An Act to facilitate the adoption of the metric system of measurement; to apply certain savings provisions to Acts and statutory instruments expressed to be for the purpose of metric conversion; and for purposes connected therewith.
1 Name of Act
This Act may be cited as the Metric Conversion (Savings) Act 1974.
2 Definitions
In this Act:metric system of measurement means measurement in terms of:(a) the units comprised in the International System of Units for the time being approved by the General Conference on Weights and Measures,(b) units decimally related to those units and for the time being so approved, and(c) such other units as are declared from time to time pursuant to the Metric Conversion Act 1970 of the Parliament of the Commonwealth, as amended from time to time, or pursuant to any Act of the Parliament of the Commonwealth in substitution for that Act, to be within the metric system.statutory instrument means any instrument made under an Act.
3 General savings
Where an Act or statutory instrument amends an Act or statutory instrument, the amendment made by any provision of the amending Act or statutory instrument, being a provision expressed to be for the purpose of metric conversion, shall not:(a) affect the previous operation of the Act of statutory instrument so amended, or anything lawfully done, commenced to be done, or omitted to be done under the Act or statutory instrument so amended,(b) affect any right, privilege, obligation or liability acquired, accrued or incurred under the Act or statutory instrument so amended,(c) affect any penalty, forfeiture or punishment incurred in respect of any offence committed against the Act or statutory instrument so amended, orand any investigation, legal proceeding or remedy referred to in paragraph (d) may be instituted, continued or enforced, and any penalty, forfeiture or punishment referred to in paragraph (c) may be imposed and enforced as if the amending Act or statutory instrument had not been passed.(d) affect any investigation, legal proceeding or remedy in respect of:(i) a right, privilege, obligation or liability referred to in paragraph (b), or(ii) a penalty, forfeiture or punishment referred to in paragraph (c),
4 Objects, structures and works
(1) In this section, measurement means a measurement determined by reference to a unit of measurement other than a unit of measurement of the metric system of measurement.(2) Where:(a) an amendment of an Act or statutory instrument is made by a provision expressed to be for the purpose of metric conversion, andanything may be done in relation to that object, structure, work or part, as the case may be, as if that provision had not been made.(b) immediately before that provision takes effect, an object or part of an object, a structure or part of a structure, or a work or part of a work:(i) complied with a measurement prescribed by an Act or statutory instrument for or with respect to that object, structure, work or part, as the case may be, or(ii) had been brought or commenced to be brought into existence in accordance with a measurement prescribed by an Act or statutory instrument,(3) Where:(a) a statutory instrument (in this subsection called the later statutory instrument) states that this section shall cease to apply to the amendments made by the provisions of an earlier statutory instrument,(b) the later statutory instrument is of the same kind as the earlier statutory instrument, andthis section shall, on the day on which the later statutory instrument takes effect or on a later day specified therein, cease to apply to the amendments made by the earlier statutory instrument to the extent specified in the later statutory instrument.(c) the later statutory instrument is made under the same Act as the earlier statutory instrument or under any Act passed in substitution for that Act,