Michael Sukkar (Deakin, Liberal Party, Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

I take this opportunity to thank all the members who have contributed to the debate on Supply Bill (No. 1) 2020-2021, Supply Bill (No. 2) 2020-2021 and the Supply (Parliamentary Departments) Bill (No. 1) 2020-2021. Again, these supply bills seek authority from the parliament for the appropriation of money for the Consolidated Revenue Fund for the first seven months of 2021. The total of the appropriations sought through these three supply bills is just under $83.2 billion. The bills must be passed in this session to ensure funding is available to all entities from 1 July 2020, thereby ensuring the continuity of program and service delivery. The appropriations proposed in these bills are broadly based on seven-twelfths of the estimated 2020-21 annual appropriation, as presented at the 2019-20 budget. They are adjusted for economic and program-specific parameters and the effect of decisions announced as part of MYEFO or included in the 2019-20 additional estimates appropriations bills, plus of course the COVID-19 related measures. This funding is, therefore, expected to last through until the end of January 2021.

Again, I wish to emphasise that these bills seek provision only to appropriate money to fund government expenditure on an interim basis, until budget appropriation bills have passed. Accordingly, no new measures for the 2020-21 budget are included in these bills. This arrangement allows for the budget appropriation bills to be passed in 2020-21, following the October budget.

Again, I take this opportunity to thank all members for their contribution, and, obviously, those from the opposition for their cooperation and contribution on this debate, and I commend these bills to the House.

Question agreed to.

Bills read a second time.

See this speech in context