Commonwealth legislation

Federal Financial Relations (National Partnership Payments) Determination No.164 (March 2020)

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Commonwealth

Collection

legislative instrument

Plain English Summary

4/10 complexity

This determination directs the Commonwealth to pay $619,044,463.33 to the States on 10 March 2020. The schedule itemises one‑off National Partnership Payments across health, education, infrastructure, community services, environment and contingent programs. The payments are federal grants to States to support delivery of specified projects or outputs, to facilitate specified reforms, or as rewards for nationally significant reforms (clause 3 and Schedule 1). It matters because it commits specific federal funds to named state programs and creates administrative obligations to deliver and account for those payments.

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Deep Dive

4,310 words · generated 12/06/2026

What it does

This Determination fixes specific Commonwealth National Partnership payment amounts to each State and Territory for a single payment date, 10 March 2020. Clause 3 of the Determination states the legal effect: "The amounts specified in the following table are to be paid to the States specified in that table for the purpose of making a grant of financial assistance to" support delivery of outputs or projects in Schedule 1, to facilitate reforms specified in Schedule 1, or to reward nationally significant reforms specified in Schedule 1 (s 3). The instrument commences when made (s 2).

Mechanically the document does three things. First, the front table (Table 1) sets a single payment schedule by State and Territory, with a total of $619,044,463.33 to be paid on 10 March 2020. The State-level totals in Table 1 are: New South Wales $85,284,108.00; Victoria $44,463,287.00; Queensland $359,541,538.00; Western Australia $55,163,148.33; South Australia $26,777,708.00; Tasmania $19,331,715.00; Australian Capital Territory $120,000.00; Northern Territory $28,362,959.00. Second, Schedule 1 breaks that total down by policy areas and program line items (Health, Education, Community Services, Infrastructure, Environment, Contingent Payments) and shows the allocation of program-by-program amounts across jurisdictions. Third, the Determination links each payment to purposes listed in Schedule 1: either to support delivery of specified outputs or projects, to facilitate reforms, or as rewards for nationally significant reforms (s 3).

The Determination is a payment instrument. It does not contain operative performance criteria, reporting templates, or enforcement provisions within the text supplied. The only specified temporal element in the body text is the payment date called out in Table 1, and the instrument’s commencement provision (s 2). Schedule 1 provides detailed dollar allocations by program and jurisdiction; those allocations together equal the Table 1 state totals and the overall total of $619,044,463.33.

Current sections

Direct links to the current provisions in Federal Financial Relations (National Partnership Payments) Determination No.164 (March 2020).

Federal Financial Relations (National Pa