Financial Management and Accountability Determination 2006/30 - National Disability Special Account Establishment 2006

Administered by Department of Finance

Legislation au F2006L02569 Not in force Legislative Instrument

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Financial Management and Accountability Determination 2006/30National Disability Special Account Establishment 2006

as amended

made under section 20 of the

Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997

This compilation was prepared on 30 October 2009
taking into account amendments up to Financial Management and Accountability Determination 2009/27 National Disability Special Account Variation 2009

Prepared by the Department of Finance and Deregulation


1 Name of Determination

  This Determination is the Financial Management and Accountability Determination 2006/30 – National Disability Special Account Establishment 2006.

2 Commencement

  This Determination commences at the time at which subsection 22 (4) of the FMA Act is complied with.

 Note    This Determination takes effect in accordance with section 22 of the FMA Act. The Parliament must consider the Determination before it can take effect, and either House may pass a resolution disallowing the Determination. If neither House passes such a resolution, the Determination takes effect on the day immediately after the last day upon which such a resolution could have been passed.

3 Establishment

  For subsection 20 (1) of the FMA Act, a Special Account is established with the name National Disability Special Account.

4 Amounts to be credited

  The following amounts may be credited to the National Disability Special Account:

 (a) amounts received in the course of the performance of functions that relate to the purposes of the National Disability Special Account; and

 (b) amounts received from any person for the purposes of the National Disability Special Account.

Note 1    The Appropriation Acts provide that if any of the purposes of a Special Account are covered by an item in those Acts (whether or not the item expressly refers to the Special Account), then amounts may be debited against the appropriation for that item and credited to the Special Account.

Note 2 Subsection 39 (5) of the FMA Act provides that upon realisation of an investment of an amount debited from a Special Account, the proceeds of the investment must be credited to that Special Account.

Note 3 Section 30 of the FMA Act has the effect that if an amount expended from a Special Account is repaid to the Commonwealth, that amount must be re-credited to that Special Account.

Note 4    Section 30A of the FMA Act has the effect of increasing the appropriation under section 20 of the FMA Act for the purposes of this Special Account (and thereby increasing this Special Account’s balance). The increase is of an amount equivalent to any GST amount that is recoverable in relation to a payment, and occurs immediately before the payment is made. The Goods and Services Tax is defined as the GST in section 195-1 of the A New Tax System (Goods and Services Tax) Act 1999.

 

5 Purposes

 (1) The purposes of the National Disability Special Account, in relation to which amounts may be debited from the Special Account, are:

(a)             conducting projects for research into disability issues of national significance as part of Commonwealth, State and Territory agreements;

(b)             activities that are incidental to the purpose mentioned in paragraph (a);

(c)             to repay to an original payer amounts credited to the Special Account and residual after any necessary payments made for a purpose mentioned in paragraph (a) or (b);

(d)             to reduce the balance of the Special Account (and, therefore, the available appropriation for the Account) without making a real or notional payment; and

(e)             to repay amounts where an Act or other law requires or permits the repayment of an amount received.

 (2) To avoid doubt, incidental activities include:

(a)             the administration of the Special Account; and

(b)             dealing with direct and indirect costs.

Note 1    Subsection 20 (4) of the FMA Act appropriates the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) for expenditure for the purposes of the Special Account up to the balance for the time being of the Special Account.  Subsection 20 (5) of the FMA Act provides that whenever an amount is debited against the appropriation, the amount is taken to be also debited from the Special Account.

Note 2    In addition to the purposes specified in this determination, other provisions of the FMA Act provide authority for amounts to be debited from this Special Account.

 Subsection 39 (1) of the FMA Act provides the Finance Minister with the power to invest public money in any authorised investment. Where such an investment is made of an amount standing to the credit of a Special Account, section 39 of the FMA Act has the effect that the Special Account must be debited.

 Subsection 39 (4) of the FMA Act provides that if an amount has been invested by debiting a Special Account, then the expenses of the investment may be debited from the Account.

 Subsection 39 (9) of the FMA Act appropriates the CRF for this investment activity.

 Not all chief executives have been delegated powers to invest under section 39 of the FMA Act.

Note 3    An amount may be debited from a Special Account where:

 (a) it has been incorrectly credited by virtue of a clerical mistake; or

 (b) it has been credited through the exercise of a discretion by an official and the exercise of that discretion was actuated by a fundamental mistake of fact or law.

 Legal advice should be obtained before an amount is debited on the basis of paragraph (b).

Note 4    Section 6 of the FMA Act applies to a notional payment by an Agency (or part of an Agency) as if it were a real payment by the Commonwealth. Notional receipts and notional payments are transactions between different parts of the Commonwealth.  Real receipts and real payments are transactions between the Commonwealth and other entities.

Note 5    The purpose set out above, ‘to reduce the balance of the Special Account (and, therefore, the available appropriation for the Special Account) without making a real or notional payment’, is solely for extinguishing all or part of the appropriation under section 20 of the FMA Act for the purposes of this Special Account. When this Special Account is debited for this purpose, there is no payment or credit available to another party, account or appropriation.

 

6 Definitions

  In this Determination:

FMA Act means the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notes to the Financial Management and Accountability Determination 2006/30National Disability Special Account Establishment 2006

 

Note 1

The Financial Management and Accountability Determination 2006/30National Disability Special Account Establishment 2006 (in force under section 20 of the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997) as shown in this compilation is amended as indicated in the Tables below.

 

Table of Instruments

Title

Date of making or FRLI registration

Date of
commencement

Application, saving or
transitional provisions

Financial Management and Accountability Determination 2006/30 – Commonwealth, State, Territory Disability Agreement Special Account Establishment 2006

26 July 2006 (see F2006L02569)

18 August 2006

 

Financial Management and Accountability Determination 2009/27– National Disability Special Account Variation 2009

7 September 2009 (see F2009L03505)

28 October 2009

 

 

 


Table of Amendments

 

ad. = added or inserted      am. = amended      rep. = repealed      rs. = repealed and substituted

Provision affected

How affected

Title ....................................

rs. 2009/27

Section 1  .............

am. 2009/27

Sections 3 to 5 .........

am. 2009/27

 

 

 

 

Overview

The Financial Management and Accountability Determination 2006/30 – National Disability Special Account Establishment 2006 was enacted in 2006 and is made under section 20 of the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997. This legislation was introduced to address the need for a dedicated account to manage funds related to disability issues of national significance. The establishment of the National Disability Special Account aims to ensure that funds are appropriately allocated and managed for research and related activities under the Commonwealth, State, and Territory agreements. The determination was made by the Parliament, which must consider the Determination before it can take effect. The policy objective is to provide a clear framework for the establishment, management, and use of the National Disability Special Account to support disability-related projects and activities.

Scope and Application

The Financial Management and Accountability Determination 2006/30 – National Disability Special Account Establishment 2006 applies to the establishment of a Special Account named the National Disability Special Account under the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997. This Determination specifies the purposes for which amounts may be credited to or debited from the Special Account, which includes conducting research projects on disability issues of national significance as part of Commonwealth, State, and Territory agreements, and activities incidental to such research, such as administration and dealing with direct and indirect costs. The account is funded by amounts received from the performance of relevant functions and contributions from any person for the purposes of the account, and may also include amounts realised from investments or repayments of amounts credited to the account. The Act appropriates the Consolidated Revenue Fund for expenditure up to the balance of the Special Account. The Determination is subject to parliamentary consideration and may be disallowed by either House of Parliament if a resolution to that effect is passed. The application of the Determination may be extended or modified by subordinate instruments, which are subject to the same parliamentary scrutiny. The Determination applies to the Commonwealth, State, and Territory governments in their capacities as parties to the Commonwealth, State, and Territory Disability Agreement. It does not specify any exclusions or exemptions, other than those noted in the Determination and the FMA Act, such as incorrect credits due to clerical or fundamental mistakes, or specific investment powers delegated to certain chief executives. The Determination is subject to amendment, as evidenced by the Financial Management and Accountability Determination 2009/27 – National Disability Special Account Variation 2009, which amended sections 1 to 5 of the original Determination and took effect on 28 October 2009. The variation was made under section 20 of the FMA Act and registered on 7 September 2009.

Key Provisions

The Financial Management and Accountability Determination 2006/30, as amended, establishes the National Disability Special Account under section 20 of the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997 (FMA Act). This Special Account is intended to facilitate financial management and accountability in relation to disability-related projects and activities. The account can be credited with funds received from various sources, including those from the performance of functions related to the purposes of the account and from any person for the purposes of the account (sections 4 and 5). The account's balance can be debited for specific purposes, including conducting research into disability issues of national significance, activities incidental to these research projects, repaying amounts to original payers, reducing the account's balance without making a payment, and repaying amounts as required by law (section 5). Entities governed by the Act are required to adhere to strict financial management practices. This includes ensuring that all transactions are properly recorded and that funds are only used for the specified purposes outlined in the Determination (section 5). Proper documentation and reporting mechanisms must be maintained to ensure transparency and accountability in the use of funds. Failure to comply with these requirements can result in significant consequences. Breaches of the provisions of this Determination can lead to both civil and criminal penalties. For example, section 39 of the FMA Act empowers the Finance Minister to invest public money in authorised investments, but misuse of these funds can result in criminal charges. Additionally, debiting the account incorrectly or through a fundamental mistake of fact or law can lead to financial penalties and corrective actions (section 5). The Act provides for maximum penalties for breaches, which can include substantial fines and, in some cases, imprisonment. Legal advice should be sought to avoid misapplying the account's funds. In summary, the National Disability Special Account is a critical financial instrument for managing disability-related projects and activities, with stringent requirements for its use and strict penalties for non-compliance. Proper adherence to the provisions of the FMA Act and this Determination is essential for maintaining the integrity and effectiveness of the account.

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