Stephen Jones (Whitlam, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

Today, the government introduces the 2023-24 Additional Estimates Appropriation Bills. These bills are:

These bills underpin the government's expenditure decisions made since the 2023-24 budget that relate to the 2023-24 financial year, including decisions made in the 2023-24 Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO).

The 2023 MYEFO continued the government's responsible economic and fiscal management, which has helped deliver the first budget surplus in 15 years and helped ease inflationary pressures at their peak.

The fiscal position has further improved in the MYEFO with lower deficits and gross debt now forecast across the forward estimates compared to the 2023-24 budget. This is great news, indeed.

Appropriation Bill (No. 3) seeks approval for appropriations of approximately $8.7 billion from the Consolidated Revenue Fund. This would ensure that there is sufficient funding available to cover estimate variations for existing programs—for example, changes in costs for demand driven programs. The bill would also provide funding for the 2023-24 financial year costs of measures announced since the 2023-24 budget.

Specifically, the bill provides funding to support the following significant items.

The Department of Defence will receive close to $2 billion. This primarily reflects a reclassification of $1.6 billion from capital to operating funding reflecting updated expenditure requirements, $213 million for operations undertaken in 2021-22 and 2022-23, and $174 million for changes in foreign exchange rates.

The Social Services portfolio will receive over $1.4 billion, with the majority of the funding for the National Disability Insurance Agency to provide reasonable and necessary supports for National Disability Insurance Scheme participants.

The Department of Health and Aged Care will receive approximately $1.1 billion. This includes $537 million to support older Australians in receiving appropriate care, and $99 million for the community pharmacy sector's transition to maximum dispensing quantity changes and delivery of COVID-19 vaccines.

The Department of Employment and Workplace Relations will receive approximately $807 million, which includes over $650 million to support employers who have engaged apprentices and trainees.

I'm pleased to say that the Department of Home Affairs will receive close to $696 million to safeguard national security interests and critically to improve cybersecurity and security of critical infrastructure assets.

I'm very pleased that Services Australia will receive close to $344 million, including $232 million for additional frontline and service delivery staff to help reduce claim backlogs and support more timely access to government services. I take this opportunity to thank all of those staff of Centrelink, the Child Support Agency and Medicare for the great work that they do in supporting Australians and representing the government in delivering those critical services. I take note of the great work that Centrelink staff did in relation to the recent cyclone events in Cairns and North Queensland. They were on the ground quickly, supporting people in affected regions. This is just an example of the sort of work for which additional estimates appropriations are needed.

The Department of Industry, Science and Resources will receive approximately $338 million, including for the decommissioning of the Northern Endeavour floating oil production and offtake facility and the implementation of the Modern Manufacturing Initiative.

The Australian Signals Directorate will receive over $257 million to deliver on the government's foreign signals intelligence and cybersecurity objectives.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade will receive over $230 million, including $207 million for costs incurred on the national interest account managed by Export Finance Australia.

Finally, the Department of the Treasury will receive approximately $213 million, which includes around $175 million for Housing Australia.

Full details of the proposed expenditure are set out in the schedule to the bill, the explanatory memorandum, and the portfolio additional estimates statements which are tabled in parliament today.

With those comments, I commend the bill to the chamber.

Debate adjourned.