PART 3A
-
PAYMENT OF CHILD CARE SUBSIDY AND ADDITIONAL CHILD CARE SUBSIDY
History
Pt 3A inserted by No 22 of 2017, s 3 and Sch 1 item 92, effective 2 July 2018. No 22 of 2017, s 3 and Sch 4 contain the following application, saving and transitional provisions:
Schedule 4
-
Application, saving and transitional provisions
Part 1
-
Introduction
1 Definitions
1
In this Schedule:
Administration Act
means the
A New Tax System (Family Assistance) (Administration) Act 1999
.
Assistance Act
means the
A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999
.
commencement day
means 2 July 2018.
Note:
Schedule 1 commences on 2 July 2018.
pre-commencement period
means the period commencing on 1 January 2018 and ending on 1 July 2018.
Part 2
-
Child care subsidy and additional child care subsidy
2 Commencement of child care subsidy and additional child care subsidy
2
A person can only be eligible for child care subsidy or additional child care subsidy for a session of care provided on or after the commencement day.
3 Deemed claims for CCS
3
An individual is taken to have made a claim in respect of a child for CCS, in accordance with Division
2
of Part
3A
of the Administration Act, if, immediately before the commencement day:
(a)
a determination is in effect under section
50F
of the Administration Act, that the individual is conditionally eligible under section
42
of the Assistance Act in respect of the child; or
(b)
the individual has made an effective claim for child care benefit on which the Secretary has not yet made a determination.
4 Pre-commencement claims etc. for CCS
(1)
The following things may be done during the pre-commencement period, for the purposes of ensuring that amounts of CCS and ACCS, and amounts under section
67EB
of the Administration Act, can be paid promptly for weeks commencing on and after the commencement day:
(a)
individuals may make claims for CCS, as if the amendments made by Schedule 1 were in force;
(b)
the Secretary may exercise powers and perform functions under Part
4A
of the Assistance Act and Part
3A
of the Administration Act as inserted by Schedule 1, and under Part
6
of the Administration Act as amended by Schedule 1, as if the amendments made by Schedule 1 were in force.
(2)
Subitem (1) does not limit the operation of section
4
of the
Acts Interpretation Act 1901
.
(3)
To avoid doubt, subitem (1) is subject to item 2.
…
6 Requirement for enrolments to be in writing
6
References in the Assistance Act and the Administration Act to a complying written arrangement include references to an arrangement:
(a)
in force immediately before the commencement day; and
(b)
under which a child was enrolled for care by an approved child care service within the meaning of the Administration Act as in force immediately before the commencement day.
Part 3
-
Child care benefit and child care rebate
7 End of child care benefit and child care rebate
7
No person can be eligible for child care benefit or child care rebate for care, or a session of care, provided on or after the commencement day.
8 Saving of law in relation to child care benefit and child care rebate
(1)
The following Acts and instruments continue in force, on and after the commencement day, in relation to child care benefit or child care rebate for which a person was eligible before the commencement day, subject to any modifications prescribed by rules made under item 12 (together these are the
continued law
):
(a)
the Assistance Act, as in force immediately before the commencement day;
(b)
the Administration Act, as in force immediately before the commencement day;
(c)
an instrument (whether legislative or administrative) in force for the purposes of the Assistance Act or the Administration Act immediately before the commencement day;
(d)
any other Act amended by this Act, as in force immediately before the commencement day.
(2)
Without limitation, subitem (1) has the following effects:
(a)
a person may make a claim for child care benefit or child care rebate on or after the commencement day, in relation to a session of care provided before the commencement day;
(b)
the Secretary must make determinations on and after the commencement day of eligibility for, and entitlement to be paid, child care benefit or child care rebate in respect of sessions of care provided before the commencement day;
(c)
payments must be made on and after the commencement day of, or in relation to, child care benefit and child care rebate for which a person was eligible before the commencement day;
(d)
the person continues to be liable for any debt to the Commonwealth incurred before the commencement day;
(e)
the person may incur a debt to the Commonwealth after the commencement day in relation to payments made to the person before, on or after the commencement day;
(f)
any such debts may be recovered on or after the commencement day in accordance with the continued law;
(g)
decisions in relation to child care benefit and child care rebate that are reviewable may be reviewed on and after the commencement day in accordance with the continued law.
(3)
Subitem (1) does not apply to the extent of any inconsistency with another provision of this Schedule.
(4)
Subitem (1) does not limit the operation of section
7
of the
Acts Interpretation Act 1901
in relation to the repeals made by Schedule 1 to this Act.
Part 4
-
Providers of child care services
9 Deemed approval of operators of existing approved child care services
(1)
If, immediately before the commencement day, a person is the operator of an approved child care service within the meaning of the Administration Act as then in force, then, on and after the commencement day:
(a)
the person is taken to be:
(i)
an approved provider within the meaning of the Administration Act; and
(ii)
approved in respect of the service; and
(b)
the service is taken to be a service of a type determined by the Secretary under subitem (2).
(2)
For paragraph (1)(b), the Secretary may, by instrument, determine an approved child care service within the meaning of the Administration Act as in force immediately before the commencement day to be a service of one of the following types, as described in the table in subclause
2(3)
of Schedule
2
to the Assistance Act (CCS hourly rate cap):
(a)
a centre-based day care service;
(b)
a family day care service;
(c)
an outside school hours care service;
(d)
a type of service prescribed by the Minister
'
s rules for the purposes of item 4 of that table.
(3)
An instrument made under subitem (2):
(a)
is not a legislative instrument if it is expressed to apply in relation to a particular approved child care service; and
(b)
is a legislative instrument if it is expressed to apply in relation to a class of approved child care services.
(4)
If, immediately before the commencement day, the approval of a child care service is suspended under Part
8
of the Administration Act, then, on and from the commencement day:
(a)
the approval of the operator of the service under subitem (1) is taken to be suspended in respect of the service; and
(b)
the Secretary may deal with the operator in respect of the service in accordance with the Administration Act as amended by this Act.
10 Saving of law in relation to approved providers
(1)
The following Acts and instruments continue in force, on and after the commencement day, subject to any modifications prescribed by rules made under item 12 (together these are the
continued law
), in relation to things done, or matters arising, before the commencement day in relation to a person mentioned in subitem 9(1):
(a)
the Assistance Act, as in force immediately before the commencement day;
(b)
the Administration Act, as in force immediately before the commencement day;
(c)
an instrument (whether legislative or administrative) in force for the purposes of the Assistance Act or the Administration Act immediately before the commencement day;
(d)
any other Act amended by this Act, as in force immediately before the commencement day.
(2)
Without limitation, subitem (1) has the following effects:
(a)
the person must continue to comply with the continued law in relation to care provided before the commencement day;
(b)
the person continues to be liable for any debt to the Commonwealth incurred before the commencement day;
(c)
the person may incur a debt to the Commonwealth after the commencement day in relation to payments made to the person before, on or after the commencement day;
(d)
any such debts may be recovered on or after the commencement day in accordance with the continued law;
(e)
decisions in relation to the person that are reviewable may be reviewed on and after the commencement day in accordance with the continued law.
Part 5
-
Miscellaneous
11 Delegations
11
The amendment of subsection
221(1)
of the Administration Act by this Act does not affect a delegation in effect for the purposes of that subsection immediately before the commencement day.
12 Transitional rules
(1)
The Minister may make rules prescribing matters:
(a)
required or permitted by this Act to be prescribed by the rules; or
(b)
necessary or convenient to be prescribed for carrying out or giving effect to this Act.
(2)
In particular, rules may be made prescribing matters of a transitional nature (including prescribing any saving or application provisions) relating to:
(a)
the amendments or repeals made by any Schedule to this Act; or
(b)
the enactment of this Act.
(3)
Rules made within 2 years after the commencement day may provide that this Act or any other Act or instrument has effect with any modifications prescribed by the rules.
(4)
Subsection
12(2)
of the
Legislation Act 2003
does not apply in relation to a provision of the rules if:
(a)
the rules are registered within 2 years after the commencement day; and
(b)
the provision is taken to commence before the day the rules are registered, but on or after the commencement day.
(5)
However, if:
(a)
rules are registered to which paragraph (4)(a) and (b) applies; and
(b)
a person engaged in conduct before the day the rules were registered; and
(c)
but for any retrospective effect of the rules, the conduct would not have contravened a provision of this Act, or another Act or instrument;
then a court must not convict the person of an offence, or impose a pecuniary penalty, in relation to the conduct on the grounds that it contravened a provision of this Act or another Act or instrument.
(6)
This Schedule does not limit the rules that may be made under this item.
Division 5
-
Payments
History
Div 5 inserted by No 22 of 2017, s 3 and Sch 1 item 92, effective 2 July 2018. For application, saving and transitional provisions, see note under Pt
3A
heading.
SECTION 67EC
Payment directly to individuals of entitlements to CCS or ACCS
Before CCS reconciliation conditions met
67EC(1)
If:
(a)
a decision is made for an individual in relation to sessions of care provided by an approved child care service to a child; and
(b)
the decision would be a fee reduction decision except that the child is not enrolled for care by the service when the decision is made;
the Secretary must pay the amount that would have been the fee reduction amount for the decision, in accordance with subsection (5):
(c)
directly to the individual; or
(d)
if the Secretary considers it appropriate
-
to another person:
(i)
on the individual
'
s behalf; or
(ii)
to discharge or set off an obligation of the individual to the other person.
67EC(2)
If:
(a)
a fee reduction decision is made for an individual in relation to sessions of care provided by an approved child care service to a child; and
(b)
the Secretary considers that it is appropriate in the circumstances;
the Secretary may pay the fee reduction amount directly to the individual in accordance with subsection (5) instead of under subsection
67EB(1)
(payment to credit of approved provider
'
s bank account).
Fee reduction amounts not passed on
67EC(3)
If a provider:
(a)
remits a fee reduction amount to the Secretary in accordance with paragraph
201A(1)(b)
; or
(b)
incurs a debt to the Commonwealth under section
71D
in relation to a fee reduction amount;
the Secretary may pay the fee reduction amount directly to the individual in accordance with subsection (5).
After CCS reconciliation conditions met
67EC(4)
If:
(a)
an individual is entitled to be paid CCS or ACCS by fee reduction for sessions of care provided by an approved child care service in CCS fortnights starting in an income year (the
relevant income year
); and
(b)
the individual meets the CCS reconciliation conditions for the relevant income year; and
(c)
the total of the fee reduction amounts passed on by the provider of the service to the individual under section
201A
, for fee reduction decisions for weeks in CCS fortnights starting in the relevant income year, is less than the total amount of CCS or ACCS the individual is entitled to be paid for those weeks;
the Secretary must pay so much of the difference as has not already been paid under subsection (1), (2) or (3) to the individual under subsection (5).
Note:
CCS payments for an income year are capped if the CCS reconciliation conditions for the income year are met after the second deadline for the income year (see subsection
105D(2A)
).
History
S 67EC(4) amended by No 26 of 2021, s 3 and Sch 1 items 45 and 46, by omitting
"
no later than the second deadline for the relevant income year
"
after
"
relevant income year
"
from para (b) and inserting the note, effective 27 March 2021 and applicable in relation to the 2018-19 income year and each later income year. For application provisions, see note under s
205C
.
How amounts are to be paid under this section
67EC(5)
The whole or any part of an amount mentioned in subsection (1), (2), (3) or (4) must be paid at such time as the Secretary considers appropriate:
(a)
to the credit of a bank account nominated and maintained by:
(i)
the individual; or
(ii)
if the amount is to be paid to another person under paragraph (1)(b)
-
the other person; or
(b)
if the Secretary so directs
-
in a different way.
67EC(6)
Without limitation, the Secretary may consider that it is not appropriate to make a payment under subsection (1), (2) or (3) until after the individual meets the CCS reconciliation conditions for the income year in which the CCS fortnight that includes the week to which the payment relates starts.
Provisions this section is subject to
67EC(7)
This section is subject to:
(a)
Part
4
(overpayments and debt recovery); and
(b)
Division
3
of Part
8B
(payments to payment nominees).
History
S 67EC inserted by No 22 of 2017, s 3 and Sch 1 item 92, effective 2 July 2018. For application, saving and transitional provisions, see note under Pt
3A
heading.
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