EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
Issued by the Authority of the Minister for Ageing
Nation-building Funds Act 2008
HHF Evaluation Criteria 2009
Chapter 4, Parts 4.2 and 4.3 of the Nation-building Funds Act 2008 (the Act), amongst other things, establishes the Health and Hospitals Fund (HHF) and the Health and Hospitals Fund Advisory Board.
Subsection 247(1) of the Act provides that the Health Minister may, by legislative instrument, formulate criteria to be applied by the HHF Advisory Board in giving advice to the Health Minister about matters which are referred to it by the Health Minister and relate to the making of payments in relation to the creation or development of health infrastructure.
The purpose of this legislative instrument is to formulate evaluation criteria to be applied by the Health and Hospitals Fund Advisory Board in assessing HHF spending proposals.
The HHF is part of a broader infrastructure program instituted by the Commonwealth Government as a long-term investment in Australia’s future. There are three Funds – the HHF, a Building Australia Fund and an Education Investment Fund. The HHF will be used to support strategic capital investments in health infrastructure to equip Australia’s health and hospital system for the future.
This instrument specifies the evaluation criteria that the HHF Advisory Board must apply when assessing spending proposals under the Health and Hospitals Fund.
Section 247 (2) specifies that the Minister must consult with responsible Ministers before formulating HHF evaluation criteria. The responsible Ministers are defined in the Act to be Minister for Finance and the Treasurer. The Minister has consulted the Treasurer and the Minister for Finance and Deregulation.
Consultation
The Minister for Health and Ageing consulted the Treasurer and the Minister for Finance and Deregulation on the formulation of the HHF evaluation criteria.
The HHF Evaluation Criteria 2009 are a legislative instrument for the purposes of the Legislative Instruments Act 2003.
The HHF Evaluation Criteria 2009 commences on 1 January 2009, or, if registered on or after 1 January 2009, the instrument commences on the date it is registered.
An item-by-item explanation of the provisions contained in the HHF Evaluation Criteria are provided in the Attachment
Authority: Section 247 of the
Nation-building Funds Act 2008
ATTACHMENT
HHF Evaluation Criteria 2009
EXPLANATION OF CLAUSES
Section 1 – Name of instrument
This section provides that the name of the instrument is the HHF Evaluation Criteria 2009.
Section 2 - Commencement
This section provides for commencement of the instrument. If the instrument is registered before the Act commences on 1 January 2009, the instrument commences on 1 January 2009. If the instrument is registered on or after the day on which the Act commences, the instrument commences on the date on which the instrument is registered.
Section 3 - Definitions
This section defines terms used in the HHF Evaluation Criteria 2009
Section 4 – HHF evaluation criteria
Sub-section 247(1) of the Act provides that the Health Minister may, by legislative instrument, formulate criteria to be applied by the HHF Advisory Board in giving advice to the Health Minister about matters which are referred to it by the Health Minister and relate to the making of payments in relation to the creation or development of health infrastructure.
There are five HHF Evaluation Criteria that must be applied by the HHF Advisory Board in giving advice to the Health Minister under paragraph 246(1)(a) of the Act. Each evaluation criteria relates to an overarching principle referred to in the Explanatory Memorandum of the Nation-building Funds Bill 2008.