7Grants for expenditure on university purposes

7 Grants for expenditure on university purposes

(1) In relation to each university specified in Column 1 of Schedule 1, there is payable to the State in which the university is situated, for the purposes of financial assistance in relation to the expenditure of the university for university purposes in respect of a year to which this Act applies, the amount specified in Schedule 1 in relation to that university and to that year. (2) Financial assistance is granted to a State under subsection (1) in relation to a university in respect of a year to which this Act applies on the conditions that:

(a) the State will pay each amount of that financial assistance received by it to the university without undue delay;

(b) the State will ensure that the amount expended by the university for university purposes in respect of that year is not less than the sum of the amounts of financial assistance paid to the State under subsection (1) in relation to the university in respect of that year;

(c) the State will ensure that each university situated in the State does not charge any student fees in respect of that year or a part of that year;

(d) the State will ensure that the university furnishes to the Commission, not later than 30 September next following the end of that year, a statement by a qualified auditor, in accordance with a form approved by the Commission, as to the expenditure of the university for university purposes in respect of that year accompanied by a certificate by the auditor:

(i) certifying whether he is satisfied that the prescribed staff of the university comprising each category or class of persons in respect of which the Academic Salaries Tribunal had, in a report or reports of that Tribunal, recommended a rate of salary, or a scale of rates of salary, applicable to that year or a part of that year had been paid salary, in respect of that year or that part of that year, in accordance with those recommendations; and

(ii) if he is not so satisfied—certifying, in respect of each of those categories or classes of persons in respect of which he is not so satisfied, the rate or scale of rates at which salary was paid, in respect of that year or that part of that year, to the prescribed staff of the university comprising that category or class; and

(e) the State will cause to be furnished to the Commission by the university, not later than such date as the Commission specifies, such statistical and other information as the Commission requires from the university in respect of the provision of tertiary education by the university during that year.

(3) Where a determination is made under subsection 5(5) relating to the provision of a course of study at a university, any expenditure in connection with preparation for the introduction of the course (not being expenditure incurred for the purpose of making a further submission to the Commission concerning the course), or, if the course has been introduced at the university, in connection with the provision of the course, that is incurred by the university while the determination is in force shall not be treated as expenditure by the university for university purposes in the application of subsections (2), (5) and (7) of this section to and in relation to financial assistance granted to the State in which the university is situated in relation to the university. (4) Where a purpose is specified in Column 2 of Schedule 2 or in Column 2 of Schedule 2A in relation to a university specified in Column 1 of that Schedule and an amount is specified in that Schedule in relation to that purpose and to a year to which this Act applies, financial assistance in respect of that year is granted under subsection (1) to the State in which the university is situated on the further condition that the State will ensure that the amount expended by the university in respect of that year for university purposes included in the purpose so specified is not less than that amount. (5) Where the Commission is satisfied that the amount paid to a State in relation to the recurrent expenditure of a university for university purposes in respect of a year (in this subsection referred to as the base year), being the year 1981, 1982 or 1983, under section 6 of the States Grants (Tertiary Education Assistance) Act 1978, or under this section, as the case requires, exceeded the amount expended by the university for those purposes in respect of the base year, the Commission shall direct that the amount (in this subsection referred to as the relevant amount) specified in Schedule 1 in relation to that university and to the year next following the base year shall be deemed to have been increased by the amount of the excess or by the prescribed amount applicable to that university in relation to the base year, whichever is the less, and, upon the Commission’s giving that direction, then, for the purposes of this Act: