Pursuant to section 124 (1) (d) of the Social Security Act 1964, I, Steven Maharey, Minister of Social Services and Employment, establish and approve the following amendments to the Special Needs Grant welfare programme for special assistance (as established and approved on 18 December 1998), which are to be read with and considered part of the programme with immediate effect.
Dated this 23rd day of December 1999.
STEVE MAHAREY, Minister of Social Services and Employment.
---
A m e n d m e n t s
The programme is amended by adding, after clause
15A.4, the following clauses:
15A.5 This clause applies if the chief executive considers that the amount of a Grant under clause 15A.4 is insufficient to meet the Applicant's reasonable needs for accommodation and other living expenses.
15A.6 If clause 15A.5 applies, the chief executive may, in the chief executive's discretion, increase the weekly amount of a Grant under clause 15A.1 by an amount no more than the weekly amount of an accommodation supplement under the Act that would be payable to the Applicant-
(a) if the Applicant were a beneficiary; and
(b) if section 74A of the Act did not apply to the Applicant.
---
Explanatory Note
This note is not part of the amendments, but is intended to explain their general effect.
These amendments, to the Special Needs Grant Programme under section 124 (1) (d) of the Social Security Act 1964, allow additional payments equivalent to the accommodation supplement to be granted on a discretionary basis to certain refugee claimants who were released from custody under section 128A of the Immigration Act 1987, pending the disposal of court proceedings. The Department of Work and Income administers the programme.