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The Senate

Appropriations, Staffing and Security Committee

Estimates for the Department of the Senate 2022-23

64th report

March 2022

© Commonwealth of Australia 2022

ISSN: 2205-0884 (print) ISSN: 2205 0892 (online)

Printed by the Senate Printing Unit, Parliament House, Canberra

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Members of the Committee

Senator the Hon Slade Brockman (President of the Senate, Chair)

Senator Sue Lines (Deputy President of the Senate, Deputy Chair)

Senator the Hon Simon Birmingham (Leader of the Government in the Senate)

Senator the Hon Penny Wong (Leader of the Opposition in the Senate)

Senator Raff Ciccone (Victoria)

Senator the Hon Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania)

Senator Katy Gallagher (Australian Capital Territory)

Senator the Hon Anne Ruston (South Australia)

Senator Dean Smith (Western Australia)

Appropriations, Staffing and Security Committee The Senate PO Box 6100 Parliament House CANBERRA ACT 2600

Telephone: (02) 6277 3398 Email: approps@aph.gov.au

Internet: www.aph.gov.au

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International License.

The details of this licence are available on the Creative Commons website: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

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The Committee

The Standing Committee on Appropriations, Staffing and Security, appointed under standing order 19, determines the amounts for inclusion in the parliamentary appropriation bills and reports to the Senate on its determinations prior to the Senate’s consideration of those bills.

The Committee examines matters affecting the staffing and administration of the Department of the Senate, including proposals to vary the staffing structure, and other matters referred to it by the Senate. The Committee makes an annual report to the Senate on the operations of the Senate’s appropriations and staffing and related matters (standing order 19(3)).

Under a resolution of the Senate agreed to in 1987 the Committee also examines proposed changes in the structure and responsibilities of the parliamentary departments and, following the adoption by the Senate on 27 November 2012 of the recommendation in the Committee’s 54th Report, the Committee may advise the President and the Senate on the administration and funding of information and communications technology services for the Parliament.

Following the adoption by the Senate on 25 March 2015 of a recommendation in the Procedure Committee’s First Report of 2015, the Committee also considers the administration, operation and funding of security measures affecting the Senate, and advises the President and the Senate accordingly.

The Committee is chaired by the President and includes the Deputy President and the Senate Leaders of the Government and the Opposition as ex officio members.

John Begley (Secretary)

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64th Report

Introduction

Standing order 19 (2) and (3) requires that the Committee determine the amounts to be included in the parliamentary appropriation bills for the Department of the Senate.

Proposed Appropriations for 2022-23

The Committee notes that the Senate Department’s 2022-23 appropriations have been calculated in accordance with the current Commonwealth funding policy.

The proposed appropriation for 2022-23 (which rounds to $24.0m in the Portfolio Budget Statement) is as follows:

Part 1 - Departmental Annual Appropriation

The prior year’s budget for departmental expenses1

(as disclosed in the 2021-22 PBS) $26.011m

Agreed budget measures:

2021-22 one off additional funding not sought in 2022-23 ($2.022m)

Other adjustments (economic parameters) $0.016m

Total departmental appropriation for 2022-23 $24.202m

The total appropriation to the Senate Department to be approved by the Parliament in the Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Bill (No. 1) 2022-2023, as a part of the federal budget delivered is $24.202m (compared to $26.011m in 2021-22).

1 Excluding expenses not requiring appropriation in the Budget year - made up of depreciation/amortisation, audit fees and resources received free of charge where recognition of an expense is required.

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Part 2 - Accumulated Prior Year Appropriations, Operating Results and Capital Expenditure

Balance of prior year appropriations (estimate as at 30 June 2021) $14.952m

Part 3 - Special Appropriations (senators' remuneration and entitlements)

Made up of the following components (for this and next year):

2021-22:

Parliamentary Business Resources Act 2017 $21.972m

Parliamentary Superannuation Act 2004 $2.793m

Australian Constitution $1.454m

Total Special Appropriations for 2021-22 $26.219m

2022-23:

Parliamentary Business Resources Act 2017 $21.972m

Parliamentary Superannuation Act 2004 $2.904m

Australian Constitution $1.454m

Total Special Appropriations for 2022-23 $26.330m

An estimated amount, totaling $26.330m of special appropriations, will be drawn down during the year to facilitate third party payments on behalf on Department of Finance (compared to an estimate of $26.219m in 2021-22).

Conclusions

As noted on page 9 of the Department’s Portfolio Budget Statements 2022-23, the establishment of select committees in the current Parliament far exceeds the levels on which the department's funding was based. If the number and duration of committees established by the Senate continues at this level in future parliaments, the department will seek additional resources over the forward estimates to ensure the requirements of the Senate and senators can continue to be met.

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Determination

The Committee determines that the total appropriation to be approved by the Parliament in the Appropriations (Parliamentary Departments) Bill (No. 1) 2022-23 is $24.202m and reports to the Senate accordingly.

Senator the Hon Slade Brockman

Chair