Jenny McAllister (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Hansard source

I'd like to thank all of the senators who've contributed to the debate on the Supply Bill (No. 3) 2022-2023, the Supply Bill (No. 4) 2022-2023 and the Supply (Parliamentary Departments) Bill (No. 2) 2022-2023. These additional supply bills seek authority from the parliament for the appropriation of money from the Consolidated Revenue Fund for, broadly, the last seven months of 2022-23. The total of the appropriations sought through these three additional supply bills is just under $59 billion. The bills must be passed in this sitting week to provide certainty of supply for the ongoing business of government for the remainder of 2022-23, thereby ensuring the continuity of program and service delivery.

The appropriations proposed in these bills provide an estimated seven-twelfths of the 2022-2023 annual appropriations, which are broadly based on the March 2022 budget estimates and adjusted for a small number of programs and entities that received more than five-twelfths of their annual appropriations in the 2022-23 supply acts. I wish to emphasise that these bills seek only to provide funding for the ongoing business of government for the remainder of the 2022-23 financial year. Therefore, no new decisions taken in the October 2022 budget are included these bills. This arrangement enables conventional parliamentary processes, including Senate estimates hearings, to be followed, prior to the enactment of the October budget appropriation bills by the parliament.

I note that the Greens have moved a second reading amendment. Labor will not support that amendment. Once again, I thank all senators for their contributions and commend these bills to the Senate.