SEAT OF GOVERNMENT.

No. 24 of 1908.

An Act to Determine the Seat of Government of the Commonwealth.

[Assented to 14th December, 1908.]

BE it enacted by the King’s Most Excellent Majesty, the Senate, and the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Australia, as follows:—

Short title.

1. This Act may be cited as the Seat of Government Act 1908.

Repeal of 1904, No. 7.

2. The Seat of Government Act 1904 is hereby repealed.

Determination of Seat of Government.

3. It is hereby determined that the Seat of Government of the Commonwealth shall be in the district of Yass-Canberra in the State of New South Wales.

Area of Federal territory.

4. The territory to be granted to or acquired by the Commonwealth for the Seat of Government shall contain an area not less than nine hundred square miles, and have access to the sea.

Power of entry for purpose of survey.

5.—(1.) Any person thereto authorized in writing by the Minister may, for the purposes of any survey of land with a view to ascertaining the territory proper to be granted to or acquired by the Commonwealth for the Seat of Government, enter upon and remain on any lands whether Crown lands of the State of New South Wales or not, and do thereon all things for the purposes of the survey, and shall do no more damage than is necessary.

(2.) The Commonwealth shall, out of moneys appropriated for the purpose, make compensation for any damage done to the property of any person in the exercise of powers conferred by this section.

Valuation of land within the Federal territory.

6. The amount of the compensation to be paid by the Commonwealth for any land to be acquired by the Commonwealth within the territory granted to or acquired by the Commonwealth for the Seat of Government shall not exceed the value of the land on the eighth day of October One thousand nine hundred and eight, and in other respects the provisions of the Lands Acquisition Act 1906 shall apply to the acquisition of the land.