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CONTENTS
Passage History
Purpose
Background
Main Provisions
Endnotes
Contact Officer and Copyright Details
Appropriation Bill (No. 2)
1998-99
Date Introduced: 12 May 1998
House: House of Representatives
Portfolio: Finance and Administration
Commencement: On Royal Assent.
To appropriate $4 171 699 000
from the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) for expenditure on:
- capital works and services
- payments to the States and Territories
- expenditure on any new programs not covered by other
legislation for the 1998-99 financial year.
This Bill forms part of a three-part package
relating to government finance and covers expenditure for the items
mentioned above. The other parts of the package are:
- Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 1998-99 which covers expenditure for
the ordinary annual services of the government
- Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Bill 1998-99 which
covers expenditure on the five parliamentary departments.
Introduction
Refer to the Digest for Appropriation Bill
(No.1) 1998-99.
Outline
The Bill appropriates a total of $4 171 699 000
for capital works and services, payments to the States and
Territories and expenditure on new programs not covered by other
legislation for the 1998-99 financial year.
Schedule 2 of the Bill deals with proposed
allocation of expenditure. Each government department has funds
specifically allocated for each specific purpose.
Over half the total funds appropriated go to two
departments - the Department of Health and Family Services ($1 409
930 000) and the Department of Social Security ($1 163 477
000).(1)
Significant spending measures for the Department
of Health and Family Services include:
- Capital Works and Services:
-
- $17 500 000 - capital advance for the Commonwealth
Rehabilitation Service
- $5 000 000 - capital advance to Australian Hearing
Services
- $1 249 000 - health infrastructure for indigenous communities
(no previous expenditure in 1997-98 estimates)
Payments to the States and Territories
- $338 064 000 - assistance for people with disabilities
- $147 528 000 - for health advancement
- $144 599 000 - for health care access
- $500 200 000 - for home and community care.(2)
Significant spending measures for the Department
of Social Security include:
- Capital Works and Services:
- $44 119 000 - for acquisitions, buildings, works, plant and
equipment (drops by $45 305 000 on expenditure in 1997-98
estimates)
- Payments to the States and Territories
- $151 891 000 - for compensation for extension of fringe
benefits to pensioners and older long-term allowees and
beneficiaries
- $964 368 000 - for Commonwealth State Housing Agreement
(expenditure under the Housing Assistance Act 1996).
The Budget increases payments to the States and Territories by
$146 049 000 from the Department of Social Security's 1997-98
estimates.(3)
Other notable spending measures include:
- Attorney-General's Department - $42 894 000 cut from payments
to the States and Territories for the provision of Legal Aid from
expenditure in 1997-98 estimates(4)
- Department of Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs
- $52 400 000 establishment costs for Employment National
Ltd(5)
- Department of the Environment - $186 940 000 cut from payments
to the National Heritage Trust of Australia Reserve from
expenditure in the 1997-98 estimates.(6)
Clause 4 authorises the Minister for Finance to
issue $4 171 699 000 out of the CRF for services in respect of the
year ending on 30 June 1999. The money is to be spent according to
a detailed list in Schedule 2 of the Bill. The Schedule lists the
spending breakdown by department and program.
Clause 5 deals with payments to
the States and Territories. These payments must be made in
accordance with the programs listed in Schedule 2. The terms and
conditions of these payments are determined by the relevant
Minister.
Clause 9 deals with the advance
to the Minister for Finance and Administration. The Minister may
charge any excess expenditure on a specified item to any other item
listed in Schedule 2. Alternatively, the Minister may appropriate
money for a non-specified item from any other item listed in
Schedule 2. However, the Minister cannot appropriate money in
excess of the total amount appropriated for the year ending June
1999.
- Budget Paper, No.4 1998-99, 199.
- Ibid., 217.
- Ibid., 227.
- Ibid., 205.
- Ibid., 210.
- Ibid., 212.
Ross Kilmurray
25 May 1998
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ISSN 1328-8091
© Commonwealth of Australia 1998
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Published by the Department of the Parliamentary Library,
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