States Grants (Beef Cattle Roads)

No. 44 of 1968

An Act to grant Financial Assistance to the States of Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia in connexion with the construction of certain Roads to be used for the transport of Beef Cattle.

[Assented to 19 June 1968]

BE it enacted by the Queen’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 States Grants (Beef Cattle Roads) Act 1968.

Commencement.

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

Interpretation.

3.—(1.)     In this Act, “approved work”, in relation to a State to which this Act applies, means a work approved by the Minister under sub-section (1.) of the next succeeding section.

(2.)    For the purposes of this Act, each of the following States is a State to which this Act applies:—

(a) the State of Queensland;

(b) the State of Western Australia; and

(c) the State of South Australia.

(3.)    For the purposes of this Act, each of the following years is a year to which this Act applies:—

(a) the year ending on the thirtieth day of June, One thousand nine hundred and sixty-eight; and

(b) each of the next six succeeding years.

Approval of work.

4.—(1.)     For the purposes of this Act, the Minister may—

(a) at the request of a State to which this Act applies made before the commencement of or during a year to which this Act applies, approve, in relation to that year, a work in connexion with the construction of roads in the State to be used for the transport of beef cattle; and

(b) vary such an approval.

(2.) Works that may be approved under the last preceding sub-section include—

(a) works in connexion with the construction of a road from the intersection of the Duncan Highway with the Behn River to Dingo Gap on the road from the Duncan Highway to Timber Creek; and

(b) works in connexion with the improvement of that part of the road from the Duncan Highway to Timber Creek that lies between the Duncan Highway and Dingo Gap,

whether those works or any part or parts of those works are to be carried out in the Northern Territory of Australia or not.

Grant of financial assistance.

5.—(1.)   Subject to this Act, there are payable to a State to which this Act applies, by way of financial assistance, amounts equal to the amounts expended by the State in a year to which this Act applies on works approved under sub-section (1.) of the last preceding section in relation to that year, including amounts so expended before the giving of the approval.

(2.)     The amounts paid under this Act to a State to which this Act applies shall not exceed, in the aggregate—

(a) in the case of the State of Queensland—Thirty-nine million five hundred thousand dollars;

(b) in the case of the State of Western Australia—Nine million five hundred thousand dollars; and

(c) in the case of the State of South Australia—One million dollars.

Standards of design and construction.

6.  The Minister may, for the purposes of this Act, approve standards of design or construction for any approved work to be carried out by a State to which this Act applies and if, after standards so approved have been notified to the State, expenditure is incurred by the State in carrying out that work otherwise than in accordance with those standards, the Minister may direct that payment under this Act shall not be made in respect of that expenditure.

Information to be furnished by States.

7.—(1.)     The Minister may request a State to which this Act applies to furnish to him, not later than a specified date before the commencement of a year to which this Act applies, such information as he specifies in relation to the expenditure proposed to be incurred by the State during that year in connexion with specified approved works and, if the Minister so requests, the State is not entitled to financial assistance under this Act in relation to expenditure incurred by the State during that year in connexion with those works unless the State has furnished that information.

(2.)     A State to which this Act applies is not entitled to financial assistance under this Act in relation to any particular expenditure by the State unless the State has furnished to the Treasurer—

(a) a statement in respect of that expenditure in a form approved by the Treasurer, accompanied by a certificate of the Auditor-General of the State certifying that the expenditure shown in the statement was incurred in connexion with approved works; and

(b) such further information, if any, as the Treasurer requires in respect of that expenditure.

Certain expenditure not to be taken into account for purposes of Commonwealth Aid Roads Act.

8.  Amounts expended by a State to which this Act applies in relation to which amounts have been paid, or are payable, to the State under this Act shall not be taken into account for the purposes of section 4 of the Commonwealth Aid Roads Act 1964.

Advances.

9.  The Treasurer may, at such times as he thinks fit, make advances of such amounts as he thinks fit to a State to which this Act applies on account of an amount that may become payable under this Act to the State.

Overpayments.

10.   Payment of an amount (including an advance) under this Act to a State to which this Act applies is subject to the condition that the State will repay to the Commonwealth, on demand by the Treasurer, the amount by which, at the time of the demand, the total of the amounts (including advances) paid to the State under this Act exceeds the total of the amounts that have become payable to the State under section 5 of this Act.

Appropriation.

11.   Amounts payable under this Act are payable out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund, which is appropriated accordingly.

Relief from conditions as to repayment of certain moneys previously granted by way of financial assistance.

12.   Upon completion of the works referred to in paragraph (a) of sub-section (2.) of section 4 of this Act, section 7 of the States Grants (Encouragement of Meat Production) Act 1949-1954 ceases to apply to and in relation to payments made under that Act in respect of the construction of that part of the road from Wyndham to Nicholson Station that lies between the Behn River and the junction of that road with the road to Timber Creek.