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SUCCESSION TO THE CROWN BILL 2015

 

 

 

2013-2014-2015 

 

The Parliament of the 

Commonwealth of Australia 

 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

 

 

 

 

Presented and read a first time 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Succession to the Crown Bill 2015 

 

No.      , 2015 

 

(Prime Minister) 

 

 

 

A Bill for an Act to change the law relating to royal 

succession and royal marriages, and for related 

purposes 

   

   

   

 

 

No.      , 2015 

Succession to the Crown Bill 2015 

i 

 

Contents 

Part 1--Preliminary

 

2

 

Short title ........................................................................................... 2

 

Commencement ................................................................................. 2

 

Object of this Act ............................................................................... 3

 

Relationship with Sovereign not affected .......................................... 3

 

Definition of Crown ........................................................................... 3

 

Part 2--Succession to the Crown not to depend on gender

 

4

 

Succession to the Crown not to depend on gender ............................ 4

 

Part 3--Marriage and succession to the Crown

 

5

 

Removal of disqualification arising from marriage to a 

Roman Catholic ................................................................................. 5

 

Disqualification arising from marriage .............................................. 5

 

Amendments and repeal relating to marriage and succession 

to the Crown ...................................................................................... 5

 

Part 4--Other modifications of parts of the law of the 

Commonwealth, States and Territories

 

6

 

10 

References to Bill of Rights and Act of Settlement ........................... 6

 

11 

Union legislation affected by this Act................................................ 6

 

Part 5--Repeal or amendment of this Act

 

7

 

12 

Repeal or amendment of this Act ....................................................... 7

 

Schedule 1--Further provisions relating to marriage and 

succession to the Crown

 

8

 

Part 1--Amendments relating to marriage to a Roman Catholic

 

8

 

Act of Settlement

 

8

 

Bill of Rights

 

8

 

Part 2--Repeal of the Royal Marriages Act 1772

 

9

 

 

 

 

No.      , 2015 

Succession to the Crown Bill 2015 

1 

 

A Bill for an Act to change the law relating to royal 

succession and royal marriages, and for related 

purposes 

Preamble 

 

  On 28 October 2011, representatives of nations of which Her 

Majesty is the Sovereign agreed that the rules on succession to, and 

possession of, the Crown should be changed so as to make 

succession not depend on gender and to end the disqualification 

arising from marrying a Roman Catholic. 

 

  The United Kingdom has further proposed to disqualify certain 

10 

persons from succeeding to the Crown as a result of marriage, to 

11 

repeal the Royal Marriages Act 1772 and to validate certain 

12 

marriages made void by that Act. 

13 

   

Part 1  Preliminary 

   

 

Section 1 

 

2 

Succession to the Crown Bill 2015 

No.      , 2015 

 

 

  For the purposes of paragraph 51(xxxviii) of the Constitution the 

Parliaments of all the States have requested the Parliament of the 

Commonwealth of Australia to enact an Act in the terms, or 

substantially in the terms, of this Act. 

The Parliament of Australia therefore enacts: 

Part 1--Preliminary 

   

1  Short title 

 

  This Act may be cited as the Succession to the Crown Act 2015

2  Commencement 

10 

 

(1)  Each provision of this Act specified in column 1 of the table 

11 

commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with 

12 

column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect 

13 

according to its terms. 

14 

 

15 

Commencement information 

Column 1 

Column 2 

Column 3 

Provision(s) 

Commencement 

Date/Details 

1.  Sections 1 and 

2 and anything in 

this Act not 

elsewhere covered 

by this table 

The day this Act receives the Royal Assent. 

 

2.  Sections 3, 4 

and 5 

The day this Act receives the Royal Assent. 

 

3.  Parts 2, 3 and 

A time and day, or times and days, to be 

fixed by Proclamation. 

 

4.  Part 5 

The day this Act receives the Royal Assent. 

 

5.  Schedule 1 

A time and day, or times and days, to be 

fixed by Proclamation. 

 

   

Preliminary  Part 1 

   

 

Section 3 

 

No.      , 2015 

Succession to the Crown Bill 2015 

3 

 

Note:  

This table relates only to the provisions of this Act as originally 

enacted. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of 

this Act. 

 

(2)  Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this Act. 

Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it 

may be edited, in any published version of this Act. 

3  Object of this Act 

 

  The main object of this Act is to change the law relating to the 

effect of gender and marriage on royal succession, consistently 

with changes made to that law in the United Kingdom, so that the 

10 

Sovereign of Australia is the same person as the Sovereign of the 

11 

United Kingdom. 

12 

4  Relationship with Sovereign not affected 

13 

 

  This Act is not intended to affect the relationship between the 

14 

Sovereign and the Commonwealth, the States and the Territories as 

15 

existing immediately before its enactment. 

16 

5  Definition of Crown 

17 

 

  In this Act: 

18 

Crown means the Crown in all of its capacities. 

19 

   

Part 2  Succession to the Crown not to depend on gender 

   

 

Section 6 

 

4 

Succession to the Crown Bill 2015 

No.      , 2015 

 

Part 2--Succession to the Crown not to depend on 

gender 

   

6  Succession to the Crown not to depend on gender 

 

  In determining the succession to the Crown, the gender of a person 

born after 28 October 2011 (by United Kingdom time) does not 

give that person, or that person's descendants, precedence over any 

other person (whenever born). 

   

Marriage and succession to the Crown  Part 3 

   

 

Section 7 

 

No.      , 2015 

Succession to the Crown Bill 2015 

5 

 

Part 3--Marriage and succession to the Crown 

   

7  Removal of disqualification arising from marriage to a Roman 

Catholic 

 

(1)  A person is not disqualified from succeeding to the Crown or from 

possessing it as a result of marrying a person of the Roman 

Catholic faith. 

 

(2)  Subsection (1) applies in relation to marriages occurring before the 

commencement of this section if the person concerned is alive at 

that commencement (as well as in relation to marriages occurring 

10 

after that commencement). 

11 

8  Disqualification arising from marriage 

12 

 

  A person is disqualified from succeeding to the Crown if the 

13 

person is disqualified by subsection 3(3) of the Succession to the 

14 

Crown Act 2013 of the United Kingdom, as in force at the 

15 

commencement of this section, from succeeding to the Crown in 

16 

right of the United Kingdom. 

17 

9  Amendments and repeal relating to marriage and succession to the 

18 

Crown 

19 

 

  Each Act of England or Great Britain that is specified in 

20 

Schedule 1, so far as that Act is part of the law of the 

21 

Commonwealth, a State or a Territory, is amended or repealed as 

22 

set out in the applicable items in Schedule 1, and any other item in 

23 

Schedule 1 has effect according to its terms. 

24 

   

Part 4  Other modifications of parts of the law of the Commonwealth, States and 

Territories 

   

 

Section 10 

 

6 

Succession to the Crown Bill 2015 

No.      , 2015 

 

Part 4--Other modifications of parts of the law of 

the Commonwealth, States and Territories 

   

10  References to Bill of Rights and Act of Settlement 

 

  References, however expressed, in any law that forms part of the 

law of the Commonwealth or a Territory, to the provisions of the 

Bill of Rights or the Act of Settlement relating to succession to, or 

possession of, the Crown are to be read as including references to 

the provisions of this Act. 

11  Union legislation affected by this Act 

10 

 

  So far as they are part of the law of the Commonwealth, a State or 

11 

a Territory, the following are subject to this Act: 

12 

 

(a)  Article II of the Union with Scotland Act 1706 of England; 

13 

 

(b)  Article II of the Union with England Act 1707 of Scotland; 

14 

 

(c)  Article Second of the Union with Ireland Act 1800 of Great 

15 

Britain; 

16 

 

(d)  Article Second of the Act of Union (Ireland) 1800 of Ireland. 

17 

   

Repeal or amendment of this Act  Part 5 

   

 

Section 12 

 

No.      , 2015 

Succession to the Crown Bill 2015 

7 

 

Part 5--Repeal or amendment of this Act 

   

12  Repeal or amendment of this Act 

 

  This Act may be expressly or impliedly repealed or amended only 

by an Act passed at the request or with the concurrence of the 

Parliaments of all the States. 

Schedule 1  Further provisions relating to marriage and succession to the Crown 

Part 1  Amendments relating to marriage to a Roman Catholic 

 

 

8 

Succession to the Crown Bill 2015 

No.      , 2015 

 

Schedule 1

--Further provisions relating to 

marriage and succession to the Crown 

Part 1

--Amendments relating to marriage to a 

Roman Catholic 

Act of Settlement 

1  Preamble 

Omit "or marry a papist". 

2  Preamble 

Omit "or marrying". 

3  Section 2 

10 

Omit "or shall marry a papist". 

11 

Bill of Rights 

12 

4  Section 1 

13 

Omit "or by any King or Queene marrying a papist". 

14 

5  Section 1 

15 

Omit "or shall marry a papist". 

16 

6  Section 1 

17 

Omit "or marrying". 

18 

7  Application of amendments 

19 

The amendments made by this Part apply in relation to marriages 

20 

occurring before the commencement of this Part if the person concerned 

21 

is alive at that commencement (as well as in relation to marriages 

22 

occurring after that commencement). 

23 

Further provisions relating to marriage and succession to the Crown  Schedule 1 

Repeal of the Royal Marriages Act 1772  Part 2 

 

 

No.      , 2015 

Succession to the Crown Bill 2015 

9 

 

Part 2

--Repeal of the Royal Marriages Act 1772 

8  The whole of the Act 

Repeal the Act. 

9  Validation of some marriages voided by the Royal 

Marriages Act 1772 

(1) 

A marriage that was void under the Royal Marriages Act 1772 of Great 

Britain, so far as that Act was part of the law of the Commonwealth, a 

State or a Territory, is to be treated as never having been void if: 

 

(a)  neither party to the marriage was one of the 6 persons next in 

the line of succession to the Crown at the time of the 

10 

marriage; and 

11 

 

(b)  no consent was sought under section 1 of that Act, or notice 

12 

given under section 2 of that Act, in respect of the marriage; 

13 

and 

14 

 

(c)  in all the circumstances it was reasonable for the person 

15 

concerned not to have been aware at the time of the marriage 

16 

that the Act applied to it; and 

17 

 

(d)  no person acted, before the commencement of this item, on 

18 

the basis that the marriage was void. 

19 

(2) 

Subitem (1) applies for all purposes except those relating to succession 

20 

to the Crown. 

21 

 

22 

 


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