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Ch11 Financial legislation / APPROPRIATION AND SUPPLY BILLS / The components of the annual Budget / Appropriation Bill (No. 1)the main appropriation bill / CONSIDERATION BY ESTIMATES COMMITTEES



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House of Representatives                                Ch 11                                                 p 417

 

Financial legislation / APPROPRIATION AND SUPPLY BILLS / The components of the annual Budget / Appropriation Bill (No. 1)—the main appropri ation bill

 

Consideration by estimates committees

Between 1979 and 1981 the House experimented with sessional orders providing for the proposed expenditures contained in Appropriation Bill (No. 1) to be considered in estimates committees. 1 An account of the operation of the estimates committees is given at page 359 of the first edition. In 2003 the Procedure Committee recommended that the House refer the proposed expenditures to its standing committees or committees composed of House members of joint committees, and that hearings be held for those departments where the responsible Minister or Presiding Officer was a Member of the House of Representatives. 2

After copies of the budget documentation ( see page 420) are presented in the Senate on Budget night, the ‘particulars of proposed expenditure’ (the schedules in the appropriation bills containing the estimates) and the Portfolio Budget Statements are referred to Senate legislation committees. This allows Senate consideration of the estimates before the appropriation bills have passed the House of Representatives. The Senate legislation committees in estimates mode conduct public hearings over a two week period while the House is engaged in the budget debate. 3



VP 1978-80/1011-13, 1589 (amended), VP 1980-83/419-21 (renewed and revised).



The recommendation was not acted on. Standing Committee on Procedure, House estimates: consideration of the annual estimates by the House of Representatives. PP 211 (2003). This report also discusses the background to the demise of the estimates committees after 1981.



For details see Odgers , 11th edn, pp 364-9.