PARLIAMENTARY ALLOWANCES.

No. 29 of 1956.

An Act relating to the Allowances of Members of each House of the Parliament.

[Assented to 6th June, 1956.]

BE it enacted by the Queen’s Most Excellent Majesty, the Senate, and the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Australia, for the purpose of appropriating the grant originated in the House of Representatives, as follows:—

Short title and citation.

1.—(1.) This Act may be cited as the Parliamentary Allowances Act 1956.

(2.) The Parliamentary Allowances Act 1952 is in this Act referred to as the Principal Act.

(3.) The Principal Act, as amended by this Act, may be cited as the Parliamentary Allowances Act 1952–1956.

Commencement.

2.—(1.) Section eight of this Act shall come into operation on the day on which this Act receives the Royal Assent.

(2.) The remaining sections of this Act shall come into operation on the first day of July, One thousand nine hundred and fifty-six.

Allowances to senators.

3. Section four of the Principal Act is amended—

(a) by omitting from sub-section (1.) the words “One thousand seven hundred and fifty” and inserting in their stead the words “Two thousand three hundred and fifty”; and

(b) by omitting from sub-section (2.) the words “Five hundred and fifty” and inserting in their stead the words “Seven hundred”.

Allowances to members of House of Representatives.

4. Section five of the Principal Act is amended—

(a) by omitting from sub-section (1.) the words “One thousand seven hundred and fifty” and inserting in their stead the words “Two thousand three hundred and fifty”; and

(b) by omitting sub-sections (2.) and (3.) and inserting in their stead the following sub-section:—

“(2.) A member of the House of Representatives shall receive, in addition to the allowance referred to in the last preceding sub-section, an allowance, in respect of the expenses of discharging his duties—

(a) if he is a member for an Electoral Division specified in the Second Schedule to this Act—at the rate of Six hundred pounds a year; or

(b) if he is not such a member—at the rate of Eight hundred pounds a year.”.

5. After section seven of the Principal Act the following section is inserted:—

Allowances to Deputy Leader of Opposition in Senate.

“7a.—(1.) There is payable to the Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate an allowance at the rate of Three hundred and seventy-five pounds a year.

“(2.) There is payable to the Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate an allowance, in respect of the expenses of discharging the duties of his office, at the rate of Two hundred and fifty pounds a year.”.

Certain allowances to be additional to allowances as members.

6. Section eleven of the Principal Act is amended by omitting the words “six, seven, eight, nine and ten” and inserting in their stead the words “six to ten (inclusive)”.

Second Schedule.

7. The Second Schedule to the Principal Act is repealed and the following Schedule inserted in its stead:—

SECOND SCHEDULE.

Section 5(2.).

Electoral Divisions.

Allowances payable to members from 10th December, 1955 to 30th June, 1956.

8. In respect of the period from and including the tenth day of December, One thousand nine hundred and fifty-five, to and including the thirtieth day of June, One thousand nine hundred and fifty-six, the Parliamentary Allowances Act 1952 shall be deemed to have had effect, and shall have effect, as if the Schedule to this Act had been substituted for the Second Schedule to that Act, and the Consolidated Revenue Fund is appropriated accordingly.

THE SCHEDULE. Section 8.

Allowances for Expenses of Members of the House of Representatives from and including 10th December, 1955, to and including 30th June, 1956.

The Schedule—continued.

Allowances for Expenses of Members of the House of Representatives from and including 10th December, 1955, to and including 30th June,  1956—continued.