Public Governance, Performance and Accountability (Section 75 Transfers) Amendment Determination 2015-2016 (No. 4)

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013

Public Governance, Performance and Accountability (Section 75 Transfers) Amendment Determination 2015-2016 (No. 4) (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;

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

         Public Governance, Performance and Accountability (Section 75 Transfers) Amendment Determination 2015-2016 (No. 3), dated 13 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 to further support functions transferring from the Department of the Environment to the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, in relation to water policy and resources.

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

Commencement

The amendment determination commences on the day after it is registered.

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, sub‑delegated this power to certain officials within the Department of Finance, including the official who made the determination.

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 table in the amendment determination provides 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 table below sets 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.           Item 1 of the amendment determination modifies 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.