they provide written consent. Section 6 allows the Attorney-General to revoke any consent they have granted, specifying a date from which the consent ceases to have effect, and requires the surrender of any documents containing such consent upon demand. Additionally, Section 7 allows the Attorney-General to deem certain natural-born British subjects as non-natural-born British subjects for the purposes of these Regulations if there is reason to believe they are disloyal or if it is deemed desirable to apply the Regulations to them. Section 8 repeals certain provisions of the War Precautions (Land Transfer) Regulations 1916 and amends others to reflect the changes made by these Regulations.

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National Security Law
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Regulation
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Definitions & Interpretation
Offence Provisions
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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.