Family Assistance Legislation Amendment (Extend Family Assistance to ABSTUDY Secondary School Boarding Students Aged 16 and Over) Act 2019

Administered by Department of Social Services

Legislation au C2019A00073 In force Act

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Family Assistance Legislation Amendment (Extend Family Assistance to ABSTUDY Secondary School Boarding Students Aged 16 and Over) Act 2019

 

No. 73, 2019

 

 

 

 

 

An Act to amend the law relating to family assistance, and for related purposes

 

 

Contents

1 Short title

2 Commencement

3 Schedules

Schedule 1—Amendments

A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999

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

 

 

 

Family Assistance Legislation Amendment (Extend Family Assistance to ABSTUDY Secondary School Boarding Students Aged 16 and Over) Act 2019

No. 73, 2019

 

 

 

An Act to amend the law relating to family assistance, and for related purposes

[Assented to 20 September 2019]

The Parliament of Australia enacts:

1  Short title

  This Act is the Family Assistance Legislation Amendment (Extend Family Assistance to ABSTUDY Secondary School Boarding Students Aged 16 and Over) Act 2019.

2  Commencement

 (1) Each provision of this Act specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect according to its terms.

 

Commencement information

Column 1

Column 2

Column 3

Provisions

Commencement

Date/Details

1.  The whole of this Act

As follows:

(a) if this Act receives the Royal Assent before 1 January 2020—1 January 2020;

(b) if this Act receives the Royal Assent on or after 1 January 2020—the first 1 January, 1 April, 1 July or 1 October to occur after the day this Act receives the Royal Assent.

1 January 2020

(paragraph (a) applies)

Note: This table relates only to the provisions of this Act as originally enacted. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this Act.

 (2) Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this Act. Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it may be edited, in any published version of this Act.

3  Schedules

  Legislation that is specified in a Schedule to this Act is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this Act has effect according to its terms.

Schedule 1—Amendments

 

A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999

1  Section 22A

Before “Despite”, insert “(1)”.

2  Section 22A (at the end of paragraph (c) of the cell at table item 2, column headed “then the individual cannot be an FTB child of the adult if:”)

Add “, unless subsection (2) applies to the individual”.

3  At the end of section 22A

Add:

Interaction with ABSTUDY

 (2) This subsection applies to an individual if:

 (a) the individual, or someone on behalf of the individual, is, at the particular time, receiving payments under the ABSTUDY scheme; and

 (b) the payments are being paid on the basis that the individual:

 (i) is undertaking fulltime study at a secondary school (within the meaning of the Student Assistance Act 1973); and

 (ii) is, in accordance with the ABSTUDY scheme, a student approved to live away from home; and

 (iii) is boarding away from home for the purposes of attending the school.

Note: For undertaking fulltime study, see subsection 3(1).

4  Subsection 35(1) (at the end of the cell at table item 2, column headed “then the approved care organisation is not eligible for family tax benefit in respect of the individual if:”)

Add “, unless subsection (1A) applies to the individual”.

5  After subsection 35(1)

Insert:

 (1A) This subsection applies to an individual if:

 (a) the individual, or someone on behalf of the individual, is, at the particular time, receiving payments under the ABSTUDY scheme; and

 (b) the payments are being paid on the basis that the individual:

 (i) is undertaking fulltime study at a secondary school (within the meaning of the Student Assistance Act 1973); and

 (ii) is, in accordance with the ABSTUDY scheme, a student approved to live away from home; and

 (iii) is boarding away from home for the purposes of attending the school.

Note: For undertaking fulltime study, see subsection 3(1).

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

6  At the end of subparagraph 28B(1)(c)(iv)

Add “, unless subsection (1A) applies to the individual”.

7  After subsection 28B(1)

Insert:

 (1A) This subsection applies to an individual if:

 (a) the claim is for payments under the ABSTUDY scheme; and

 (b) the individual is seeking the payments to be paid on the basis of the individual:

 (i) undertaking fulltime study at a secondary school (within the meaning of the Student Assistance Act 1973); and

 (ii) being, in accordance with the ABSTUDY scheme, a student approved to live away from home; and

 (iii) boarding away from home for the purposes of attending the school.

Note: For undertaking fulltime study, see subsection 3(1) of the Family Assistance Act.

8  Application provisions

(1) The amendments of the A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999 made by this Schedule apply in relation to working out eligibility for family tax benefit for days on or after the commencement of this item.

(2) The amendments of the A New Tax System (Family Assistance) (Administration) Act 1999 made by this Schedule apply in relation to a claim referred to in paragraph 28B(1)(c) of that Act that is made on or after the commencement of this item.

 

 

 

 

[Minister’s second reading speech made in—

House of Representatives on 31 July 2019

Senate on 11 September 2019]

 

(148/19)

 

Overview

The Family Assistance Legislation Amendment (Extend Family Assistance to ABSTUDY Secondary School Boarding Students Aged 16 and Over) Act 2019 was enacted by the Parliament of Australia to amend the existing family assistance laws, specifically targeting the eligibility criteria for family tax benefits for secondary school boarding students aged 16 and over who are receiving payments under the ABSTUDY scheme. This legislative amendment addresses a gap in the current system by ensuring that students who are boarding away from home for the purpose of attending secondary school and are receiving ABSTUDY payments are not disqualified from receiving family tax benefits, provided they are undertaking full-time studies. The policy objective behind this amendment is to provide consistent and equitable support to families with secondary school students who need to board away from home, ensuring that they do not face financial hardships due to changes in their eligibility for family assistance. The Act amends the A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999 and the A New Tax System (Family Assistance) (Administration) Act 1999 by introducing specific provisions that clarify and extend the eligibility criteria for family tax benefits to include secondary school boarding students aged 16 and over who are receiving ABSTUDY payments. These amendments ensure that such students are not inadvertently excluded from receiving family assistance, thereby supporting their educational journey and the financial stability of their families.

Scope and Application

The Family Assistance Legislation Amendment (Extend Family Assistance to ABSTUDY Secondary School Boarding Students Aged 16 and Over) Act 2019 amends the A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999 and the A New Tax System (Family Assistance) (Administration) Act 1999. This Act is applicable to individuals who are receiving payments under the ABSTUDY scheme, specifically secondary school boarding students aged 16 and over who are approved to live away from home due to their full-time study at a secondary school. The amendments extend eligibility for family tax benefit to these students, provided they meet the specified criteria. The amendments apply to claims for family tax benefit and ABSTUDY payments made on or after the commencement date of the Act. The Act applies across the Commonwealth of Australia and there are no exclusions or exemptions specified within the primary text of the Act itself, though it may be subject to further clarification or restriction through subordinate legislation or administrative guidelines.

Key Provisions

The Family Assistance Legislation Amendment (Extend Family Assistance to ABSTUDY Secondary School Boarding Students Aged 16 and Over) Act 2019 (sections 1–3) introduces amendments to extend eligibility for family assistance to certain students under the ABSTUDY scheme. The Act amends the A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999 and the A New Tax System (Family Assistance) (Administration) Act 1999 to ensure that students aged 16 and over, who are receiving payments under the ABSTUDY scheme, can be eligible for family tax benefits. This includes students who are undertaking full-time study at a secondary school and are approved to live away from home as part of the ABSTUDY scheme (sections 2, 4, 6, 8). The Act imposes obligations on students, their representatives, and the relevant authorities to ensure that the eligibility criteria are met. Students must be receiving payments under the ABSTUDY scheme and meet the criteria of undertaking full-time study at a secondary school, being approved to live away from home, and boarding away from home for the purpose of attending the school (sections 2, 4, 6, 8). The amendments require these conditions to be met to qualify for family assistance, and the relevant authorities must verify these criteria when assessing eligibility for family tax benefits (sections 2, 4, 6, 8). There are no specific offences, penalties, or civil/criminal consequences outlined in the Act itself for non-compliance with the new provisions. However, non-compliance with the ABSTUDY scheme requirements or misrepresentation of facts to qualify for family assistance could potentially lead to consequences under the respective administrative and compliance frameworks of the ABSTUDY scheme and the Family Assistance Act. The maximum penalties for breaches of these Acts would apply as per their respective provisions.

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Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation at 26 August 2026. For the latest information on Australian Government law please go to https://www.legislation.gov.au.