Zed Seselja (ACT, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Science, Jobs and Innovation) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That these bills be now read a second time.

I seek leave to have the second reading speeches incorporated in Hansard.

Leave granted.

The speeches read as follows—

A ppropriation Bill (No . 1) 2018 -2019

Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2018-2019, together with Appropriation Bill (No. 2) 2018-2019 and Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Bill (No. 1) 2018-2019, form the principal bills underpinning the government's budget.

Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2018-2019 seeks approval for appropriations from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of just over $95 billion.

I now outline the significant items provided for in this bill.

First, the Department of Defence will receive approximately $32 billion to keep our nation safe and pursue our national interests. This includes around $750 million for major Defence operations including Operations OKRA, ACCORDION, HIGHROAD, RESOLUTE, MANITOU and AUGURY - PHILIPPINES.

Second, the Department of Health will receive just over $10.4 billion, including approximately $97 million for establishing the Commonwealth Health Workforce Strategy and around $22 million for strengthening health provider compliance and expanding the Medicare compliance program, the Practitioner Review Program and the Professional Service Review Scheme.

Third, the Department of Social Services will receive approximately $8.5 billion, which will primarily be used to fund the ongoing implementation of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), as well as the establishment of a Jobs and Market Fund to promote the growth of the disability services market, and a Continuity of Support Fund to ensure people with a disability who are not eligible for the NDIS continue to receive support consistent with their current arrangements.

Fourth, the Department of Home Affairs will receive just over $4.2 billion, which includes around $50 million to strengthen aviation, air cargo and international mail security and approximately $45 million to maintain Australia's border security through Operation Sovereign Borders.

Details of the proposed expenditure are set out in the schedule to the bill and the portfolio budget statements tabled in the parliament.

A ppropriation B ill (N o . 2) 2018 -2019

Appropriation Bill (No. 2) 2018-2019, along with Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2018-2019and Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Bill (No. 1) 2018-2019, are the budget appropriation bills for this financial year.

This bill seeks approval for appropriations from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of just over $13 billion.

I now outline the significant items provided for in this bill.

First, the Department of Communications and the Arts will receive just over $5 billion. This will be used to provide NBN Co. with a government loan on commercial terms to support the completion of the National Broadband Network.

Second, the Department of Defence will receive just over $3 billion to enable the purchase of military equipment and the construction of support facilities, as announced in the 2016 Defence White Paper.

Third, the Department of Infrastructure, Regional Development and Cities will receive approximately $2.4 billion, including equity investment for the delivery of Western Sydney Airport and Inland Rail, and concessional loan funding for Stage 2 of the WestConnex project.

Details of the proposed expenditure are set out in the schedules to the bill and the portfolio budget statements tabled in the parliament.

A ppropriation (P arliamentary D epartments ) B ill (N o . 1) 2018 -2019

Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Bill (No. 1) 2018-2019 provides appropriations for 2018-19 for the operations of:

This bill seeks approval for appropriations from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of just under $250 million.

The Department of Parliamentary Services will receive approximately $193 million. This includes $2.9 million for the establishment of a Cyber Security Operations Centre for the Australian Parliament House, which will enhance cyber security for the parliamentary computer network.

Details of the proposed expenditure are set out in the schedule to the bill and the portfolio budget statements tabled in the parliament.

A ppropriation B ill (No . 5) 2017-18

Today, the government introduces the supplementary additional estimates appropriation bills. These bills are:

These bills underpin the government's expenditure decisions.

Appropriation Bill (No. 5) 2017-2018 seeks approval for additional appropriations from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of approximately $1.7 billion in 2017-18.

I now outline the significant items provided for in this bill.

First, this bill will provide the Department of Defence with just under $948 million to better align available Defence Integrated Investment Program funding with Defence capability project operational requirements.

Second, the Department of Environment and Energy will receive just under $435 million to continue to deliver the Reef 2050 Long Term Sustainability Plan, designed to protect, and improve, the health of the Great Barrier Reef, and to support world-first research.

Third, the Department of Education and Training will receive just over $167 million. This includes funding to implement the Research Infrastructure Investment Plan, informed by the 2016 National Research Infrastructure Roadmap.

Details of the proposed expenditure are set out in the schedule to the bill and the portfolio supplementary additional estimates statements tabled in the parliament.

I commend this bill.

A ppropriation Bill (No . 6) 2017-18

Appropriation Bill (No. 6) 2017-2018, along with Appropriation Bill (No. 5) 2017-2018, which I introduced earlier, are the supplementary additional estimates appropriation bills for this financial year.

This bill seeks further approval for appropriations from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of just over $6.2 billion for 2017-18.

The majority of the amount in the bill relates to the Department of Environment and Energy, which will receive approximately $6 billion to facilitate the Australian government's purchase of the New South Wales and Victorian governments' shares in Snowy Hydro Limited. The purchase will build on the government's reforms to ensure reliable and affordable energy for businesses and households.

This bill will also provide the Department of Home Affairs with just over $94 million to upgrade its risk assessment and identity management ICT capabilities.

Details of the proposed expenditure are set out in the schedule to the bill and the portfolio supplementary additional estimate statements tabled in the parliament.

I commend this bill.