Appropriation (2023-2024) Bill 2023
Assembly - second reading

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Appropriation (2023-2024) Bill 2023

Introduction Print

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM

General

This Bill provides appropriation authority for payments from the

Consolidated Fund for the ordinary annual services of the Government for

the 2023/2024 financial year. The amounts contained in Schedule 1 to the

Bill provide for the ongoing operations of Departments, new output

initiatives and new asset investment insofar as these are funded by way of

annual appropriation. The Schedule also includes payments made on behalf

of the State. These payments are not related to the direct provision of outputs

by Departments and are generally passed on by Departments for specific

purposes. In some cases (where stated), the annual appropriations in

Schedule 1 include line items that are specifically referenced in separate

legislation, but unlike special appropriations, require annual appropriations

by Parliament.

In addition to the annual appropriations contained in this Bill, funds are

also made available to Departments by way of special appropriation.

Special appropriations arise through provisions that are contained in

legislation. These appropriations provide for the specific purposes set out

in that legislation and they do not lapse annually like the annual

Appropriation Act. Details of these can be found in Table A.4 of Budget

Paper No. 5: Statement of Finances.

Where an item in Schedule 1 provides that section 29 of the Financial

Management Act 1994 applies, money received from the provision of

services or asset sales by that Department or by specific purpose payment by

the Commonwealth or by a municipal council may be credited to that item

during the financial year and is deemed to have been appropriated.

Estimates of appropriations annotated pursuant to section 29 of the Financial

Management Act 1994 may be found in Tables A.5 and A.6 of Budget

Paper No. 5: Statement of Finances.

601097 BILL LA INTRODUCTION 22/5/2023

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Unapplied appropriation under the Appropriation (2022-2023) Act 2022 has

been estimated and is included in the Budget Papers. At the end of the

2022/2023 financial year actual unapplied appropriations are finalised,

approved carryover amounts determined, and the 2023/2024 appropriations

increased accordingly, pursuant to section 32 of the Financial Management

Act 1994.

Advances during 2022/2023 from the Treasurer's Advance and those

available under section 35 of the Financial Management Act 1994 are not

brought to account in this Bill. They are tabled in the Parliament as part of

the Financial Report for the State of Victoria 2022/2023 and formally

brought to account in the Appropriation (2024-2025) Bill. Advances relating

to 2021/2022, which were published in the Financial Report for the State of

Victoria 2021/2022, are brought to account in clause 7 of, and Schedule 2 to,

this Bill.

To enable comparison of the appropriations between years, Schedule 1 to the

Bill contains both the 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 appropriated amounts.

The Bill reflects a number of changes to Appropriations due to machinery of

government changes.

To enable comparison of the 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 amounts, the

following Table shows the comparative adjustments that would have been

necessary if the machinery of government changes had been in effect for the

2022/2023 financial year.

2022/2023 2022/2023

Department

Original

Estimate Adjustments

Adjusted

Budget

$'000 $'000 $'000

Courts 641 479 0 641 479

Education and Training 17 128 623 -17 128 623 0

Education 0 15 820 624 15 820 624

Environment, Land, Water and

Planning 3 062 800 -3 062 800 0

Energy, Environment and

Climate Action 0 3 167 222 3 167 222

Families, Fairness and Housing 7 773 386 0 7 773 386

Health 12 306 987 61 682 12 368 669

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2022/2023 2022/2023

Department

Original

Estimate Adjustments

Adjusted

Budget

Jobs, Precincts and Regions 3 059 988 -3 059 988 0

Jobs, Skills, Industry and

Regions 0 3 752 037 3 752 037

Justice and Community Safety 9 541 474 -58 769 9 482 705

Premier and Cabinet 502 678 -159 253 343 425

Transport 12 688 236 -12 688 236 0

Transport and Planning 0 13 225 716 13 225 716

Treasury and Finance 18 410 009 -364 158 18 045 851

Government Services 0 494 546 494 546

85 115 660 0 85 115 660

The totals in this Table and the Tables in the Bill may not add due to

rounding.

Clause Notes

Clause 1 defines the purpose of the Bill.

Clause 2 specifies that the Bill comes into operation on the day it receives

the Royal Assent.

Clause 3 provides that the Treasurer may issue the stated amount out of the

Consolidated Fund in respect of the financial year 2023/2024 as

set out in Schedule 1 to the Bill. Subclauses (2) and (3) provide

authority for additional appropriation if necessary for increases in

salaries and related costs that may be the result of any legislation

or determination during the year.

Clause 4 provides that the Consolidated Fund is appropriated to the extent

necessary for the purposes included in clause 3.

Clause 5 provides that the amounts specified for an item in Schedule 1 are

to be applied subject to section 30 or 31A of the Financial

Management Act 1994 and on the basis that the amounts

specified for that item are not exceeded.

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The clause also states that if depreciation is included in the

provision of outputs of a Department in Schedule 1 to the Bill,

then the additions to the net asset base of that Department may be

increased, subject to the Treasurer's approval, by an amount up to

the depreciation amount.

Clause 6 provides for the application of amounts in 2023/2024 for

arrangements, expenses or obligations that arise in 2023/2024

but do not require payment until a future year.

Clause 7 provides appropriation authority for additional funding approved

by the Treasurer during 2021/2022 from funds appropriated for

Advance to the Treasurer under the Department of Treasury and

Finance. Details are contained in Schedule 2.

Clause 8 provides that in this Bill, Court Services Victoria established

under the Court Services Victoria Act 2014 is referred to as the

Department of Courts for appropriation purposes only.

Clause 9 provides for the automatic repeal of this Bill on the fourth

anniversary of the day on which it receives the Royal Assent in

accordance with the recommendation of the Scrutiny of Acts and

Regulations Committee in its Report on the Statute Law Repeals

Bill 2014, February 2015. The repeal does not affect any matter

or thing or the previous operation of the Act (see section 14(2) of

the Interpretation of Legislation Act 1984).