The Secretary, Department of External Affairs has forwarded the following minute for advice:

Consideration is now being given to the question as to whether a fee should be charged for passports issued by this Department to Australian citizens visiting foreign countries. Will you kindly advise whether the Department has power to impose a fee without the auth-ority of legislation.

The granting of passports is wholly in the discretion of the Minister, who can there-fore, without special legislative authority, require payment of a fee as a condition of their issue.

[Vol. 10, p. 26]