{"id":"F2019L01254","name":"Federal Financial Relations (General Purpose Financial Assistance) Determination No. 127 (September 2019)","slug":"federal-financial-relations-general-purpose-financial-assistance-determination-no-127-september-2019","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":99844,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2019L01254-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-02","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"Federal Financial Relations (General Pur","sectionType":"part","heading":"Federal Financial Relations (General Purpose Financial Assistance) Determination No. 127 (september 2019)","content":"# Federal Financial Relations (General Purpose Financial Assistance) Determination No. 127 (september 2019)","sortOrder":0},{"sectionNumber":"Part 1","sectionType":"part","heading":"preliminary","content":"```html\n

Federal Financial Relations (General Purpose Financial Assistance) Determination No. 127 (september 2019)

I, Michael Sukkar, Minister for Housing and Assistant Treasurer, make this determination under subsection 9(1) of the Federal Financial Relations Act 2009.

Michael Sukkar

Dated: 16 September 2019

\n```\n\n## Part 1 — preliminary\n\n### Name of determination\n\n This determination is the Federal Financial Relations (General Purpose Financial Assistance) Determination No. 127 (September 2019).\n\n### Commencement\n\n 2. This determination commences on the day on which it is made.\n\n### Determination\n\n 3. The amounts specified in the following table are to be paid to the States for the purpose of making a grant of general purpose financial assistance to those States.\n\n### Table: General purpose financial assistance for payment on 23 September 2019\n\n```html\n

State

Amount of General purpose financial assistance

New South Wales

-

Victoria

-

Queensland

-

Western Australia

$65,294,119.20

South Australia

-

Tasmania

-

Australian Capital Territory

$3,389,761.64

Northern Territory

-

Total

$68,683,880.84

\n```","sortOrder":1},{"sectionNumber":"Name of determination","sectionType":"division","heading":"Name of determination","content":"### Name of determination\n\n This determination is the Federal Financial Relations (General Purpose Financial Assistance) Determination No. 127 (September 2019).","sortOrder":2},{"sectionNumber":"Commencement","sectionType":"division","heading":"Commencement","content":"### Commencement\n\n 2. This determination commences on the day on which it is made.","sortOrder":3},{"sectionNumber":"Determination","sectionType":"division","heading":"Determination","content":"### Determination\n\n 3. The amounts specified in the following table are to be paid to the States for the purpose of making a grant of general purpose financial assistance to those States.","sortOrder":4},{"sectionNumber":"Table: General purpose financial assista","sectionType":"division","heading":"Table: General purpose financial assistance for payment on 23 September 2019","content":"### Table: General purpose financial assistance for payment on 23 September 2019\n\n```html\n

State

Amount of General purpose financial assistance

New South Wales

-

Victoria

-

Queensland

-

Western Australia

$65,294,119.20

South Australia

-

Tasmania

-

Australian Capital Territory

$3,389,761.64

Northern Territory

-

Total

$68,683,880.84

\n```","sortOrder":5}],"analysis":{"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This determination is a routine, transaction‑level payment instruction that implements a specific general purpose transfer on a specified date. It does not broaden or repurpose the legal scheme under which general purpose financial assistance is provided; it confines itself to specifying amounts and timing. Compared to the original statutory purpose of enabling GPFA payments, this instrument does not change scope or introduce new policy directions."},"complexity_factors":["Very short instrument (3 operative clauses plus a single payments table)","Only one external statutory cross‑reference (subsection 9(1) of the Federal Financial Relations Act 2009)","Minimal conditional logic or exceptions","Single table with 8 recipients and two non‑zero entries","No defined terms section or nested definitions","Repetition in the published text but no substantive variations between repeated sections"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this instrument does**\n\n- This is a statutory payment instruction made under subsection 9(1) of the Federal Financial Relations Act 2009. It sets out specific dollar amounts that the Commonwealth is to pay to certain States and Territories as a grant of “general purpose financial assistance” (GPFA).\n\n- The determination takes effect on the day it is made (see clause 2) and lists the amounts to be paid on 23 September 2019 (see clause 3 and the table).\n\n**Who it affects**\n\n- The Commonwealth (the payer) and the States and Territories named in the table (the recipients). Practically, the Treasury and the relevant state/territory treasuries will carry out the payment. The Minister named on the instrument (the Minister for Housing and Assistant Treasurer) makes the determination under the Act.\n\n- The amounts shown in the table are: Western Australia $65,294,119.20; Australian Capital Territory $3,389,761.64; total $68,683,880.84. All other States and the Northern Territory are shown with a dash (no amount listed for this payment round).\n\n**Why it matters (mechanics and implications)**\n\n- By specifying these amounts the Commonwealth increases the general (unconditional) revenue available to the listed States/Territories. Because the payment is described as “general purpose financial assistance,” the receiving state/territory is not legally constrained by this instrument as to how it spends the money — the grant is not tied to a particular program in this determination.\n\n- Who pays and who decides: the Commonwealth pays; the Minister (under the Federal Financial Relations Act) decides the amount and timing by making the determination.\n\n- Who ultimately bears the cost: Commonwealth budgets (and, in the broad fiscal sense, federal revenue/taxpayers) supply the funds. The transfers change the distribution of public spending capacity between levels of government but do not directly alter private-sector legal entitlements.\n\n**Costs, incentives and trade-offs**\n\n- Concentrated benefits: in this payment round, Western Australia and the ACT receive practically all of the stated funds. Those jurisdictions obtain a clear, concentrated fiscal benefit.\n\n- Diffuse costs: the immediate budgetary cost is borne by the Commonwealth; the longer-term fiscal incidence is borne by the Australian community through federal revenue and spending choices.\n\n- Incentives for recipients: an unconditional (general purpose) transfer increases recipient discretion over spending priorities. It may reduce pressure on state governments to raise their own revenues for the same purposes, but this instrument does not itself change state tax settings or binding obligations.\n\n- Opportunity cost and trade-offs: money allocated to these transfers is not available for alternative Commonwealth uses until allocated elsewhere in budgeting decisions. The determination does not explain the policy rationale for why particular states receive funding in this tranche — it is a mechanically drafted payment instruction.\n\n**Implementation, compliance and discretion**\n\n- Implementation risk is low: the instrument is a plainly stated payment direction and contains a simple table of amounts and recipients.\n\n- Compliance burden on recipients is minimal because the grant is for general purposes and the determination does not impose reporting conditions or program rules.\n\n- Bureaucratic discretion is limited at the point of this instrument: the Minister has statutory authority to make the determination, but the document itself specifies fixed amounts and timing.\n\n**Where the instrument sits in law (technical note)**\n\n- The instrument is made under subsection 9(1) of the Federal Financial Relations Act 2009 and operates as a specific payment determination. Clause numbering in the instrument: clause 1 (name), clause 2 (commencement), clause 3 (determination/payment table).\n\n(End of summary.)"},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"Unauthenticated. Configure AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY or use a provider module. Learn more: https://ai-sdk.dev/unauthenticated-ai-gateway","source":"analysis-cron"},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This determination performs exactly the function intended by the Federal Financial Relations Act 2009 — making specific payment determinations for general purpose financial assistance. It has not expanded beyond this purpose."},"complexity_factors":["Extremely short — only 3 operative provisions plus a table","No defined terms section","No cross-references to other legislation beyond the enabling Act (Federal Financial Relations Act 2009)","Simple conditional logic — straightforward payment instruction with no exceptions or nested conditions","Tabular data is the most complex element, showing zero values as dashes and specific dollar amounts","No subordinate legislation or regulations referenced"],"plain_english_summary":"This ministerial determination authorises the Commonwealth to pay $68,683,880.84 in general purpose financial assistance to two jurisdictions: $65,294,119.20 to Western Australia and $3,389,761.64 to the Australian Capital Territory. The funding is untied—affecting state and territory budgets and Australian taxpayers—and is part of ongoing fiscal‑federal transfers. That only WA and the ACT receive money here suggests this payment reflects specific distribution adjustments rather than a routine, equal monthly grant to all jurisdictions."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/federal-financial-relations-general-purpose-financial-assistance-determination-no-127-september-2019","history":"/api/acts/federal-financial-relations-general-purpose-financial-assistance-determination-no-127-september-2019/history","analysis":"/api/acts/federal-financial-relations-general-purpose-financial-assistance-determination-no-127-september-2019/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/federal-financial-relations-general-purpose-financial-assistance-determination-no-127-september-2019/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/federal-financial-relations-general-purpose-financial-assistance-determination-no-127-september-2019/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/federal-financial-relations-general-purpose-financial-assistance-determination-no-127-september-2019/documents"}}