Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Act (No. 2) 2013-2014

Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Act (No. 2) 2013‑2014

No. 21, 2014

An Act to appropriate additional money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund for expenditure in relation to the Parliamentary Departments, and for related purposes

Contents

Part 1—Preliminary

1 Short title

2 Commencement

3 Definitions

4 Portfolio Statements

5 Notional payments, receipts etc.

Part 2—Appropriation items

6 Summary of appropriations

7 Departmental items

8 Administered items

9 Administered assets and liabilities items

10 Other departmental items

Part 3—Adjusting appropriation items

11 Reducing departmental items, administered assets and liabilities items and other departmental items

12 Reducing administered items

13 Advance to the responsible Presiding Officer

Part 4—Miscellaneous

14 Crediting amounts to Special Accounts

15 Appropriation of the Consolidated Revenue Fund

Schedule 1—Services for which money is appropriated

Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Act (No. 2) 2013-2014

No. 21, 2014

An Act to appropriate additional money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund for expenditure in relation to the Parliamentary Departments, and for related purposes

[Assented to 9 April 2014]

The Parliament of Australia enacts:

Part 1—Preliminary

1  Short title

  This Act may be cited as the Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Act (No. 2) 2013‑2014.

2  Commencement

  This Act commences on the day this Act receives the Royal Assent.

3  Definitions

  In this Act:

administered assets and liabilities item means an amount set out in Schedule 1 in relation to a Parliamentary Department opposite the heading “Administered Assets and Liabilities”.

administered item means an amount set out in Schedule 1 opposite an outcome for a Parliamentary Department under the heading “Administered”.

Agency has the same meaning as in the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997.

Note: Each Parliamentary Department is an Agency for the purposes of the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997.

Chief Executive has the same meaning as in the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997.

current year means the financial year ending on 30 June 2014.

departmental item means the total amount set out in Schedule 1 in relation to a Parliamentary Department under the heading “Departmental”.

Note: The amounts set out opposite outcomes, under the heading “Departmental”, are “notional”. They are not part of the item, and do not in any way restrict the scope of the expenditure authorised by the item.

expenditure means payments for expenses, acquiring assets, making loans or paying liabilities.

Finance Minister means the Minister administering this Act.

item means any of the following:

 (a) a departmental item;

 (b) an administered item;

 (c) an administered assets and liabilities item;

 (d) an other departmental item.

other departmental item means an amount set out in Schedule 1 in relation to a Parliamentary Department opposite the heading “Equity Injections”.

Parliamentary Department means any of the following:

 (a) the Department of the Senate;

 (b) the Department of the House of Representatives;

 (c) the Department of Parliamentary Services;

 (d) the Parliamentary Budget Office.

Portfolio Additional Estimates Statements means the Portfolio Additional Estimates Statements that were tabled in the Senate or the House of Representatives in relation to the Bill for this Act.

Portfolio Budget Statements means the Portfolio Budget Statements that were tabled in the Senate or the House of Representatives in relation to the Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Act (No. 1) 2013‑2014.

Portfolio Statements means:

 (a) the Portfolio Budget Statements; and

 (b) the Portfolio Additional Estimates Statements.

President means the President of the Senate.

responsible Presiding Officer means:

 (a) in relation to the Department of the Senate—the President; or

 (b) in relation to the Department of the House of Representatives—the Speaker; or

 (c) in relation to the Department of Parliamentary Services—the President and the Speaker together; or

 (d) in relation to the Parliamentary Budget Office—the President and the Speaker together.

Speaker means the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Special Account has the same meaning as in the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997.

4  Portfolio Statements

  The Portfolio Statements are hereby declared to be relevant documents for the purposes of section 15AB of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901.

Note: See paragraph 15AB(2)(g) of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901 which provides that the material that may be considered in the interpretation of a provision of an Act includes any document that is declared by the Act to be a relevant document.

5  Notional payments, receipts etc.

  For the purposes of this Act, notional transactions between Agencies are to be treated as if they were real transactions.

Note: This section applies, for example, to a “payment” between Agencies that are both part of the Commonwealth. One of the effects of this section is that the payment will be debited from an appropriation for the paying Agency, even though no payment is actually made from the Consolidated Revenue Fund. This is consistent with section 6 of the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997.

Part 2—Appropriation items

6  Summary of appropriations

  The total of the items specified in Schedule 1 is $5,359,000.

Note 1: Items in Schedule 1 can be adjusted under Part 3 of this Act.

Note 2: Sections 30 to 32 of the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997 also provide for adjustments of amounts appropriated by this Act.

7  Departmental items

  The amount specified in a departmental item for a Parliamentary Department may be applied for the departmental expenditure of the Parliamentary Department.

Note: The Finance Minister manages the expenditure of public money through the issue of drawing rights under the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997.

8  Administered items

 (1) The amount specified in an administered item for an outcome for a Parliamentary Department may be applied for expenditure for the purpose of contributing to achieving that outcome.

Note: The Finance Minister manages the expenditure of public money through the issue of drawing rights under the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997.

 (2) If the Portfolio Statements indicate that activities of a particular kind were intended to be treated as activities in respect of a particular outcome, then expenditure for the purpose of carrying out those activities is taken to be expenditure for the purpose of contributing to achieving the outcome.

9  Administered assets and liabilities items

 (1) The amount specified in an administered assets and liabilities item for a Parliamentary Department may be applied for expenditure for the purpose of contributing to achieving any outcome specified in Schedule 1 for the Parliamentary Department.

Note: The Finance Minister manages the expenditure of public money through the issue of drawing rights under the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997.

 (2) If the Portfolio Statements indicate that activities of a particular kind were intended to be treated as activities in respect of a particular outcome, then expenditure for the purpose of carrying out those activities is taken to be expenditure for the purpose of contributing to achieving the outcome.

10  Other departmental items

  The amount specified in an other departmental item for a Parliamentary Department may be applied for the departmental expenditure of the Parliamentary Department.

Note: The Finance Minister manages the expenditure of public money through the issue of drawing rights under the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997.

Part 3—Adjusting appropriation items

11  Reducing departmental items, administered assets and liabilities items and other departmental items

 (1) A written request to reduce a departmental item, an administered assets and liabilities item or an other departmental item for a Parliamentary Department may be made to the Finance Minister by the responsible Presiding Officer.

 (2) If a request is made under subsection (1), the Finance Minister may, by writing, determine that the item is to be reduced by the amount specified in the request.

 (3) However, the determination has no effect to the extent that it would reduce the item below nil, after subtracting amounts that have been applied under Part 2 in respect of the item.

 (4) The item is taken to be reduced in accordance with the determination.

 (5) Despite subsection 33(3) of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901, the determination must not be rescinded, revoked, amended or varied, other than to correct an error.

 (6) A request made under subsection (1) is not a legislative instrument.

 (7) A determination made under subsection (2) is a legislative instrument and, despite subsection 44(2) of the Legislative Instruments Act 2003, section 42 (disallowance) of that Act applies to the determination. However, Part 6 (sunsetting) of that Act does not apply to the determination.

12  Reducing administered items

 (1) If:

 (a) an annual report for a Parliamentary Department for the current year is tabled in the Parliament; and

 (b) the report specifies an amount required by the Parliamentary Department in respect of an administered item; and

 (c) the required amount is less than the amount of the item;

the item is taken to be reduced to the required amount.

 (2) The Finance Minister may, by writing:

 (a) determine that subsection (1):

 (i) does not apply in relation to the item; or

 (ii) applies as if the amount specified in the annual report were the amount specified in the determination; or

 (b) if the report does not specify the required amount—determine an amount that is taken to be the required amount for the purposes of subsection (1).

 (3) A determination made under subsection (2) is a legislative instrument and, despite subsection 44(2) of the Legislative Instruments Act 2003, section 42 (disallowance) of that Act applies to the determination. However, Part 6 (sunsetting) of that Act does not apply to the determination.

13  Advance to the responsible Presiding Officer

 (1) If a responsible Presiding Officer determined an amount under subsection 13(2) of the Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Act (No. 1) 2013‑2014 before the commencement of this Act, the amount is to be disregarded for the purposes of subsections 13(3), (4), (5) and (6) of that Act.

Note: This means that, after the commencement of this Act, the responsible Presiding Officers have access to the following amounts under section 13 of the Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Act (No. 1) 2013‑2014, regardless of amounts that have already been determined under that section:

(a) for the Department of the Senate—$300,000;

(b) for the Department of the House of Representatives—$300,000;

(c) for the Department of Parliamentary Services—$1 million;

(d) for the Parliamentary Budget Office—$300,000.

 (2) If:

 (a) this Act appropriates an amount for particular expenditure; and

 (b) before the commencement of this Act, a responsible Presiding Officer determines an amount (the advanced amount) under section 13 of the Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Act (No. 1) 2013‑2014 for the expenditure;

the amount appropriated by this Act for the expenditure is taken to be reduced (but not below nil) by the advanced amount.

Part 4—Miscellaneous

14  Crediting amounts to Special Accounts

  If any of the purposes of a Special Account is a purpose that is covered by an item (whether or not the item expressly refers to the Special Account), then amounts may be debited against the appropriation for that item and credited to that Special Account.

15  Appropriation of the Consolidated Revenue Fund

  The Consolidated Revenue Fund is appropriated as necessary for the purposes of this Act, including the operation of this Act as affected by the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997.

Schedule 1—Services for which money is appropriated

Note: See sections 6 and 15.

[Minister’s second reading speech made in—

House of Representatives on 13 February 2014

Senate on 5 March 2014]