STATUTORY RULES.
1917. No. 71.
_______
REGULATION 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 Regulation, under the War Precautions Act 1914–1916, to come into operation forthwith.
Dated this twenty-first day of March, 1917.
R. M. FERGUSON,
Governor-General.
By His Excellency’s Command,
G. F. PEARCE,
Minister of State for Defence.
________
Amendment of War precautions (Wool) Regulations 1916.
(Statutory Rules 1916, No. 322, as amended by Statutory Rules 1917, Nos. 41 and 52.)
The War Precautions (Wool) Regulations 1916 are amended—
(a) by adding at the end of Regulation 10 the following sub-regulation:—
“(2) The consent of the Commonwealth Government under this Regulation may be evidenced by a certificate to that effect under the hand of the Chairman of the Central Wool Committee”;
Declaration by Officer.
(b) by inserting after Regulation 22a the following Regulation:—
“22b.—(1) Every officer shall forthwith or before acting in the execution of his office make the declaration in accordance with Form C in the Schedule.
(2) For the purposes of this Regulation ‘officer’ means any person (other than a wool selling broker or wool appraiser) employed by the Central Wool Committee or a State Wool Committee”: and
(c) by adding at the end of the Schedule the following form:—
Form C.
COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA.
THE War Precautions (Wool) Regulations 1916.
Declaration by Officer under Regulation 22b.
I, ,of in the State of in the Commonwealth of Australia, do solemnly and sincerely declare that I will not divulge or communicate any matter or thing coming under my notice in the performance of my duties under the above
Regulations to any person as may be authorized by law for the purpose of carrying into effect the provisions of the War Precautions (Wool) Regulations 1916.
Declared at in the State
of this day of
191
Before me †
* Signature of Officer
† Signature of justice of the Peace, Commissioner for Affidavits or Commissioner for Declarations.
________________________________
Printed and Published for the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia by Albert J. Mullett, Government Printer for the State of Victoria.
C.3851.—Price 3d.
Overview
The War Precautions (Wool) Regulations 1916, enacted as Statutory Rules 1917, No. 71 under the War Precautions Act 1914–1916, were introduced to address the need for stringent controls on the handling and distribution of wool during the First World War to ensure that the nation's wool resources were efficiently managed for the war effort. The Governor-General, R. M. Ferguson, acting on advice from the Federal Executive Council, issued these regulations to come into immediate effect. This legislative instrument aimed to prevent the leakage of sensitive information regarding the war effort by amending the existing regulations to include a declaration of confidentiality for officers employed by the Central Wool Committee or a State Wool Committee, thus bolstering the protection of war-related activities and resources.
Scope and Application
The War Precautions (Wool) Regulations 1916, as amended by the Statutory Rules 1917 No. 71, apply to any officer, defined as any person employed by the Central Wool Committee or a State Wool Committee, excluding wool selling brokers and wool appraisers. These regulations extend across the Commonwealth of Australia and are enforced by the Central Wool Committee, with the authority to issue consent certificates and require officers to make declarations of non-disclosure of sensitive information. The regulations were enacted to ensure the security of wool supplies during wartime and include provisions for officers to declare their commitment to secrecy, thereby reinforcing the confidentiality and integrity of operations under the War Precautions Act 1914–1916. This legislative instrument also allows for further amendments through subordinate regulations, thus providing flexibility to adapt to evolving wartime needs.
Key Provisions
The main operative sections of this legislative instrument (Regulation No. 71) are those that amend the War Precautions (Wool) Regulations 1916 (sub-regulation 10(2)), introduce a new declaration requirement for officers (sub-regulation 22b), and provide a form (Form C) for the officer's declaration (Schedule). These amendments are designed to update the existing regulatory framework to better control and manage the handling and communication of information pertinent to the War Precautions Act 1914–1916.
The Regulations impose specific obligations on parties involved with the Central Wool Committee or State Wool Committees. Firstly, the consent of the Commonwealth Government for certain activities may now be evidenced by a certificate from the Chairman of the Central Wool Committee (sub-regulation 10(2)). Secondly, every officer employed by these committees must make a solemn declaration (sub-regulation 22b(1)) affirming that they will not divulge any information obtained during their duties to unauthorized persons. This declaration must be made in accordance with Form C, which includes a sworn statement and requires the signature of a justice of the peace, Commissioner for Affidavits, or Commissioner for Declarations (Schedule).
Failure to comply with these Regulations could result in various civil or criminal consequences. Although the specific penalties are not outlined in the provided text, breaches of such wartime regulations typically carry significant penalties under the overarching War Precautions Act 1914–1916. These could include fines, imprisonment, or other legal repercussions, reflecting the serious nature of wartime security measures. The intent is to ensure strict adherence to the confidentiality and operational protocols established by the Regulations.