Australian Constitution (Public Record Copy) Act 1990
Encyclopedia
The Australian Constitution (Public Record Copy) Act 1990 is an Act
of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
, passed in 1990. The purpose of the Act was to allow the Commonwealth of Australia to retain the original copy of the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900 (Imp), which the British government had loaned for the celebration in 1988 of the bicentenary of British settlement in Australia.
The Australian government had made a formal request to Queen Elizabeth II
for the Act to remain in Australia, as part of the nation's history. However, under the UK's Public Records Act 1958
, the original copy of every Act of Parliament had to remain in the Public Record Office
in London
. Thus the British Parliament passed a new Act to exempt this copy from that requirement, so as to allow the copy to remain with Australia as a gift.
The copy is now displayed in the Federation Gallery at the National Archives of Australia, in Canberra.
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
, passed in 1990. The purpose of the Act was to allow the Commonwealth of Australia to retain the original copy of the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900 (Imp), which the British government had loaned for the celebration in 1988 of the bicentenary of British settlement in Australia.
The Australian government had made a formal request to Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
for the Act to remain in Australia, as part of the nation's history. However, under the UK's Public Records Act 1958
Public Records Act 1958
The Public Records Act 1958 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom forming the main legislation governing public records in the United Kingdom....
, the original copy of every Act of Parliament had to remain in the Public Record Office
Public Record Office
The Public Record Office of the United Kingdom is one of the three organisations that make up the National Archives...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Thus the British Parliament passed a new Act to exempt this copy from that requirement, so as to allow the copy to remain with Australia as a gift.
The copy is now displayed in the Federation Gallery at the National Archives of Australia, in Canberra.
External links
- Graeme Powell, "The Quest for the Nation's Title Deeds, 1901-1990" (2005) 54:1 Australian Library Journal 55. Retrieved 2011-06-08.
- National Archives of Australia. Retrieved 2011-08-20.