Legislative safeguards for funding

Community Services Act 2007

Departmental investment in services delivered by non-government organisations, local governments and other entities is legislated under the Community Services Act 2007.

Funding declarations

Provision for service delivery under the Community Services Act 2007 only applies to funding that is listed in a funding declaration.

A declaration can apply the Act to a funding program or to individual funding contracts.

In deciding whether to make a funding declaration, Ministers may consider several factors. These include:

• the type of product or service being provided with the funding
• the importance of the product or service to meeting the needs of an individual, group or community
• the characteristics and vulnerability of users of the product or service
• the amount of funding being provided.

A complete list of the funding that has been declared by the Minister for Treaty, Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, Minister for Communities and Minister for the Arts and copies of the declarations made from time to time by the Minister will be published on this page.

Funding declarations: Department of Treaty, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, Communities and the Arts 

This funding declaration applies the Community Services Act 2007 to all funding provided under investment specifications approved by the Director-General.

As departmental investment transitions to meet the changing need, an updated funding declaration will be made to safeguard the department’s investment.

Funded organisations do not need to do anything in response to these declarations. Organisations’ service agreements with the department continue and do not need to change as a result of the declarations.