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CONTENTS
Passage History
Purpose
Background
Main Provisions
Endnotes
Contact Officer & Copyright Details
Appropriation Bill (No. 2)
2000-2001
Date Introduced: 9 May 2000
House: House of
Representatives
Portfolio: Finance and Administration
Commencement: On Royal Assent.
To appropriate $5 128.526 million for payments
for purposes other than the ordinary services of government,
including capital expenditure, administered expenses for new
outcomes and grants to the States and Territories.
A concise assessment of the 2000-2001 Budget can
be found in the Parliamentary Library e-brief Budget 2000
at http://www.aph.gov.au/library/intguide/econ/budget.htm.
This Bill, together with the Appropriation Bill
(No.1) 2000-2001 (which deals with ordinary annual services of
government) and the Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Bill
2000-2001, are introduced in May each year.
Details on the major new expenditure initiatives announced in
the Budget are contained in the Bills Digest for Appropriation Bill
(No.1) 2000-2001) http://www.aph.gov.au/library/pubs/bd/1999-2000/2000BD169.htm
The $5 128.526 million appropriated by this Bill
compares to $ 5 735 million for the equivalent 1999-2000
Act.(1)
Clause 6 lists the total amount
appropriated by the Bill - that is $5 128.526 million.
In regard to allocation to the States for the
outcomes specified in the Schedule, clause 7
provides that the Finance Minister may issue the lesser of the
amount specified in the relevant Department allocation and the
amount determined by the Finance Minister to be the actual
expenditure incurred for that purpose. The clause also contains the
requirement that the funds may only be allocated to achieve the
specified outcome.
Clause 8 contains similar
provisions as clause 6 but relates to administered items.
Where an appropriation is made for an
administered capital purpose, the outcome that may be achieved must
be a purpose listed in Schedule 2 of the Bill or
in the Schedule to the Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2000-2001 (this
reflects the allocation of all capital expenditure in this Bill)
(clause 9).
In relation to appropriations for capital
expenditure for a department, where an Act provides that an amount
is to be allocated to a Department and this Bill contains a capital
item for the Department, the Finance Minister must issue the full
amount of the item (clause 10). (This is similar
to clause 7 in Appropriation Bill (No.1) 2000-2001 and reflects the
difference in the Minister's role in relation to Departmental and
administered capital items [ie the Minister has no discretion in
relation to Department items]).
The Finance Minister will be given power to
issue a maximum of $215 million over the year to take account of
unforeseen expenditure or where there has been an 'erroneous
omission or understatement' in relation to extra expenses
(clause 11). The Minister may also increase the
amount in a Departmental capital item/s by to a total maximum of
$20 million (clause 12). Parliament must be
notified of increased spending under clauses 11 and 12.
The relevant Minister listed in column 3 of
Schedule 1 of the Bill will be able to determine conditions under
which payments to the States and Territories may be made
(clause 14).
Clause 15 will formally
appropriate the funds for the purposes of the Bill.
1. Appropriation (No. 2) 1999-2000.
Angus Martyn
29 May 2000
Bills Digest Service
Information and Research Services
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ISSN 1328-8091
© Commonwealth of Australia 2000
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Published by the Department of the Parliamentary Library,
2000.
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