Barnaby Joyce (Queensland, National Party, Leader of The Nationals in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

asked the Minister representing the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, upon notice, on 17 August 2011:

Can details be provided on the budgeted expenditure for the following items for each year of the forward estimates:

(a) advertising;

(b) travel and accommodation costs;

(c) hospitality and entertainment costs;

(d) information and communications technology costs;

(e) consultancies;

(f) education and training;

(g) external accounting;

(h) external auditing (not included in accounting costs);

(i) external legal costs; and

(f) costs associated with the membership of organisations.

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities has provided the following answer to the honourable senator's question:

The Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities has provided the following in response to the honourable Senator's question.

The Department's budgeted expenditure for each year of the forward estimates are not prepared at the level of detail requested by Senator Joyce. The Department prepares budgeted expenditure in the forward estimates based on external reporting standards and accounting policies as per the Charter of Budget Honesty Act 1998.

The major external standards used for budget reporting purposes are the:

Australian Bureau of Statistics' (ABS) accrual Government Finance Statistics (GFS) publication; and Australian Accounting Standards (AAS).

Under the reporting standards above, a number of the items listed by Senator Joyce are classified and grouped as 'supply of goods and services expense' or 'supplier expense'. This line item for the forward estimates is shown in the 2011-12 Portfolio Budget Statements at Table 3.2.1.