24Grants for short‑term emergency assistance for non‑government schools

24 Grants for short‑term emergency assistance for non‑government schools

(1) Subject to subsection (2), if a systemic school or a non‑systemic school in a State is, in relation to a program year, a school in need of short‑term emergency assistance, the Minister may, by determination in writing, authorise the payment to the State, by way of financial assistance to the State to provide short‑term emergency assistance for the school in respect of that year of such amounts as the Minister determines. (2) The Minister shall not authorise payments under subsection (1) in respect of a program year that exceed, in the aggregate, the amount set out in the column of Schedule 9 that relates to that year. (3) Financial assistance is granted to a State under subsection (1) in respect of a systemic school or a non‑systemic school in respect of a program year:

(a) on the condition that, subject to paragraph (b), the State will, as soon as possible, pay to the approved authority of the approved school system or of the school, as the case may be, an amount equal to each amount paid to the State under this section in respect of that school and, in making the payment, will describe the amount paid as a payment made out of money provided to the State by the Commonwealth under this section;

(b) on the condition that the State will not make a payment to the authority under this section in respect of that year unless the authority has entered into an agreement of a kind determined by the Minister with the Commonwealth in respect of that year or in respect of a number of years including that year; and

(c) on the additional conditions applicable under section 29.