Bills Digest No. 97 1997-98
Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Bill (No. 2) 1997-98
WARNING:
This Digest was prepared for debate. It reflects the legislation as introduced
and does not canvass subsequent amendments. This Digest does not have any
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subsequent official status of the Bill.
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, 1997.
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Last updated: 13 November 1997
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