[1]
Eg,. Senator Lewis, ‘Financial impact statements’, Senate, Debates,
11 March 1982, p. 753; Senator Gibson, ‘Questions without notice’, Senate, Debates,
9 May 1995, p. 27; J Gillard, ‘Parliamentary Service Amendment Bill Second
reading’, House of Representatives, Debates, 16 March 2005, p.57.
[2]
L Tanner, ‘Health Insurance Amendment (Medicare Safety-nets) Bill 2005,
Second reading’, House of Representatives, Debates, 5 September 2005, pp
114-119, Ms Bird, , ‘Health Insurance Amendment (Medicare Safety-nets) Bill
2005, Second reading’, House of Representatives, Debates, 13 September
2005, p. 73.
[3]
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Australia 2020 Summit:
Final Report, DPMC, Canberra, 2008, p. 330.
[4]
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Responding to the 2020
Summit, DPMC, Canberra, 2009, p. 234.
[5]
M Turnbull, ‘Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2009-2010, Second reading’, House
of Representatives, Debates, 14 May 2009, p. 3975.
[7]
Senator Guy Barnett introduced the Parliamentary Office Bill 2010.
[8]
The Australian Greens and the Australian Labor Party (‘The Parties’) –
Agreement, 1 September 2010; The Australian Labor Party and the
Independent Members (Mr Tony Windsor MP and Mr Rob Oakeshott MP) ('The
Parties') – Agreement, 7 September 2010; Hon Julia Gillard MP and Mr
Andrew Wilkie MP ('The Parties') – Agreement, 2 September 2010.
[9]
The New South Wales Parliamentary Budget Office was established on 3
February 2011.
[10]
Parliament of New South Wales, Parliamentary Budget Office, www.parliament.nsw.gov.au, viewed
25 February 2011.
[11]
Australia, House of Representatives 2010, Votes and Proceedings,No.
15, 18 November 2010, p. 211.
[12]
Australia, Senate 2010, Journals, No. 12, 22 November 2010, p. 372.
[13]
The Agreement for a Better Parliament was jointly agreed by the
Australian Labor Party, the Coalition Parties and the Country Independents
after the 2010 Federal election. The aim of the Agreement was to increase the
authority of and improve participation opportunities for all Members of
Parliament, thereby increasing the authority of the Parliament in relation to
the Executive and in this way strengthening the Australian system of democracy.
Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia, 6 September 2010, Agreement for
a Better Parliament: Parliamentary Reform, Preamble, p. 1.
[14]
Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia, 6 September 2010, Agreement
for a Better Parliament: Parliamentary Reform, para. 16.1, p. 8.
Chapter 2 Rationale for a Parliamentary Budget Office
[1]
These matters have been raised across a range of submissions. See for
example, Departments of the Treasury and of Finance and Deregulation, Submission 16,
pp 1-2; S Bartos, ‘Enhancing Budget Integrity in Australia’, attachment to
Business Council of Australia, Submission 17; pp 2-5; Parliamentary
Budget Officer, Canada, Exhibit 1, pp. 2-4.
[2]
B Anderson, ‘The changing role of Parliament in the budget process’, OECD
Journal on Budgeting, Vol. 1, 2009, p. 38.
[4]
Mr Stephen Bartos, Submission 18, p. 2. A number of other
contributors to the inquiry made this point. See for example, Mr Stein Helgeby,
Department of Finance and Deregulation, Transcript of Evidence, 1
February 2011, p. 63; Mr Peter Hicks, Submission 12, p. 8;
Department of Parliamentary Services, Submission 4.1, p. 1.
[8]
Sections 81 and 83, Constitution of the Commonwealth of Australia.
[9]Appropriation Act (No. 1) 2010-2011 (Cwlth), Long title.
[10]
R Webb, ‘The Commonwealth Budget: process and presentation’, Research
Paper no. 16, Parliamentary Library, Canberra, 27 April 2010.
[11]
Explanatory Memorandum, Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2010–11.
[12]
Explanatory Memorandum, Appropriation Bill (No. 2) 2010–11.
[13]
Department of the Senate, Submission 6, p. 5. Although the Clerk has
also noted that ‘a misunderstanding between the Senate and the Government
following the introduction of accrual budgeting has never been satisfactorily
resolved.’
[14]
In 2010 the Budget Papers comprised Budget Paper no. 1: Budget Strategy and
Outlook, which contains 10 statements (including the Budget Overview, Economic
Outlook, Fiscal Strategy and Outlook), Budget Paper no. 2: Budget Measures,
Budget Paper no. 3: Australia’s Federal Relations, Budget Paper no. 4 Agency
Resourcing, Portfolio Budget Statements, Ministerial statements and media kits.
[15]
There are however, some variations to procedure for the main appropriation
bill and appropriation or supply bills for the ordinary annual services of
government. For example, unlike for other bills, the budget debate in the House
of Representatives need not be strictly relevant to the bill. See Standing
Order 76(c), House of Representatives, Standing and Sessional Orders, as
at 20 October 2010.
[16]
Department of the House of Representatives, ‘The Budget and Financial
Legislation’, Infosheet No. 10, October 2010, p. 2.
[17]
Department of the Senate, ‘Consideration of Estimates by the Senate’s
Legislation Committees’, Senate Brief No. 5, May 2010, p. 2.
[18]
Department of the Senate, ‘Consideration of Estimates by the Senate’s
Legislation Committees’, Senate Brief No. 5, May 2010.
[26]
The President then draws the matter to the attention of the Senate
Appropriations and Staffing Committee and the Minister for Finance and
Deregulation. While cases of the suspected inclusion of new policies in the
ordinary annual services bills have been brought to the attention of the
government, there has yet to be any substantive response from the Government. See,
Department of the Senate, Submission 6, p. 5.
[27]
Section 38B(2), Parliamentary Service Act 1999 (Cwlth).
[28]
Ms Roxanne Missingham, Parliamentary Librarian, Transcript of Evidence,
1 February 2011, p. 9.
[29]
Noted by the Department of Parliamentary Services, Submission 4, p. 3.
[30]
Mr Ian McFee, Auditor-General, Transcript of Evidence, 28 February
2011, p. 8.
[31]
Public Policy Institute, Submission 13, p. 1.
[32]
JR Nethercote, in N Aroney, S Prasser, and JR Nethercote (eds.) Restraining
the Elective Dictatorship: The Upper House Solution?, University of Western
Australia Press, Perth, 2009, p. 113, extract attached to Public Policy
Institute, Submission 13.
[34]
The Treasury, Tax Expenditures Statement 2010, Canberra, 2011.
[35]
S Bartos, Enhancing Budget Integrity in Australia: An options paper for the
Business Council of Australia, Attachment to Submission 17, p. 27.
[36]
However, the recently established House of Representatives Standing
Committee on Appropriations and Administration has been tasked, among other
things, to ‘consider estimates of the funding required for the operation of the
Department of the House of Representatives each year’ and report to the
Speaker, for presentation to the House and transmission to the Minister for
Finance and Deregulation. See: House of Representatives, Standing and
Sessional Orders as at 20 October 2010, Department of the House of
Representatives, Canberra, 2010, Standing Order 222A.
[37]
Department of the House of Representatives, Submission 2, p. 1.
[38]
S Bartos, Enhancing Budget Integrity in Australia: An options paper for the
Business Council of Australia, Attachment to Submission 17, p. 20.
[39]
The Treasury, Incoming Government Brief - Red Book – Redacted – Part 1 –
Revised, 24 September 2010, Canberra, p. 3. The current costings process
is discussed further in Chapter 3.
[40]
Department of Parliamentary Services, Submission 4, p. 14. Similarly,
the budget of the Department of the House of Representatives has also come
under pressure in recent years. See: House of Representatives Standing
Committee on Procedure, Building a modern committee system—An inquiry into
the effectiveness of the House Committee system, Canberra, 2010,
p. 23.
[41]
Department of Parliamentary Services, Submission 4, p. 5;
Parliamentary Library, Submission 10, p. 2; Mr Peter Hicks, Submission
12, p. 2.
[42]
Joint Standing Committee on the Parliamentary Library, Submission 5,
pp 3-4.
[43]
Business Council of Australia, Budget Submission 2011-12, attachment to Submission
17, p. 5.
[44]
Parliamentary Librarian, Submission 10, p. 3.
[11]
Parliamentary Library, Submission 10, p. 17; Mr Sahir Khan, Office
of the Parliamentary Budget Officer, Canada, Transcript of Evidence, 8
February 2011, p. 13.
[13]
Article 3, National Assembly Budget Office Act 2003.
[14]
House of Representatives, Votes and Proceedings No. 15, 18 November
2010, p. 211; Senate, Journals of the Senate No. 12, 22 November 2010,
p. 372.
[15]
B Anderson, ‘The changing role of Parliament in the budget process’, OECD
Journal on Budgeting, Vol. 1, 2009, pp. 41–43.
[16]
S Bartos, ‘Enhancing Budget Integrity in Australia’, attachment to Business
Council of Australia, Submission 17, p. 28.
[17]
Business Council of Australia, Submission 17, p. 7.
[20]
The Departments of the Treasury and of Finance and Deregulation, Submission
16, p. 27.
[21]
Departments of the Treasury and of Finance and Deregulation, Submission
16, p. 5; S Bartos, ‘Enhancing Budget Integrity in Australia’, attachment
to Business Council of Australia, Submission 17, p. 16.
[22]
Departments of the Treasury and of Finance and Deregulation, Submission
16, p. 4.
[23]
House of Commons Treasury Committee, Office for Budget Responsibility,
Fourth Report of Session 2010–11, Volume 1, 16 September 2010.
[25]
Mr Kevin Page, Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer, Canada, Transcript
of Evidence, 8 February 2011, p. 10.
[26]
Civil Liberties Australia, Submission 7, p. 2.
[27]
Business Council of Australia, Submission 17, p. 6.
[28]
Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Submission 9, p. 2;
Clause 7(1)(a)(ii) Draft Parliamentary Budget Officer Bill, attachment to
Federal Coalition, Submission 14.
[29]
Departments of the Treasury and of Finance and Deregulation, Submission
16, p. 4.
[30]
Mr Stephen Bartos, Transcript of Evidence, 1 February 2011, p. 74.
[32]
Department of the House of Representatives, Submission 2, p. 1.
[33]
The Australian Greens and the Australian Labor Party (ʹThe Partiesʹ) – Agreement,
1 September 2010, part 5.1(f).
[34]
Section 29, Charter of Budget Honesty Act 1998 (Cwlth).
[35]
Departments of the Treasury and of Finance and Deregulation, Submission
16, p. 10.
[36]
Section 3(1), Charter of Budget Honesty Act 1998 (Cwlth).
[37]
Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Guidance on Caretaker Conventions,
DPMC, Canberra, 2010, p. 1. ‘In summary, the conventions are that the
government avoids: making major policy decisions that are likely to commit an
incoming government; making significant appointments; and entering major
contracts or undertakings’ (p. 1).
[38]
Departments of the Treasury and of Finance and Deregulation, Charter of
Budget Honesty Costing Election Commitments: Guidelines issues jointly by the
Secretaries to the Departments of the Treasury and of Finance and
Administration, Canberra, 2010, pp 4-5.
[39]
Departments of the Treasury and of Finance and Deregulation, Submission
16, p. 10.
[40]
P Costello, ‘Charter of Budget Honesty Bill 1996 [2] – Second reading’,
House of Representatives, Debates, 5 December 1997, p. 12 and 234.
[41]
Mr Nigel Ray, Department of the Treasury, Transcript of Evidence, 1
February 2011, p. 48.
[42]
Australian Government, Budget Paper no. 2, Budget Measures 2010-11 — Part
2: Expense Measures, 2010, p. 282.
[43]
Joint Standing Committee on the Parliamentary Library, Submission 5,
pp 7-9.
[1]
Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia, 6 September 2010, Agreement
for a Better Parliament: Parliamentary Reform, para. 16.1, p. 8.
[2]
Department of Parliamentary Services, Submission 4, p. 7. A
similar option was also suggested by the Office of the Parliamentary Librarian,
Submission 10, p. 4.
[3]
Department of Parliamentary Services, Submission 4, p. 7.
[4]
Business Council of Australia, Submission 17, p. 1.
[5]
Office of the Parliamentary Librarian, Submission 10, p. 4.
[6]
Office of the Parliamentary Librarian, Submission 10, p. 4.
[7]
Department of Parliamentary Services, Submission 4, p. 7. A similar
option was also suggested by the Office of the Parliamentary Librarian, DPS, Submission
10, p. 4.
[8]
Departments of the Treasury and Finance and Deregulation, Submission
16, pp 11 and 12.
[9]
Office of the Parliamentary Librarian, Submission 10, p. 4.
[10]
Office of the Parliamentary Librarian, Submission 10, p. 4.
[11]
Departments of the Treasury and of Finance and Deregulation, Submission
16, p. 12.
[12]
Departments of the Treasury and of Finance and Deregulation, Submission
16, p. 12.
