Nick Minchin (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance and Administration) Share this | Hansard source

I must confess to being guilty of an ill-judged attempt at irony in estimates. I would say to all my ministerial colleagues: never attempt irony, because you never get away with it! On the question, I did also say during estimates that there are no specific published criteria under either Labor governments or our government as to which decisions go to cabinet or committees of cabinet at specific stages of the decision-making process. That has been the case, I think, for the history of the Commonwealth. It is the prerogative of prime ministers to decide at what point in a decision-making process in relation to government initiatives is cabinet, cabinet committee or senior ministerial consideration to be applied to the particular proposal.

I also said, in my answer previously to Senator Wong, that of course the detailed expenditure programs under this great initiative will be subject to the rigours of the expenditure review committee and the full budget process and will be set out in detail in the budget that is released on 8 May, giving the four-year spending profile for all the programs that will take place under this major and very exciting new initiative.