GOVERNORS' PENSIONS ACT 1976 TABLE OF PROVISIONS 1. Short title 2. Interpretation 3. Order for payment of pensions 4. Amount of pension 5. Time from which pension is payable etc 5A. Adjustment of pensions 6. Appropriation Legislative history GOVERNORS' PENSIONS ACT 1976 - LONG TITLE An Act to provide for the payment of pensions to certain former Governors of the State and for the spouses or domestic partners of certain deceased Governors and former Governors and for other purposes. GOVERNORS' PENSIONS ACT 1976 - SECT 1 1--Short title This Act may be cited as the Governors' Pensions Act 1976. GOVERNORS' PENSIONS ACT 1976 - SECT 2 2--Interpretation In this Act, unless the contrary intention appears-- "deceased Governor" means a Governor who died while in office as Governor; "domestic partner"-- (a) in relation to a deceased Governor--means a person declared under the Family Relationships Act 1975 to have been the domestic partner of the Governor as at the date of the Governor's death; (b) in relation to a deceased former Governor--means a person declared under the Family Relationships Act 1975 to have been the domestic partner of the former Governor as at the date of the former Governor's death; "former Governor" means any person who-- (a) was appointed to be Governor of the State; and (b) has ceased to hold that office-- (i) after having served in that office for a period (excluding periods of furlough) of not less than four years and six months; or (ii) upon the Treasurer being satisfied that the cessation arose from a mental or physical incapacity to perform the duties of that office; "furlough", in relation to a Governor, means absence from office for recreational purposes for a continuous period of more than one month; "Governor" means a Governor of the State; "Order" means an order made under section 3 of this Act; "pension" means an annual pension provided for and authorised pursuant to an Order; "salary" in relation to a former Governor or a deceased Governor, as the case may be, means the salary payable pursuant to section 73 of the Constitution Act 1934-- (a) to that former Governor immediately before that former Governor ceased to be Governor; or (b) to that deceased Governor immediately before the death of that deceased Governor; "spouse"-- (a) in relation to a deceased Governor--means a person who was, as at the date of the Governor's death, legally married to the Governor; (b) in relation to a deceased former Governor--means a person who was, as at the date of the former Governor's death, legally married to the former Governor. GOVERNORS' PENSIONS ACT 1976 - SECT 3 3--Order for payment of pensions (1) Subject to this Act, the Treasurer may by Order published in the Gazette provide for and authorise the payment of an annual pension for life to-- (a) a former Governor; or (b) the spouse or domestic partner of a deceased former Governor; or (c) the spouse or domestic partner of a deceased Governor, in each case of an amount provided for in the Order. (2) The Treasurer may also pay to a former Governor or the estate of a deceased Governor an amount sufficient to defray any liability to tax (including interest on tax) under the law of the Commonwealth arising because of superannuation entitlements under this Act. GOVERNORS' PENSIONS ACT 1976 - SECT 4 4--Amount of pension (1) Except as is provided in section 5A, the amount of pension shall not-- (a) in the case of a former Governor, exceed 30 per cent of the salary of that former Governor; or (b) in the case of the spouse or domestic partner of a deceased former Governor, exceed 75 per cent of the pension of that deceased former Governor payable immediately before the death of that former Governor; or (c) in the case of the spouse or domestic partner of a deceased Governor, exceed 22.5 per cent of the salary of that deceased Governor. (3) In determining an amount of pension the Treasurer may have regard to any other pension or retiring allowance paid or payable to a former Governor, or the spouse or domestic partner of a deceased Governor or deceased former Governor in respect of any remunerative activity undertaken by the Governor or former Governor before that Governor or former Governor became Governor. GOVERNORS' PENSIONS ACT 1976 - SECT 5 5--Time from which pension is payable etc (1) Each pension shall be payable on and from the day specified in the Order which may be a day that occurs before, on or after the day on which the Order is made. (2) Every pension shall be payable fortnightly but shall accrue due from day to day. GOVERNORS' PENSIONS ACT 1976 - SECT 5A 5A--Adjustment of pensions (1) The Treasurer must adjust the amount of the pensions under this Act from the first payment of pension in each adjustment period to reflect-- (a) in the case of an April adjustment period--the percentage variation (rounded to two decimal places) between the Consumer Price Index for the immediately preceding December quarter and the Consumer Price Index for the immediately preceding June quarter; and (b) in the case of an October adjustment period--the percentage variation (rounded to two decimal places) between the Consumer Price Index for the immediately preceding June quarter and the Consumer Price Index for the immediately preceding December quarter. (2) If on the first day of the relevant adjustment period, the pension has been payable for a period of less than six months, the extent of the adjustment will be reduced to reflect the proportion which the period of payment of the pension bears to six months. (3) To avoid a reduction in pensions the Treasurer may direct that subsection (1) does not apply in relation to a particular adjustment period. (4) In that event an adjustment in the next adjustment period in relation to which subsection (1) applies will be based on the variation between the Consumer Price Index for the June or December quarter (whichever is applicable) immediately preceding that period and the Consumer Price Index for the June or December quarter (whichever is applicable) immediately preceding the adjustment period in relation to which subsection (1) last applied. (5) In this section-- "adjustment period" means the period of six months commencing at the commencement of 1 April and 1 October in each year; "April adjustment period" means an adjustment period commencing at the commencement of 1 April in any year; "the Consumer Price Index" means the Consumer Price Index (All groups index for Adelaide); "October adjustment period" means an adjustment period commencing at the commencement of 1 October in any year. GOVERNORS' PENSIONS ACT 1976 - SECT 6 6--Appropriation Any payment to be made under this Act is to be made from the Consolidated Account (which is appropriated to the necessary extent). GOVERNORS' PENSIONS ACT 1976 - NOTES Legislative history Notes * Please note--References in the legislation to other legislation or instruments or to titles of bodies or offices are not automatically updated as part of the program for the revision and publication of legislation and therefore may be obsolete. * Earlier versions of this Act (historical versions) are listed at the end of the legislative history. * For further information relating to the Act and subordinate legislation made under the Act see the Index of South Australian Statutes or www.legislation.sa.gov.au. Principal Act and amendments New entries appear in bold. Year No Title Assent Commencement 1976 29 Governors' Pensions Act 1976 1.7.1976 1.7.1976 1981 64 Governors' Pensions Act Amendment Act 1981 8.10.1981 8.10.1981 2001 40 Statutes Amendment (Indexation of Superannuation Pensions) Act 2001 3.8.2001 Pt 2 (ss 4 & 5)--1.1.2002: s 2 2001 51 Statutes Amendment (Governor's Remuneration) Act 2001 11.10.2001 Pt 3 (ss 6--8)--5.11.2001 (Gazette 25.10.2001 p4687) 2006 43 Statutes Amendment (Domestic Partners) Act 2006 14.12.2006 Pt 41 (ss 116--120)--1.6.2007 (Gazette 26.4.2007 p1352) Provisions amended New entries appear in bold. Entries that relate to provisions that have been deleted appear in italics. Provision How varied Commencement Long title amended by 43/2006 s 116 1.6.2007 s 2 domestic partner inserted by 43/2006 s 117(1) 1.6.2007 former Governor amended by 64/1981 s 2(a) 8.10.1981 furlough inserted by 64/1981 s 2(b) 8.10.1981 spouse substituted by 43/2006 s 117(2) 1.6.2007 s 3 s 3(1) s 3 redesignated as s 3(1) by 51/2001 s 6 5.11.2001 amended by 43/2006 s 118 1.6.2007 s 3(2) inserted by 51/2001 s 6 5.11.2001 s 4 s 4(1) amended by 51/2001 s 7 5.11.2001 amended by 40/2001 s 4(a) 1.1.2002 amended by 43/2006 s 119(1) 1.6.2007 s 4(2) deleted by 40/2001 s 4(b) 1.1.2002 s 4(3) amended by 43/2006 s 119(2) 1.6.2007 s 5A inserted by 40/2001 s 5 1.1.2002 s 6 substituted by 51/2001 s 8 5.11.2001 Transitional etc provisions associated with Act or amendments Statutes Amendment (Domestic Partners) Act 2006 120--Transitional provision An amendment made by a provision of this Act to a provision of the Governors' Pensions Act 1976 that provides for, or relates to, the payment of a pension to a person on the death of a Governor, or former Governor, applies only if the death occurs after the commencement of the amendment. Historical versions Reprint No 1--15.8.1991 Reprint No 2--5.11.2001 Reprint No 3--1.1.2002