1.1 Strategic direction statement
The Department of the Senate is the secretariat to the Australian Senate. All of its functions derive from this purpose and its work is substantially driven by the requirements of the Senate and senators. The department facilitates meetings of the Senate and its committees. It succeeds when the Senate and its committees meet in accordance with their decisions, and when senators and others receive the advice and support they need to participate in and shape those meetings.
The department’s outcome is delivered under a single program, comprising key activities in the following areas:
- Advice about Senate and committee proceedings
- Secretariat support for the Senate
- Secretariat support for committees
- Administrative advice and support for senators
- Public information and parliamentary education
- Sustaining capability, governance and accountability.
The department is one of the four parliamentary departments supporting the Australian Parliament. It is responsible to the Senate through the President of the Senate. Its administrative head is the Clerk of the Senate.
The total available appropriation for the department specified in Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Bill (No. 1) 2025-26 is $29.3m, comprising a departmental appropriation of $29.0m ($28.8m in 2024-25) and capital funding of $0.3m ($0.3m in 2024-25). Figure 1 shows the trend in departmental appropriations in recent years.
The department has third party access to special appropriations to drawdown funds for the payment of senators’ salaries and certain allowances, superannuation, and some postage and freight expenses. The resourcing of these special appropriations is detailed in the statements prepared by the Department of Finance.
Figure 1: Trends in departmental appropriation ($'000)
1.2 Resource statement
Table 1.1 shows the total resourcing from all sources available to the department for its operations and to deliver programs and services.
The table summarises how resources will be applied by outcome.
Information in this table is presented on a resourcing (that is, appropriations/cash available) basis, whilst the 'Budgeted expenses by Outcome 1' tables in Section 2 and the financial statements in Section 3 are presented on an accrual basis.
Table 1.1: Department of the Senate resource statement – Budget estimates for 2025–26 as at Budget March 2025
| |
2024-25
Estimated
actual
$'000 |
2025-26
Estimate
$'000 |
| Departmental |
|
| Annual appropriations (a) |
|
| Prior year appropriations available |
13,725 |
13,723 |
| Departmental appropriation |
28,762 |
29,028 |
| s74 External Revenue (b) |
450 |
200 |
| Departmental capital budget (c) |
299 |
300 |
| Total departmental annual appropriations |
43,236 |
43,251 |
| Total departmental resourcing |
42,236 |
43,25 |
| Average staffing level (number) |
2024-25 |
2025-26 |
| 179.5 |
179.5 |
| Third party payments from and on behalf of other entities |
| |
2024-25
Estimated
actual
$'000 |
2025-26
Estimate
$'000 |
Payments made on behalf of another entity
(as disclosed in the respective entity's resource statement) |
|
| Department of Finance |
|
| Parliamentary Business Resources Act 2017 s 59 |
23,787 |
23,787 |
| Parliamentary Superannuation Act 2004 s 18 |
3,115 |
3,167 |
| Australian Constitution s 66 |
903 |
903 |
| |
27,805 |
27,857 |
|
Prepared on a resourcing (that is, appropriations available) basis.
All figures shown above are GST exclusive – these may not match figures in the cash flow statement.
(a) Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Bill (No. 1) 2025–2026 and Supply Bill (Parliamentary Departments) (No.1) 2025-26.
(b) Estimated External Revenue receipts under section 74 of the PGPA Act.
(c) Departmental capital budgets (DCB) are not separately identified in Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Bill (No.1) and form part of ordinary annual services items. Please refer to Table 3.5 for further details. For accounting purposes, this amount has been designated as a ‘contribution by owner’.
|