Northern Territory Grants Commission

The Northern Territory Grants Commission is established as an independent statutory authority under the Local Government Grants Commission Act 1986. Its primary role is to allocate financial assistance grants provided by the Australian Government to Northern Territory local governing bodies in the form of general purpose grants and local roads grants.

It is a requirement under the Commonwealth’s Local Government (Financial Assistance) Act 1995 that there is a local government grants commission in each State and the Northern Territory to make recommendations on the allocation of funding to local governments made under the Act.

Functions

The Northern Territory  Grants Commission makes recommendations to the Minister for Local Government on the distribution of untied Commonwealth Financial Assistance Grants to local governing authorities in the Northern Territory in late July or early August.

The Northern Territory Grants Commission’s recommendations are endorsed by the Territory Minister and sent to the Federal Minister for Local Government for approval.

Financial Assistance Grants are paid in 4 quarterly instalments. The first is usually made no earlier than 15 August each year.

The Federal Government may bring forward payments of Financial Assistance Grants. When this occurs the payments are passed on by the Northern Territory Grants Commission as soon as they are received.

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