Stephen Jones (Whitlam, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

This bill, Supply Bill (No. 1), along with Supply Bill (No. 2) and Parliamentary Departments Supply Bill (No. 1), proposes appropriations to facilitate the ongoing business of government from 1 July this year.

The supply bills would provide most government entities with approximately five-twelfths—that is, five months of their 2025-26 appropriation estimates—to ensure the continuity of government programs and the Commonwealth's ability to meet its obligations during the first five months of financial year 2025-26.

The 2025-26 estimates are, broadly, the 2024-25 base adjusted for economic and program-specific parameters and other estimate variations. They reflect the effect of decisions announced as part of the 2024-25 Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook or those included in the additional estimates appropriation acts for 2024-25. Following convention, the supply bills do not generally include 2025-26 budget measures.

The supply bills propose appropriations greater than five-twelfths of the 2025-26 estimates for entities which have uneven expenditure early in the financial year—for example, grant payments to non-government organisations that need to be made upfront.

Greater appropriation allocations are also provided to ensure adequate cash flow and continuity of operations for some smaller entities such as the Australian Digital Health Agency and the Office of the Special Investigator.

Finally, funding for more than five-twelfths of annual estimates is being provided to entities which may need to respond flexibly to service delivery requirements such as the National Emergency Management Agency, the Department of Home Affairs, the Department of Social Services and Services Australia.

Supply Bill (No. 1) seeks appropriations of $86.1 billion from the Consolidated Revenue Fund to fund the ordinary services of government on an interim basis until the 2025-26 budget appropriation bills have passed the parliament. This arrangement allows for the Appropriation Bill (No. 1) for 2025-26 to be passed by the next parliament, if necessary.

The bill contains an advance to the finance minister (AFM) provision of $400 million to provide the government with capacity to allocate additional funding for urgent and unforeseen expenditure. This provision is equivalent to that in 2024-25.

The strong accountability and transparency arrangements that have been in place since 2019-20 will continue in 2025-26, including a media release by the finance minister in weeks when the AFMs are issued and an annual report on the AFM allocations tabled in parliament. This report includes an assurance review undertaken by the Australian National Audit Office.

Details of the proposed expenditure are set out in the schedule to the bill, the explanatory memorandum and the tabled 2025-26 portfolio budget statements.

This bill, along with Supply Bill (No. 2) and Supply (Parliamentary Departments) Bill (No. 1), must be passed during this sitting week to ensure funding is available from 1 July this year so that essential public services and the core functions of government continue to operate in the context of an election.

On this basis, I commend this bill to the House.

Ross Vasta (Bonner, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In accordance with the resolution agreed to earlier, the debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for a later hour.