Commonwealth Numbered Acts

POSTAL SERVICES ACT 1975 No. 54, 1975 - SECT 18

Division 2-Postal Charges
18. (1) The Commission may, from time to time, make, with the approval of the
Minister, determinations fixing or varying the rates of postage for the
transmission within Australia by ordinary post of-

   (a)  standard postal articles; and

   (b)  registered publications.

(2) The Commission may, from time to time, make determinations fixing or
varying-

   (a)  rates of postage for the transmission of postal articles to which
        sub-section (1) is inapplicable;

   (b)  fees for the provision, in relation to the transmission of postal
        articles by post, of any special services; and

   (c)  fees for any other services that the Commission provides under this
        Act.

(3) An application to the Minister for his approval of a determination
proposed to be made by the Commission under sub-section (1)-

   (a)  shall be made to the Minister in writing;

   (b)  shall specify the date as from which the determination is, if approved
        by the Minister, intended to operate; and

   (c)  shall also specify-

        (i)    the proportion of the amount ascertained in accordance with the
               formula specified in paragraph 76 (1) (b) in respect of the
               financial year in which the date so specified occurs that the
               Commission is planning to provide out of revenues of the
               Commission for expenditure by way of capital expenditure; and

        (ii)   the amount estimated by the Commission to be the amount of
               revenue that the Commission will receive in respect of the
               financial year referred to in sub-paragraph (i),

if the determination is made and any other determination that the Commission
proposes to make under sub-section (2) is also made.

(4) The Minister shall furnish his decision with respect to an application
referred to in sub-section (3) to the Commission in writing.

(5) Where an application has been made to the Minister for approval of a
determination that the Commission proposes to make under sub-section (1), the
Minister may request the Commission, in writing, to furnish to him specified
information that is, in his opinion, relevant to the fixing or varying of the
rates of postage to which the determination relates, and the Commission shall
comply with the request to the extent to which it is practicable to do so and
as soon as practicable after receipt of the request.

(6) The Commission shall cause particulars of rates of postage and other
charges determined by it under this section to be published in the Gazette.

(7) For the purpose of this section, a postal article is a standard postal
article if-

   (a)  the article does not weigh more than 500 grams;

   (b)  the thickness of the article does not exceed 5 millimetres; and

   (c)  the other 2 dimensions of the article form an oblong-

        (i)    the shorter of whose sides is not less than 88 millimetres and
               not more than 122 millimetres in length;

        (ii)   the longer of whose sides is not less than 138 millimetres and
               not more than 237 millimetres in length; and

        (iii)  the respective lengths of whose adjacent sides are in the ratio
               of 1 to at least 1.414.