Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party, Assistant Minister for Health) Share this | Hansard source

Firstly, I would like to thank those senators who have contributed to this debate. These additional estimates appropriation bills seek authority from the parliament for the additional expenditure of money from the Consolidated Revenue Fund.

I would like to highlight five areas relating to the delivery of the government's commitments that are supported by these bills. First, these bills would provide the Department of Defence with just under $558 million reflecting, in the main, additional funding for Defence's overseas operations, the reappropriation of amounts between appropriation acts to better align funding with Defence's work programs, and supplementation for foreign exchange movements.

Second, the Department of Employment would receive just over $115 million, primarily for increased payments to providers following an increase in the number of successful job placements and to implement the new employment services 2015 contracts. Third, the Department of Agriculture would receive $90 million for concessional loans under the Drought Recovery Concessional Loans Scheme. These funds will be used to provide support to eligible primary production businesses in Queensland and New South Wales who are experiencing financial difficulties resulting from the impacts of severe and prolonged drought conditions, or as a result of the combined effects of drought and the mid-2011 disruption to live cattle exports to Indonesia.

Fourth, the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service would be provided with just under $35 million for additional counterterrorism activities and to repurpose the Australian Defence Vessel Ocean Shield, for transition of its ownership from the Department of Defence to the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service. Finally, the Department of Parliamentary Services would receive additional appropriations to enable it to enhance the security of the Australian Parliament House, including the enhancement and upgrade of closed-circuit television equipment and access systems. It will also cover additional parliamentary protective service staff.

In responding to the amendment to be put by Senator Leyonhjelm, the government is not in the practice of accepting amendments to appropriation bills, known as supply bills. Entertaining such amendments will put us in the terrain where supply could be put at risk. We will not entertain line item amendments. The total of the appropriations being sought through these three appropriation bills is just over $1.7 billion, and I commend this bill to the Senate.

Question agreed to.

Bills read a second time.