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CONTENTS
Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Bill (No. 2)
1997-98
Date Introduced: 29 October 1997
House: House of Representatives
Portfolio: Finance and Administration
Commencement: Royal Assent
To authorise the Minister for Finance and Administration to
issue $416 000 from the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF), in
addition to funds appropriated by the Appropriation
(Parliamentary Departments) Act 1997-98, for the operation of
the Parliamentary Departments during 1997-98.
(a) Glossary of Terms
Appropriation - is the setting apart, assigning or
applying of a sum of money to a particular use or to a particular
person.In the budget context, an appropriation usually refers to an
authorisation by Parliament to draw on funds from the Consolidated
Revenue Fund (CRF).
Budget outlays - refer to the net cost to the taxpayer
of providing government services.Appropriations/payments out of the
CRF are adjusted to take account (for example) of many government
receipts.Hence a hypothetical government program 'XYZ' may have a
total appropriation of $600 million but this may only represent
budget outlays of $500 million if the 'XYZ' program receives income
of $100 million from other (non budget) sources.
Running costs - are the full recurrent and minor
capital costs incurred by a department or agency in providing
government services for which the department or agency is
responsible.For many departments, staff salaries will represent the
largest proportion of such costs.
(b) Overview
Since 1982 the appropriation for the Parliamentary Departments
have been effected by a separate Bill.This followed the Fraser
Government's consideration of the Report of the Senate Select
Committee on Parliamentary Appropriations and Staffing which was
tabled on 18 August 1981.
Under current arrangements, the executive government maintains
control over the contents of the Bill as introduced.In theory
however, since the Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Bill
is not for the ordinary annual services of the government, it may
be amended by the Senate.
The Public Service Act 1922 provides that the
administration of the Parliament is undertaken by five
Parliamentary Departments - the Department of the Senate, the
Department of the House of Representatives, the Joint House
Department, the Department of the Parliamentary Reporting Staff
(DPRS) and the Department of the Parliamentary Library.
The Department of the House of Representatives and the
Department of the Senate are responsible for the provision of
procedural, information and administrative services to Members and
Senators respectively.The Joint House Department provides building
and facilities management, maintenance and visitor services
associated with Parliament House.DPRS provides reporting,
information technology, telecommunications and broadcasting
services to the Parliament through Hansard, the Parliamentary
Information Systems Office (PISO) and the Sound and Vision Office
(SAVO).The Department of the Parliamentary Library is responsible
for the provision of library, reference and research services to
the Parliament.
The additional appropriations sought by the Bill relate to the
running costs of the Department of the Senate and the Department of
the House of Representatives.In his Second Reading Speech, the
Minister for Finance and Administration, Hon John Fahey MP, stated
that the increases sought by the two Departments are largely the
result of a higher than anticipated carryover of unspent funds from
1996-97(1).
Digest comment :-When the Budget was in August
Departments knew the amount of the carryover and were able to
include it in the next year's appropriation.Now the Budget is in
May, Departments do not know the carryover until the end of the
financial year, and so need an additional appropriation for the
carryover amount.
The additional appropriations sought by this Bill are:
- Department of the Senate $120 000
- Department of the House of Representatives $296 000
(c) Comparison of Running costs appropriations for Dept of the
House of
Representatives and Dept of the Senate for 1996-97
and 1997-98
House of Representatives Senate
Running costs 22 914 000 23 966 000
appropriation 1996-97
Spending on running 22 642 080 22 344 412
costs 1996-97
Unspent running cost 271 920 1 621 588
funds 1996-97
Running costs 23 826 000 25 301 000
appropriation 1997-98
Additional 296 000 120 000
appropriation sought by
this Bill
The Minister for Finance and Administration will be authorised
to issue $416 000 from the Consolidated Revenue Fund for the
purposes specified in the Schedule of this Bill during 1997-98
(clause 3).
Clause 5 allows the Minister, based on the
determination of the Presiding Officers, to draw additional funds
from the CRF for increases in salaries and payments during the year
ended 30 June 1998.Amounts issued must be reported to the
Parliament.
Part 2 of the Bill clauses 9-12 provides for
the application of certain provisions of the Financial
Management and Accountability Act 1997 relating to
appropriations. The Act received Royal Assent on 24 October
1997.
- Second Reading Speech, House of Representatives,
Debates, 29 October 1997: 9814.
- The Commonwealth Public Account 1997-98 (Budget Paper
No. 4), AGPS, Canberra, 1997: 94.
- ibid: 92.
Rosemary Bell
13November 1997
Bills Digest Service
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ISSN 1328-8091
© Commonwealth of Australia 1997
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Published by the Department of the Parliamentary Library,
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Last updated: 13 November 1997
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