PARLIAMENTARY ALLOWANCES.

No. 2 of 1952.

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

[Assented to 13th March, 1952.]

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 Parliamentary Allowances Act 1952.

Commencement.

2. This Act shall be deemed to have come into operation on the first day of January, One thousand nine hundred and fifty-two.

Repeal.

3. The Acts specified in the First Schedule to this Act are repealed.

Allowances of senators.

4.—(1.) Each senator shall receive an allowance at the rate of One thousand seven hundred and fifty pounds a year.

(2.) Each senator 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, at the rate of Five hundred and fifty pounds a year.

(3.) The allowances to a senator shall be reckoned—

(a) in the case of a senator chosen at the first election after a dissolution of the Senate—from and including the day of his election;

(b) in the case of a senator chosen to fill a place which is to become vacant in rotation—from and including the first day of July following the day of his election; and

(c) in the case of a senator chosen or appointed to fill a casual vacancy—from and including the day of his choice or appointment.

(4.) The allowances to a senator who is a member of the Senate immediately before a dissolution of the Senate and is a candidate at the next following Senate election shall be reckoned to and including the day next before the day of that election.

Allowances to members of House of Representatives.

5.—(1.) Each member of the House of Representatives shall receive an allowance at the rate of One thousand seven hundred and fifty pounds a year.

(2.) Each member of the House of Representatives shall receive, in addition to the allowance referred to in the last preceding subsection, an allowance, in respect of the expenses of discharging his duties, at the yearly rate specified in the Second Schedule to this Act in respect of the Electoral Division for which he is the member.

(3.) The Governor-General may, after report to the Prime Minister by the Commissioner of Taxation, make regulations providing that the allowance payable under the last preceding subsection to the member of the House of Representatives for an Electoral Division be at a yearly rate specified in the Second Schedule to this Act other than the yearly rate which would otherwise be applicable to that member.

(4.) The allowances to a member of the House of Representatives shall be reckoned from and including the day of his election.

(5.) The allowances to a member of the House of Representatives who is a member of that House immediately before the dissolution or expiration of that House and is a candidate for election as a member of the House of Representatives at the next following general election shall be reckoned to and including the day next before the day of his re-election or of the election of his successor, as the case may be.

Allowances to President, Speaker and Chairmen of Committees.

6.—(1.) There are payable to the President of the Senate and to the Speaker of the House of Representatives allowances at the rate of One thousand seven hundred and fifty pounds a year each.

(2.) There are payable to the President of the Senate and to the Speaker of the House of Representatives allowances, in respect of the expenses of discharging the duties of their respective offices, at the rate of Two hundred and fifty pounds a year each.

(3.) There are payable to the Chairman of Committees of the Senate and to the Chairman of Committees of the House of Representatives allowances at the rate of Nine hundred pounds a year each.

(4.) The allowances to a President of the Senate who is re-elected at an election of the Senate shall be reckoned to and including the day next before the day on which his successor as President is chosen.

(5.) The allowances to a Speaker of the House of Representatives who is re-elected at a general election of that House shall be reckoned to and including the day next before the day on which his successor as Speaker is chosen.

Allowances to Leaders of Opposition.

7.—(1.) There is payable to the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate an allowance at the rate of Seven hundred and fifty pounds a year and to the Leader of the Opposition in the House of Representatives an allowance at the rate of One thousand seven hundred and fifty pounds a year.

(2.) There is payable to the 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 and to the Leader of the Opposition in the House of Representatives an allowance, in respect of the expenses of discharging the duties of his office, at the rate of One thousand pounds a year.

Allowances to Deputy Leader of Opposition in House of Representatives.

8.—(1.) There is payable to the Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the House of Representatives an allowance at the rate of Seven hundred and fifty pounds a year.

(2.) There is payable to the Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the House of Representatives 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.

Allowance to leader of third party in House of Representatives.

9. There is payable to the leader in the House of Representatives (not being the Leader of the Opposition or the Deputy Leader of the Opposition) of a recognized political party not less than ten members of which are members of the House of Representatives and of which no member is a Minister of State an allowance at the rate of Five hundred pounds a year.

Allowances to Whips.

10.—(1.) There are payable to the Government Whip in the Senate and to the Opposition Whip in the Senate allowances at the rate of Two hundred and seventy-five pounds a year each.

(2.) There is payable to the Government Whip in the House of Representatives an allowance at the rate of Three hundred and twenty-five pounds a year.

(3.) There is payable to the Whip in the House of Representatives of each recognized political party which has not less than ten members in that House, but not including the Government Whip, an allowance at the rate of Two hundred and seventy-five pounds a year.

Certain allowances are additional to allowances as members.

11. The allowances provided for by sections six, seven, eight, nine and ten of this Act are in addition to the allowances provided for by sections four and five of this Act.

Appropriation.

12. The allowances provided for by this Act are payable out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund, which is appropriated accordingly.

Unclaimed allowances.

13. All moneys payable under this Act not claimed within three months after becoming due shall revert to the Consolidated Revenue Fund.

THE SCHEDULES.

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FIRST SCHEDULE.

Section 3.

Acts Repealed.

Parliamentary Allowances Act 1920.

Parliamentary Allowances Act 1928.

Parliamentary Salaries Adjustment Act 1938.

Parliamentary Allowances Act 1947.

Parliamentary Allowances Act (No. 2) 1947.

SECOND SCHEDULE

Section 5.

Allowances for Expenses of Members of the House of Representatives

Second Schedule—continued.

Allowances for Expenses of Members of the House of Representatives—continued.