Commonwealth Consolidated Acts Commonwealth Consolidated Acts(1) Where an agreement has, whether before or after the commencement of this Act, been entered into between the Commonwealth and a State, being an agreement that is substantially in accordance with the form set out in the Schedule, the Minister may, by writing, authorise payments (including advances) to be made to that State, by way of financial assistance to that State, in accordance with that agreement.
(2) A reference in subsection ( 1) to an agreement that has been entered into between the Commonwealth and a State includes a reference to that agreement as varied, in accordance with the provisions of that agreement, by a further agreement a copy of which has been laid before each House of the Parliament as required by the first - mentioned agreement.
(3) An amount repayable by a State to the Commonwealth in accordance with a provision of an agreement referred to in subsection ( 1) is a debt due by the State to the Commonwealth.
(4) In this section, State includes the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory .