Commonwealth Consolidated Acts

HOUSING ASSISTANCE ACT 1989 - SECT 15

             (1)  In this section:

"State expenditure" , in relation to a State and a grant year, means the total amount that the State has used or proposes to use in respect of that year in relation to housing out of money that is, under a housing agreement with the State, matching funds.

             (2)  The Minister, in authorising untied grants to a State in a grant year, is to ensure that they do not reach an amount that would result in their not being matched, in accordance with the housing agreement with the State, by the State expenditure for the year.

          (2A)  Despite subsection (2), the Minister may, in respect of the sixth or seventh grant year, authorise untied grants to a particular State, even if the Minister cannot ensure that the State will match the grants in accordance with the provision of its housing agreement corresponding to paragraph 13(2)(b) of the form of housing agreement in Schedule 1.

             (3)  Where the amount allocated under section 12 or 13 to a State in respect of a grant year exceeds the amount of untied grants for that year that, because of subsection (2), can be authorised, the Minister may authorise the payment, out of the excess, of additional untied grants to such other of the States as the Minister determines to be appropriate.

             (4)  For the purposes of any provision of a housing agreement relating to the provision of matching funds by a State:

                     (a)  the total of the amounts received by the State under subsections 13(5A) and (5B) is to be taken to be allocated in equal amounts in respect of the sixth and seventh grant years; and

                     (b)  if:

                              (i)  the amount of a grant has not been fully paid to a State in a grant year; and

                             (ii)  the Minister, under subsection 7A(1), has determined that the amount remaining unpaid, or part of it, is to be carried over;

the amount of the grant is taken to be reduced by the amount remaining unpaid and the amount allocated to the State in respect of the next grant year is taken to be increased by the amount carried over.