The War Precautions Act 1914 was an Act of the Parliament of Australia which gave the Government of Australia special powers for the duration of World War I and for six months afterwards. It was held by the High Court of Australia in Farey v Burvett that during wartime, the scope of the federal Government's power under Section 51(vi) of the Australian Constitution (under which the Act was passed) expands to meet the exigencies of wartime. As a result, the responsibility for defence policy lies solely with the Parliament and the Executive. There were 3,442 prosecutions under the Act, almost all of which were successful. Provisions Under the Act, which was to be read as one with the Defence Act 1903–1912, the Commonwealth could make regulations "for securing the public safety and the defence of the Commonwealth", including: preventing espionage and other activity that could "jeopardize the success of the operations of any of His Majesty's forces," securing "the safety of any means of communication", and preventing "the spread of reports likely to cause disaffection or alarm" (the breach of which was subject to trial by court-martial) prohibiting aliens from entering the Commonwealth, or requiring their deportation therefrom prohibiting aliens from residing or remaining in a specified place, or requiring them to reside and remain in a specified place regulating the registration and change of abode of aliens, and any travelling and trading done by them imposing similar restriction on naturalize citizens as can be imposed on aliens requiring "any person to disclose any information in his possession as to any matter" preventing "money or goods being sent out of Australia" except under certain conditions Later amendments expanded the scope of regulations to cover: the restriction the transmission abroad of all written communication other than through the post the ownership of property held by enemy aliens, and the regulation or restriction of any trade or business operated by them the conditions (ie, times, place and prices) of the disposal or use of any thing the requisitioning of any thing From 1915, the scale of punishments for offences under the Act was: on summary conviction: a fine of up to £100 or imprisonment up to six months, or both on indictment: a fine of any amount or imprisonment for any term, or both on court-martial: the same punishment as if the offender had been subject to military where, on indictment or