Public Governance, Performance and Accountability (Section 75 Transfers) Amendment Determination 2015-2016 (No. 3)

Administered by Department of Finance

Legislation au F2015L01793 Not in force Legislative Instrument

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EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013

Public Governance, Performance and Accountability (Section 75 Transfers) Amendment Determination 2015-2016 (No. 3) (the amendment determination)

Purpose of the determination

The amendment determination is made under section 75 of the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 (PGPA Act) to amend Public Governance, Performance and Accountability (Section 75 Transfers) Determination 2015-2016 (the primary determination), dated 30 October 2015, and amended by:

         Public Governance, Performance and Accountability (Section 75 Transfers) Amendment Determination 2015-2016 (No. 1), dated 5 November 2015; and

         Public Governance, Performance and Accountability (Section 75 Transfers) Amendment Determination 2015-2016 (No. 2), dated 11 November 2015,

to adjust amounts appropriated to non-corporate Commonwealth entities, in response to the Administrative Arrangements Order (AAO) made on 30 September 2015.

The amendment determination modifies Appropriation Act (No. 1) 2015-2016 and Appropriation Act (No. 2) 2015-2016 to support functions transferring:

         from the Attorney-General’s Department to the Department of Communications and the Arts (previously known as the Department of Communications), in relation to censorship, copyright, and cultural affairs, including movable cultural heritage and support for the arts;

         from the Department of Social Services to the Department of Education and Training, in relation to childcare policy and programmes, and co-ordination of early childhood development policy and responsibilities; and

         from the Department of Social Services to the Department of Health, in relation to services for older people, including their carers, and policy for and promotion of active ageing, other than employment policy.

 

The amendment determination results in no change to the total amount appropriated by Parliament.

Commencement

The amendment determination commences on 13 November 2015.

Authority for the determination

Section 75 of the PGPA Act enables the Finance Minister to determine that one or more Schedules to one or more Appropriation Acts are modified in a specified way in relation to the transfer of a function from one non-corporate Commonwealth entity to another.

Under section 107 of the PGPA Act, the Finance Minister has delegated the power to make determinations under section 75 to the Secretary of the Department of Finance. Under section 109 of the PGPA Act, the Secretary has, in turn, subdelegated this power to certain officials within the Department of Finance, including the official who made the determination.

The amendment determination is a legislative instrument for the purposes of section 5 of the Legislative Instruments Act 2003. The amendment determination amends Public Governance, Performance and Accountability (Section 75 Transfers) Determination 2015-2016, which is a legislative instrument for the purposes of section 5 of the Legislative Instruments Act 2003.


Statement of Compatibility with Human Rights

A Statement of Compatibility with Human Rights is not required for the amendment determination. 
Subsection 9(1) of the Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Act 2011 requires a Statement of Compatibility with Human Rights for all legislative instruments subject to disallowance under
section 42 of the Legislative Instruments Act 2003. A determination, including an amendment determination, under section 75 of the PGPA Act is exempt from disallowance under subsection 75(7) of the PGPA Act. As such, a Statement of Compatibility with Human Rights is not required.

Consultation

Consistent with Part 3 of the Legislative Instruments Act 2003, the affected entities were consulted in the preparation of the amendment determination.

Summary of Modifications

  1.           The tables in the amendment determination provide an aggregate of appropriation items for each affected entity, rather than the individual items. While the tables in the amendment determination are stated in the $thousands ($’000), the tables below set out the individual transfer amounts and the resulting aggregate amount in dollars and cents for each appropriation item listed. A positive amount reflects an increase in an appropriation item, and a negative amount reflects a decrease in an appropriation item.
  2.           Items 1 to 3 of the amendment determination modify specified items to the table in subsection 6(3) of the primary determination. The items in the table affect relevant appropriation items in Schedule 1 to Appropriation Act (No. 1) 2015-2016 in the following way, which results in no change to the total amount appropriated by Parliament.

Item

Entity

Appropriation item

Primary Determination ($)

Transfer

Increase (+) / decrease (-)

($)

Amendment Determination ($)

5

Department of Health

Administered item, Outcome 11

+1,115,448,000.00

+392,415,253.78

+1,507,863,253.78

6

Department of Social Services

Administered item, Outcome 3

-1,115,448,000.00

-392,415,253.78

-1,507,863,253.78

7

Department of Education and Training

Administered item, Outcome 1

+222,930,000.00

+80,805,000.00

+303,735,000.00

8

Department of Social Services

Administered item, Outcome 2

-222,930,000.00

-80,805,000.00

-303,735,000.00

9

Department of Health

Departmental item

+89,105,000.00

+43,896,000.00

+133,001,000.00

10

Department of Education and Training

Departmental item

+32,202,000.00

+12,702,000.00

+44,904,000.00

11

Department of Social Services

Departmental item

-87,203,000.00

-56,598,000.00

-143,801,000.00

13

Department of Communications and the Arts

Administered item, Outcome 2

+94,970,000.00

+27,783,185.30

+122,753,185.30

14

Attorney-General’s Department

Administered item, Outcome 2

-94,970,000.00

-27,783,185.30

-122,753,185.30

35

Department of Communications and the Arts

Departmental item

+8,742,000.00

+5,196,323.00

+13,938,323.00

36

Attorney-General’s Department

Departmental item

-13,801,000.00

-5,196,323.00

-18,997,323.00

 

3.              Item 4 of the amendment determination adds items to the end of the table at subsection 7(3) of the primary determination. The items in the table affect relevant appropriation items in Schedule 2 to Appropriation Act (No. 2) 2015-2016 in the following way, which results in no change to the total amount appropriated by Parliament.

Item

Entity

Appropriation item

Primary Determination ($)

Transfer

Increase (+) / decrease (-)

($)

Amendment Determination ($)

9

Department of Education and Training

Other departmental item (Equity Injections)

0.00

+3,248,000.00

+3,248,000.00

10

Department of Health

Other departmental item (Equity Injections)

0.00

+12,256,000.00

+12,256,000.00

11

Department of Social Services

Other departmental item (Equity Injections)

0.00

-15,504,000.00

-15,504,000.00

 

Overview

The Public Governance, Performance and Accountability (Section 75 Transfers) Amendment Determination 2015-2016 was enacted to facilitate the reallocation of appropriations among various non-corporate Commonwealth entities in response to the Administrative Arrangements Order made on 30 September 2015. This amendment determination, introduced under section 75 of the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013, modifies the Appropriation Act (No. 1) 2015-2016 and Appropriation Act (No. 2) 2015-2016. The objective is to adjust the appropriations to entities affected by the transfer of specific functions. These transfers include those from the Attorney-General’s Department to the Department of Communications and the Arts, from the Department of Social Services to the Department of Education and Training, and from the Department of Social Services to the Department of Health. The amendment ensures that the total amount appropriated by Parliament remains unchanged despite the reallocations. The determination was enacted by the Australian Parliament and commenced on 13 November 2015.

Scope and Application

The Public Governance, Performance and Accountability (Section 75 Transfers) Amendment Determination 2015-2016 (No. 3) is an amendment to the primary determination made under section 75 of the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013, to adjust appropriations allocated to non-corporate Commonwealth entities. This amendment is a response to the Administrative Arrangements Order made on 30 September 2015. The amendment determination modifies the Appropriation Act (No. 1) 2015-2016 and Appropriation Act (No. 2) 2015-2016, to support functions transferring between the Attorney-General’s Department, the Department of Communications and the Arts, the Department of Social Services, the Department of Education and Training, and the Department of Health. The amendment determination includes specific appropriations for various functions, including censorship, copyright, cultural affairs, childcare policy, early childhood development policy, and services for older people, but it results in no overall change to the total amount appropriated by Parliament. The amendment determination is a legislative instrument and commences on 13 November 2015. The determination is exempt from disallowance and does not require a Statement of Compatibility with Human Rights. The affected entities were consulted in the preparation of the amendment determination.

Key Provisions

The Public Governance, Performance and Accountability (Section 75 Transfers) Amendment Determination 2015-2016 (No. 3) amends the Appropriation Act (No. 1) 2015-2016 and Appropriation Act (No. 2) 2015-2016 to adjust appropriations for certain non-corporate Commonwealth entities in response to the Administrative Arrangements Order made on 30 September 2015. This amendment determination modifies appropriations to support the transfer of functions between departments. Specifically, it transfers functions related to censorship, copyright, and cultural affairs from the Attorney-General’s Department to the Department of Communications and the Arts, and functions related to childcare policy, early childhood development policy, and services for older people from the Department of Social Services to the Department of Education and Training and the Department of Health respectively. This adjustment ensures that the total amount appropriated by Parliament remains unchanged. The amendment determination imposes specific obligations on the entities involved, primarily those undergoing a transfer of functions. Each entity must ensure that the reallocation of funds aligns with the new functions and responsibilities they are to undertake. This includes maintaining financial records and reporting in accordance with the updated appropriations, ensuring that funds are used in compliance with the PGPA Act and other relevant legislation. The entities must also coordinate with the Department of Finance to facilitate the smooth transfer of financial resources and to ensure that all changes are accurately reflected in their financial management systems. Breaching the provisions of the amendment determination or failing to comply with the obligations could lead to significant legal consequences. Under the PGPA Act, non-compliance could be considered an offence, potentially resulting in fines or other penalties. The exact penalties are not specified in the amendment determination but can include financial penalties or legal action for mismanagement of funds. Additionally, any entity that misallocates funds or fails to report accurately may face audits or investigations by the Australian National Audit Office or other relevant authorities, which could further lead to financial penalties or corrective measures to rectify the mismanagement.

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