Advance to the Finance Minister

The Advance to the Finance Minister (and the Advance to the Presiding Officers in relation to Parliamentary departments) is outlined in Part 3 of each Annual Appropriation Bill. The Presiding Officers are the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

The Advance is an appropriation without any particular outcome or specific purpose. The Finance Minister (or Presiding Officers) may use the amount appropriated as an advance to modify the schedule to the Appropriation Act, but only where:

… the Finance Minister (or a Presiding Officer) is satisfied that there is an urgent need for expenditure, in the current year, that is not provided for, or is insufficiently provided for, […]:

  1. because of an erroneous omission or understatement; or
  2. because the expenditure was unforeseen until after the last day on which it was practicable to provide for it in the Bill for this Act before that Bill was introduced into the House of Representatives.

To access an advance, the Finance Minister (or a Presiding Officer) must issue a determination under the relevant Appropriation Act.