Corporate Body
Soil Conservation Board (1940 - 1949)
State of Victoria
- From
- 24 December 1940
Victoria, Australia - To
- 31 December 1949
Victoria, Australia - Functions
- Advisory or Regulatory Body, Conservation or Environment and Earth Sciences
- Reference No
- VA 1056
- Legal Status
- Public Record Office Victoria, Registered Agency
Summary
The Soil Conservation Board was constituted following the passing of the Soil Conservation Act 1940 (No.4786). The Board consisted of seven members, a full-time Chairman, and six part time members, appointed for two year terms by the Governor in Council. Five members to be professional officers of the Departments of Agriculture, Crown Lands and Surveys, Water Supply, State Forests, and Mines and one member appointed to represent pastoral interests.
The general purposes of the Board under section 8 of the Act were:
(a) the prevention and mitigation of soil erosion;
(b) the promotion of soil conservation;
(c) the utilization of lands in such a manner as will tend towards the attainment of these objectives.
Its functions under the Act included surveys, investigations, experiments, demonstrations, publication of results, regarding soil erosion, soil conservation and soil reclamation. It also had a co-ordinating role over policies and activities of Government departments and authorities regarding the alienation, occupation and utilization of Crown Lands.
It had seven Regional Advisory Committees, known as the Upper Goulburn, Lower Goulburn, Hume Catchment, Glenelg, Pyrenees, East Wimmera, and Mallee Soil Conservation Regions.
During 1949, the Soil Conservation and Land Utilization Act 1949 (No. 5411) was passed. This Act amended the Land Utilization Act 1947 (No. 5226), and the two Acts together formed the Soil Conservation and Land Utilization Acts. This legislation provided for the replacement of the Soil Conservation Board by the Soil Conservation Authority.
Details
Reports of the Soil Conservation Board tabled in Parliament are listed and linked below:
* First annual report for year ended 30th June, 1941;
* Second annual report for year ended 30th June, 1942;
* Third annual report for year ended 30th June, 1943;
* Special report 3rd December 1943;
* Fourth annual report for year ended 30th June, 1944;
* Fifth annual report for year ended 30th June, 1945 ;
* Sixth annual report for year ended 30th June, 1946;
* Seventh annual report for year ended 30th June, 1947;
* Eighth annual report for year ended 30th June, 1948 ;
* Ninth annual report for year ending 30th June, 1949;
* Soil Conservation Authority : first annual report for year ended 30th June 1950 includes last report of Soil Conservation Board.
Related entries
Timeline
1940 - 1949 Soil Conservation Board
1950 - 1987 Soil Conservation Authority
Published resources
Parliamentary papers
- Soil Conservation Authority, Soil Conservation Authority : first annual report for year ended 30th June 1950 (Melbourne: Government Printer, 1950), 15 pp, https://pov.ent.sirsidynix.net.au/client/en_GB/parl_paper/search/detailnonmodal/ent:$002f$002fSD_ILS$002f0$002fSD_ILS:27398/one. Details
Resource Sections
- 'VA 1056 Soil Conservation Authority (previously known as Soil Conservation Board 1940-1947; Land Conservation Authority 1947-1950) 1940-1987', in Public Record Office Victoria online catalogue, Public Record Office Victoria, 2002, https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/VA1056. Details
Ken McInnes
Created: 25 October 2023, Last modified: 26 October 2023