Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1942

Act No. 56 of 1942 as amended

This compilation was prepared on 19 March 2004
taking into account amendments up to Act No. 142 of 1985

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

The operation of amendments that have been incorporated may be
affected by application provisions that are set out in the Notes section

Prepared by the Office of Legislative Drafting,
Attorney-General’s Department, Canberra

Contents

1 Short title [see Note 1]

2 Commencement [see Note 1]

3 Adoption of Statute of Westminster, 1931

The Schedule

1 Meaning of “Dominion” in this Act

2 Validity of laws made by Parliament of a Dominion 28 and 29 Vict. c. 63

3 Power of Parliament of Dominion to legislate extra-territorially

5 Powers of Dominion Parliaments in relation to merchant shipping 57 and 58 Vict. c. 60

7 Saving for British North America Acts and application of the Act to Canada

8 Saving for Constitution Acts of Australia and New Zealand

9 Saving with respect to States of Australia

10 Certain sections of Act not to apply to Australia, New Zealand or Newfoundland unless adopted

11 Meaning of “Colony” in future Acts 52 and 53 Vict. c. 63

12 Short title

Notes

An Act to remove Doubts as to the Validity of certain Commonwealth Legislation, to obviate Delays occurring in its Passage, and to effect certain related purposes, by adopting certain Sections of the Statute of Westminster, 1931, as from the Commencement of the War between His Majesty the King and Germany

WHEREAS certain legal difficulties exist which have created doubts and caused delays in relation to certain Commonwealth legislation, and to certain regulations made thereunder, particularly in relation to the legislation enacted, and regulations made, for securing the public safety and defence of the Commonwealth of Australia, and for the more effectual prosecution of the war in which His Majesty the King is engaged:

AND WHEREAS those legal difficulties will be removed by the adoption by the Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia of sections two, three, four, five and six of the Statute of Westminster, 1931, and by making such adoption have effect as from the commencement of the war between His Majesty the King and Germany:

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

1  Short title [see Note 1]

  This Act may be cited as the Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1942.

2  Commencement [see Note 1]

  This Act shall come into operation on the day on which it receives the Royal Assent.

3  Adoption of Statute of Westminster, 1931

  Sections two, three, four, five and six of the Imperial Act entitled the Statute of Westminster, 1931 (which Act is set out in the Schedule to this Act) are adopted and the adoption shall have effect from the third day of September, One thousand nine hundred and thirty-nine.

The Schedule   

Section 3

STATUTE OF WESTMINSTER, 1931

An Act to give effect to certain resolutions passed by Imperial Conferences held in the years 1926 and 1930.

(11th December, 1931)

WHEREAS the delegates of His Majesty’s Governments in the United Kingdom, the Dominion of Canada, the Commonwealth of Australia, the Dominion of New Zealand, the Union of South Africa, the Irish Free State and Newfoundland, at Imperial Conferences holden at Westminster in the years of our Lord nineteen hundred and twenty-six and nineteen hundred and thirty did concur in making the declaration and resolutions set forth in the Reports of the said Conferences:

AND WHEREAS it is meet and proper to set out by way of preamble to this Act that, inasmuch as the Crown is the symbol of the free association of the members of the British Commonwealth of Nations, and as they are united by a common allegiance to the Crown, it would be in accord with the established constitutional position of all the members of the Commonwealth in relation to one another that any alteration in the law touching the Succession to the Throne or the Royal Style and Titles shall hereafter require the assent as well of the Parliaments of all the Dominions as of the Parliament of the United Kingdom:

AND WHEREAS it is in accord with the established constitutional position that no law hereafter made by the Parliament of the United Kingdom shall extend to any of the said Dominions as part of the law of that Dominion otherwise than at the request and with the consent of that Dominion:

AND WHEREAS it is necessary for the ratifying, confirming and establishing of certain of the said declarations and resolutions of the said Conferences that a law be made and enacted in due form by authority of the Parliament of the United Kingdom:

AND WHEREAS the Dominion of Canada, the Commonwealth of Australia, the Dominion of New Zealand, the Union of South Africa, the Irish Free State and Newfoundland have severally requested and consented to the submission of a measure to the Parliament of the United Kingdom for making such provision with regard to the matters aforesaid as is hereafter in this Act contained:

NOW, THEREFORE, be it enacted by the King’s Most Excellent Majesty by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

1  Meaning of “Dominion” in this Act

  In this Act the expression “Dominion” means any of the following Dominions, that is to say, the Dominion of Canada, the Commonwealth of Australia, the Dominion of New Zealand, the Union of South Africa, the Irish Free State and Newfoundland.

2  Validity of laws made by Parliament of a Dominion 28 and 29 Vict. c. 63

 (1) The Colonial Laws Validity Act, 1865, shall not apply to any law made after the commencement of this Act by the Parliament of a Dominion.

 (2) No law and no provision of any law made after the commencement of this Act by the Parliament of a Dominion shall be void or inoperative on the ground that it is repugnant to the law of England, or to the provisions of any existing or future Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom, or to any order, rule or regulation made under any such Act, and the powers of the Parliament of a Dominion shall include the power to repeal or amend any such Act, order, rule or regulation in so far as the same is part of the law of the Dominion.

3  Power of Parliament of Dominion to legislate extra-territorially

  It is hereby declared and enacted that the Parliament of a Dominion has full power to make laws having extra-territorial operation.

5  Powers of Dominion Parliaments in relation to merchant shipping 57 and 58 Vict. c. 60

  Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing provisions of this Act, sections seven hundred and thirty-five and seven hundred and thirty-six of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1894, shall be construed as though reference therein to the Legislature of a British possession did not include reference to the Parliament of a Dominion.

6  Powers of Dominion Parliaments in relation to Courts of Admiralty 53 and 54 Vict. c. 27

  Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing provisions of this Act, section four of the Colonial Courts of Admiralty Act, 1890 (which requires certain laws to be reserved for the signification of His Majesty’s pleasure or to contain a suspending clause), and so much of section seven of that Act as requires the approval of His Majesty in Council to any rules of Court for regulating the practice and procedure of a Colonial Court of Admiralty, shall cease to have effect in any Dominion as from the commencement of this Act.

7  Saving for British North America Acts and application of the Act to Canada

 (1) Nothing in this Act shall be deemed to apply to the repeal, amendment or alteration of the British North America Acts, 1867 to 1930, or any order, rule or regulation made thereunder.

 (2) The provisions of section two of this Act shall extend to laws made by any of the Provinces of Canada and to the powers of the legislatures of such Provinces.

 (3) The powers conferred by this Act upon the Parliament of Canada or upon the legislatures of the Provinces shall be restricted to the enactment of laws in relation to matters within the competence of the Parliament of Canada, or of any of the legislatures of the Provinces respectively.

8  Saving for Constitution Acts of Australia and New Zealand

  Nothing in this Act shall be deemed to confer any power to repeal or alter the Constitution or the Constitution Act of the Commonwealth of Australia or the Constitution Act of the Dominion of New Zealand otherwise than in accordance with the law existing before the commencement of this Act.

9  Saving with respect to States of Australia

 (1) Nothing in this Act shall be deemed to authorize the Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia to make laws on any matter within the authority of the States of Australia, not being a matter within the authority of the Parliament or Government of the Commonwealth of Australia.

10  Certain sections of Act not to apply to Australia, New Zealand or Newfoundland unless adopted

 (1) None of the following sections of this Act, that is to say, sections two, three, four, five and six, shall extend to a Dominion to which this section applies as part of the law of that Dominion unless that section is adopted by the Parliament of the Dominion, and any Act of that Parliament adopting any section of this Act may provide that the adoption shall have effect either from the commencement of this Act or from such later date as is specified in the adopting Act.

 (3) The Dominions to which this section applies are the Commonwealth of Australia, the Dominion of New Zealand and Newfoundland.

11  Meaning of “Colony” in future Acts 52 and 53 Vict. c. 63

  Notwithstanding anything in the Interpretation Act, 1889, the expression “Colony” shall not, in any Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed after the commencement of this Act, include a Dominion or any Province or State forming part of a Dominion.

12  Short title

  This Act may be cited as the Statute of Westminster, 1931.

Notes to the Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1942

Note 1

The Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1942 as shown in this compilation comprises Act No. 56, 1942 amended as indicated in the Tables below.

The Australian Parliament has on three occasions passed Acts requesting and consenting to the enactment by the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Acts extending to Australia.  The Acts of the Parliaments of Australia and of the United Kingdom, respectively, are as follows:

Table of Acts

(a) Subsection 17(2) of the Australia Act 1986 provides as follows:

 (2) This Act shall come into operation on a day and at a time to be fixed by Proclamation.

This Act came into operation on 3 March 1986 at 5.00 am Greenwich Mean Time (see Gazette 1986, No. S85).

Table of Amendments