STATES GRANTS.

No. 4 of 1927.

An Act to amend the Surplus Revenue Act 1910, to grant and apply out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund sums for the purposes of Financial Assistance to States, and for other purposes.

[Assented to 8th April, 1927.]

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 and citation.

1. This Act may be cited as the States Grants Act 1927.

Repeal of sections 4-7 of the Surplus Revenue Act 1910.

2. Sections four, five, six and seven of the Surplus Revenue Act 1910 are repealed as from the thirtieth day of June One thousand nine hundred and twenty-seven.

Additional payments to Western Australia.

3.—(1.) There shall be payable to the State of Western Australia, in equal monthly instalments, during the period of five years commencing on the first day of July One thousand nine hundred and twenty-six, the sum of Three hundred thousand pounds per annum.

(2.) All sums paid to the State of Western Australia, during the period from the first day of July One thousand nine hundred and twenty-six to the thirtieth day of June One thousand nine hundred and twenty-seven, in pursuance of section five of the Surplus Revenue Act 1910, shall be deemed to have been payments made to that State in fulfilment of the obligations of the Commonwealth to that State under sub-section (1.) of this section in respect of that period.

Additional payments to Tasmania.

4. There shall be payable to the State of Tasmania, in equal monthly instalments, during the period of two years commencing on the first day of July One thousand nine hundred and twenty-six, the sum of Three hundred and seventy-eight thousand pounds per annum.

Payment of surplus revenue.

5.—(1.) In addition to any payments made under the last two preceding sections, the Treasurer shall pay to the several States of the Commonwealth, in proportion to the number of their people, any surplus revenue in his hands at the close of the financial year commencing on the first day of July One thousand nine hundred and twenty-seven, and at the close of each financial year thereafter.

(2.) For the purposes of this section, the number of the people of a State shall be deemed to be the number as ascertained according to the laws of the Commonwealth by the Commonwealth Statistician as at the thirty-first day of December in the financial year in respect of which a payment under this section is to be made to that State.

Payments to States.

6. Subject to the terms of any agreement made between the Commonwealth and all the States, and adopted by the Parliament, the Treasurer shall, during the financial year commencing on the first-day of July One thousand nine hundred and twenty-seven, make payments to each State, in equal monthly instalments, to the amount specified in the Schedule, opposite to the name of that State.

Appropriation.

7. All payments made under this Act shall be paid out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund, which is, to the necessary extent, hereby appropriated accordingly.

Repeal of Tasmania Grant Act 1924.

8. The Tasmania Grant Act 1924 is hereby repealed as from the thirtieth day of June One thousand nine hundred and twenty-six.

THE SCHEDULE.

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