2013-2014-2015

 

 

 

 

 

THE PARLIAMENT OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA

 

 

 

 

 

THE SENATE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHARTER OF BUDGET HONESTY AMENDMENT (INTERGENERATIONAL REPORT) BILL 2015

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Circulated by the authority of Senator Christine Milne)

 

 

 

Charter of Budget Honesty Amendment (Intergenerational Report) Bill 2015

 

GENERAL OUTLINE: Policy Rationale

 

The purpose of this Bill is to require that the intergenerational reports are prepared by the Parliamentary Budget Officer, instead of Treasury, as part of the Parliamentary Budget Officer’s statutory obligations, every five years.

 

NOTES ON CLAUSES

 

Clause 1 - Short title

This clause provides for the Bill, when enacted, to be cited as the Charter of Budget Honesty Amendment (Intergenerational Report) Act 2015 .

 

Clause 2 - Commencement

This clause provides for the Act to commence on the day after it receives the Royal Assent.

 

Clause 3 - Schedules

This clause specifies that the Schedule in this Act operates according to its terms.

 

 

Schedule 1 - Amendments



Charter of Budget Honesty Act 1998

Items 1-3 -Note that the Parliamentary Budget Officer is responsible for preparing the Intergenerational Report.



Parliamentary Services Act 1999



Item 4 - Amends the duties of the Parliamentary Budget Officer, to include the preparation of intergenerational reports.



Item 5 - Inserts two new sections into the Act. New section 64MD requires that the Parliamentary Budget Officer prepare an intergenerational report every 5 years, in time for the Treasurer to release and table the report within 5 years of the preceding report.



New section 64ME  enables the Parliamentary Budget Officer to request a Commonwealth body to provide information that is relevant to the preparation of the intergenerational report.  This section also states that the Commonwealth body must comply with this request. 

 

STATEMENT OF COMPATIBILITY WITH HUMAN RIGHTS

 

Prepared in accordance with Part 3 of the Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Act 2011

 

Charter of Budget Honesty Amendment (Intergenerational Report) Bill 2015

 

This Bill is compatible with the human rights and freedoms recognised or declared in the international instruments listed in section 3 of the Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Act 2011 .

 

Overview of the Bill:

The purpose of this Bill is to require that the intergenerational reports are prepared by the Parliamentary Budget Officer, instead of Treasury, as part of the Parliamentary Budget Officer’s statutory obligations, every five years.

 

Human Rights Implications:

The Bill does not engage any of the applicable rights or freedoms.

 

Conclusion:

This Bill is compatible with human rights as it does not raise any human rights issues.