Family Assistance Legislation Amendment (Child Care Rebate) Act 2011 (25 of 2011)

Schedule 1   Amendments to allow weekly payment of child care rebate

Part 1   Amendments

A New Tax System (Family Assistance) (Administration) Act 1999

62   After section 219E

Insert:

Subdivision C - Obligations relating to weekly child care rebate

219EA Obligation to pass on weekly child care rebate

(1) This section applies if:

(a) the Secretary calculates under section 65EAAA, or recalculates under section 65EAAD, the amount of the child care rebate that is applicable in respect of an individual and a child for care provided for the child by an approved child care service in a week; and

(b) the Secretary has notified the service of the amount in accordance with subsection 65EAAB(2), or the recalculated amount in accordance with subsection 65EAAE(2).

(2) Subject to subsection (5), the service must, within 14 days after being notified of the amount as calculated or recalculated, pass the amount on to the individual, except to the extent that the service is required to remit the amount to the Secretary under section 219QE.

Note 1: This amount must be passed on, even if the payment of child care rebate has been suspended under paragraph 200(1)(i).

Note 2: This is a civil penalty provision. Part 8C provides for pecuniary penalties for breaches of civil penalty provisions.

(3) An approved child care service commits an offence if the service contravenes subsection (2).

Penalty: 60 penalty units.

(4) Subsection (3) is an offence of strict liability.

Note: For strict liability, see section 6.1 of the Criminal Code.

(5) If:

(a) the Secretary, on recalculating under section 65EAAD the amount in which the Secretary considers child care rebate is applicable in respect of an individual and a child for care provided for the child by an approved child care service in a week, reduces the amount; and

(b) the amount is reduced for a reason other than the substitution or withdrawal by the service of a report given under section 219N;

the service must pass on to the individual the amount as calculated, or recalculated, immediately before the last recalculation, rather than the amount last recalculated.

(6) If:

(a) the service reduces the amount by which it charges an individual in respect of care in anticipation of the Secretary's calculation of the amount of child care rebate applicable for the service in respect of the individual and a child for a week; and

(b) the service was an approved child care service at the time the care was provided;

the service is taken to have passed on to the individual an amount equal to the anticipated child care rebate.

(7) The amount is taken to have been passed on to the individual on the day on which the Secretary notified the service of the amount in accordance with subsection 65EAAB(2) or 65EAAE(2).

219EB Obligation to provide additional material in section 219E statements

(1) If:

(a) an approved child care service is required to pass on an amount under section 219EA to an individual in respect of care provided for a child by the service in a week; and

(b) the care is provided in a statement period for the service described in subsection 219E(4) or set out in rules made under paragraph 219E(6)(c);

the service must set out the additional matters specified in subsection (4) in relation to the care in the statement given to the individual or another person under section 219E for the statement period.

Note: This is a civil penalty provision. Part 8C provides for pecuniary penalties for breaches of civil penalty provisions.

(2) An approved child care service commits an offence if:

(a) the approved child care service is required to pass on an amount under section 219EA to an individual in respect of care provided for a child by the service in a week; and

(b) the care is provided in a statement period for the service described in subsection 219E(4) or set out in rules made under paragraph 219E(6)(c); and

(c) the service does not set out the additional matters specified in subsection (4) in relation to the care in the statement given to the individual or another person under section 219E for the statement period.

Penalty: 60 penalty units.

(3) Subsection (2) is an offence of strict liability.

Note: For strict liability, see section 6.1 of the Criminal Code.

(4) The additional matters required to be set out in the statement given under section 219E for the statement period are:

(a) the amount of the fees for which the individual to whom the amount is passed on would have been liable for the care if any fee reduction under section 219B had been passed on but no amount of child care rebate had been passed on under section 219EA for the care; and

(b) the amount of child care rebate required to be passed on under section 219EA.

(5) If:

(a) an approved child care service has, under subsection (1), included a matter in a statement (the earlier statement ) given to an individual or other person under section 219E in relation to care provided by the service during a statement period; and

(b) under subsection 65EAAE(2), the service is notified on a day (the notification day ) of a recalculated amount in respect of the care;

the service must, before the end of the first statement period starting after the notification day, give the individual or other person either a statement setting out the additional matters specified in subsection (4) taking account of the recalculation or a statement amending the earlier statement so as to take account of the recalculation.

Note: This is a civil penalty provision. Part 8C provides for pecuniary penalties for breaches of civil penalty provisions.

(6) An approved child care service commits an offence if:

(a) an approved child care service has, under subsection (1), included a matter in a statement (the earlier statement ) given to an individual or other person under section 219E in relation to care provided by the service during a statement period; and

(b) under subsection 65EAAE(2), the service is notified on a day (the notification day ) of a recalculated amount in respect of the care; and

(c) the service does not, before the end of the first statement period starting after the notification day, give the individual or other person either a statement setting out the additional matters specified in subsection (4) taking account of the recalculation or a statement amending the earlier statement so as to take account of the recalculation.

Penalty: 60 penalty units.

(7) Subsection (6) is an offence of strict liability.

Note: For strict liability, see section 6.1 of the Criminal Code.

Subdivision D - Obligations relating to records