Part A – User Guide

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of the 2003–2004 Portfolio Budget Statement (PBS) is to inform Senators and Members of Parliament of the proposed allocation of resources to Government outcomes by the Department of the Parliamentary Reporting Staff (DPRS). They also facilitate understanding of the proposed annual appropriations in Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Bill 2003–2004. The PBS provides sufficient information, explanation and justification to enable Parliament to understand the purpose of the outcome proposed in the Bill.

STRUCTURE OF THE PORTFOLIO BUDGET STATEMENT

The PBS is presented in three parts as outlined below.

Part A: User Guide

Provides an introduction explaining the purpose of the PBS as well as information in relation to the styles and conventions used.

Part B: Overview

Provides a brief overview of the department. The departmental outcome is depicted in a chart that outlines the structure of the department's outcome.

Part C: Budget Statement

The total appropriation for the department is presented in three sections as outlined below.

Section 1: Overview, appropriations, and budget measures summary

This section provides a brief overview of the department, details departmental appropriations and summarises, where applicable, Budget measures. This section describes the link between the resources appropriated and their application to the outputs that contribute to the achievement of the outcome.

Section 2: Outcomes and outputs information

This section provides a brief description of the outcome and, where applicable, Budget measures. The section also provides details of resourcing, outlining appropriations, how the outputs contribute to the outcome, performance information for the outcome, and competitive tendering and contracting.

Section 3: Budgeted financial statements

This section contains the budgeted financial statements in accrual format covering budget year, previous year and the three out-years for each agency.

Glossaries are provided at the end of the document.

STYLES AND CONVENTIONS USED

(a)	The following notations may be used:
	NEC/nec	not elsewhere classified
	AEST	Australian Eastern Standard Time
	–	nil
	..	not zero, but rounded to zero
	na	not applicable (unless otherwise specified)
	$m	$ million
	$b	$ billion
(b)	Figures in tables and in the text may be rounded. Figures in text are generally rounded to one decimal place, whereas figures in tables are generally rounded to the nearest thousand. Discrepancies in tables between totals and sums of components are due to rounding.

ENQUIRIES

Should you have any enquiries regarding this publication please contact Mr J Walsh, (02) 6277 8822.

A copy of this document can be located on the Budget website at:
http://www.budget.gov.au