Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Innovation and Industry) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to bring the debate on Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2009-2010 and Appropriation Bill (No. 4) 2009-2010 to a close. I start by thanking those members who have made a contribution to this debate on the way in which these bills are having an impact on their electorates. We have heard a fantastic example of that from my neighbour the member for Ballarat.

The additional estimates bills seek appropriation authority from parliament for the additional expenditure of money from the consolidated revenue fund in order to meet requirements that have arisen since the last budget. The total additional appropriation being sought through additional estimates bills 3 and 4 this year is a little over $2 billion. It is worth taking a little time to remind the House of some of the more important measures.

The government will provide the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts with the following amounts: an additional $510.8 million to meet commitments under the Solar Homes and Communities Plan and $290 million which will be brought forward from 2011-2012 to meet an increase in demand for household energy efficiency initiatives. The Department of Health and Ageing will be provided with a total of $71.2 million for the government’s response to the H1N1 influenza virus. This amount will replenish an appropriation that was diverted to manage the response and will enhance our preparedness for any future pandemics. The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations will be provided with the following additional amounts: $40 million to meet an increase in demand for assistance from the General Employee Entitlements and Redundancy Scheme due to a rise in bankruptcies and insolvencies; $20.3 million to establish environmental and heritage trading and work experience placements lasting 26 weeks for young people aged between 17 and 24; and $10 million as a one-off grant to the Trade Union Education Foundation for the development and delivery of national workplace education programs.

Additional appropriation is proposed for the Department of Immigration and Citizenship as follows: $63 million will be provided to meet the costs of increased irregular maritime arrivals and a further $11.2 million to expand accommodation capacity on Christmas Island in response to increased irregular maritime arrivals. The government will streamline arrangements and introduce efficiencies in Centrelink operations to deliver substantial savings over the next four years, as follows. An amount of $12.4 million is proposed to scan paper forms to reduce the cost of transferring documents and also the cost of storage. This initiative is expected to deliver net savings of $131.3 million over four years. And $14.5 million is included to implement electronic lodgement of fortnightly income reporting requirements, which is expected to deliver net savings of $95.2 million over four years. The government also proposes an additional appropriation of $167 million for the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government. This includes funding for the establishment of the Local Government Reform Fund to help councils manage their infrastructure and to plan for their future needs, and funding under the Regional and Local Community Infrastructure Program to support investment in community infrastructure such as libraries, community centres, sports grounds and environmental infrastructure.

In conclusion, I note that the Australian economy has performed better than expected since the 2009-10 budget, with growth now expected to be stronger and unemployment lower than forecast. The improved outlook reflects the monetary and fiscal stimulus that has been put in place by the government in response to the downturn. It also reflects a stronger than expected recovery in the world economy underpinned by stimulus efforts globally. Australia has the strongest growing economy in the developed world and this is expected to continue. These bills are important pieces of legislation which support the government’s budget initiatives and deserve widespread support.

Question agreed to.

Bill read a second time.

Ordered that this bill be reported to the House without amendment.

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