SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY RESEARCH.

No. 1 of 1939.

An Act to amend the Science and Industry Research Act 1920–1937.

[Assented to 6th May, 1939.]

[Date of commencement, 3rd June, 1939.]

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.—(1.) This Act may be cited as the Science and Industry Research Act 1939.

(2.) The Science and Industry Research Act 1920–1937 is in this Act referred to as the Principal Act.

(3.) The Principal Act, as amended by this Act, may be cited as the Science and Industry Research Act 1920–1939.

Definitions.

2. Section three of the Principal Act is amended—

(a) by inserting before the definition of “Officer” the following definition:—

“ ‘Employee’ means a person employed under section fourteen b of this Act;”; and

(b) by omitting from the definition of “Officer” the words “employed under” and inserting in their stead the words “appointed under section fourteen a of”.

Council for Scientific and Industrial Research.

3. Section four of the Principal Act is amended by inserting in sub-section (4.), before the word “gift” (wherever occurring), the word “purchase,”.

Membership of Council.

4. Section five of the Principal Act is amended by inserting in paragraph (b) of sub-section (1.), after the word “Chairman”, the words “and Vice-chairman”.

Casual vacancies in Council.

5. Section nine of the Principal Act is amended by omitting paragraph (b) and inserting in its stead the following paragraph:—

“(b) in the case of the member who holds office as member by reason of his being the Chairman or Vice-chairman of a State Committee—the deputy Vice-chairman (if any) of that State Committee shall hold the vacant office until the appointment of a Chairman or Vice-chairman of that Committee, as the case may be.”.

Appointment of State Committees.

6. Section twelve a of the Principal Act is amended by inserting in sub-section (2.), after the word “Chairman”, the words “and Vice-chairman”.

Appointment of officers.

7. Section fourteen a of the Principal Act is amended—

(a) by omitting from sub-section (2.) the word “employed” and inserting in its stead the word “appointed”; and

(b) by adding at the end of sub-section (2.) the words “or as the Council, with the approval of the Minister, determines.”.

8. After section fourteen a of the Principal Act the following section is inserted:—

Temporary and casual employees.

“14b. The Council may employ such temporary or casual employees as it considers necessary for the purposes of the Act, and may determine the rates of pay and conditions of employment of such employees:

Provided that a person shall not, except with the approval of the Minister, be employed under this section for any period exceeding twelve months.”.

Discoveries by officers and employees.

9. Section fifteen of the Principal Act is amended by omitting the words “of the Council” and inserting in their stead the words “and employees”.

Bonuses for discoveries by officers and employees.

10. Section sixteen of the Principal Act is amended by omitting from sub-section (1.) the words “of the Council” (first occurring) and inserting in their stead the words “and employees”.