SOIL AND LAND CONSERVATION ACT 1945 - SECT 48

SOIL AND LAND CONSERVATION ACT 1945 - SECT 48

48 .         Regulations

        (1)         The Governor may, in addition to the regulations provided for in section 22, make regulations for or with respect to any matters or things which are by this Act authorised or permitted to be prescribed or which are necessary or expedient to be prescribed in order to carry the objects and purposes of this Act into effect.

        (2)         Without in any way affecting or limiting the generality of subsection (1) the Governor may make regulations particularly in relation to any of the following matters —

            (a)         the qualifications and duties of officers appointed under or for the purposes of this Act;

            (b)         the carrying out of surveys and investigations to ascertain the nature and extent of land degradation;

            (c)         the carrying out of experiments and demonstrations in soil conservation and reclamation, and for the recording and publication of information resulting therefrom;

            (d)         the measures to be taken for preventing and mitigating land degradation;

            (e)         the instruction and supervision of land holders in matters pertaining to soil conservation and reclamation;

            (f)         the procedure for obtaining assistance by persons whose land has been affected by erosion, eutrophication, salinity or flooding, and the terms and conditions under which such assistance shall be given;

            (g)         subject to section 25A(9) and (10), the procedure to be followed before recommending that a service charge be imposed, including —

                  (i)         the forward planning, costing and consultation to be undertaken; and

                  (ii)         the public meetings to be held; and

                  (iii)         the notifications to be given; and

                  (iv)         the reports to be given to the Minister;

            (ga)         the practices to be applied in the control and management of, and accounting for, service charges;

            (h)         the form of notices, orders, certificates, authorities and other documents;

        [(i), (j)         deleted]

            (k)         appointing times and places for the doing of acts, matters and things;

            (l)         the management and control of soil conservation reserves;

            (m)         the leasing of land vested in Her Majesty under this Act, and the rents or fees, the terms, and covenants and conditions to be reserved by or fixed and included in any such leases;

            (n)         subject to the provisions of the Forests Act 1918 ² , the regulation or prohibition of the destruction of or interference with timber or scrub on land held under any form of lease or licence from the Crown;

            (o)         the prohibition of the lighting of fires in the open air in any area of land degradation hazard except under such circumstances and subject to such limitations, conditions and restrictions as may be prescribed;

            (p)         the prohibition or regulation of depasturing of livestock on a soil conservation reserve or on an area of land degradation hazard or on any specified portion of such reserve or hazard;

            (q)         requiring the owner or occupier of land to give prior notification to the Commissioner of the owner or occupier’s intent to cut down, clear, destroy or otherwise damage trees, shrubs, grass or any other plants on any land.

        (3)         Any regulation made under this section may —

            (a)         authorise any matter or thing to be from time to time determined, applied or regulated by the Minister or the Commissioner;

            (b)         impose a penalty not exceeding $2 000 for a breach of any regulation.

        (4)         Regulations may be made under this section —

            (a)         so as to apply —

                  (i)         generally or in a particular class of case or in particular classes of cases; and

                  (ii)         at all times or at a specified time or at specified times; and

                  (iii)         throughout the State or in a specified part or specified parts of the State;

                and

            (b)         so as to provide for the exemption of persons or things from the provisions of the regulations, or any of them, and for the imposition of conditions on any such exemption.

        (5)         In subsection (4)(a) specified means specified in the regulations.

        [Section 48 amended: No. 32 of 1955 s. 11; No. 113 of 1965 s. 8; No. 42 of 1982 s. 41 and 42; No. 20 of 1989 s. 3; No. 47 of 1994 s. 26; No. 4 of 1999 s. 11; No. 55 of 2004 s. 1102; No. 19 of 2022 s. 17.]

        [Heading inserted: No. 19 of 2022 s. 16.]