Page 1799 - Week 06 - Thursday, 19 May 1994
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Mr Kaine also raised some specific areas on which he wanted further information, the first being the Housing and Community Services Bureau. I would like to comment on that. This is nearly all a grants issue. In fact, there are two quarters of grants payments payable within the period of the Supply Bill, so that has somewhat blown out the figures that you see. Mr Kaine also asked about the health area. The health funding in the Supply Bill, in fact, is some 32 per cent of the forward estimates. I think that that comes to around four months, so there is not an expansion there. The health trust fund which Mr Kaine has raised is a special trust fund that has been set up in order to receive a range of grants and donations from various non-government organisations and from individuals as well. The grants and donations might be tied to a specific purpose. The special purpose trust account that has been set up allows the grants and donations to be accounted for separately from the funds appropriated to the Department of Health through the Consolidated Fund. That ensures that there is disclosure and absolute transparency concerning these moneys.
The Auditor-General has recommended to us that we not mix trust money and budget money, and for that reason we have taken the step of separating the trust money out. The items that might be included in this trust account include grants and donations, for instance, for cancer research from the National Health and Medical Research Council, grants for Crohn's disease research, general practice grants from the Commonwealth, and cardiology research and Institute of Health research grants. In the main, these grants and donations are continuing things; they are not tied to a particular financial year. During the supply period doctors and other staff will be undertaking research projects, and they will need to be paid from these trust moneys. In addition, the consumables involved in their research projects will need to be paid for. That is the reason for that trust account, and it follows on from the Auditor-General's comments.
Ms Szuty asked, first of all, about the Treasury capital figures. I am advised, Madam Speaker, that the Treasury capital figures as they are reflect repayments of advances to the Commonwealth. I think that that is going to occur more in the supply period than it will during the remainder of the year. There is also a component in that capital figure for Treasury's computer acquisitions, which I think will occur early in the year as well. There is actually no increase for the Department of Public Administration. It is a similar proportion to that shown in the forward estimates; but, of course, in the forward estimates it is under the old administrative arrangements orders. They have now been consolidated into one department, and I think that accounts for the sum that is there. There is no real difference.
Mr De Domenico asked about contingency matters. For contingencies in the supply period, we have allowed some $9m for recurrent expenditure and $59m for capital expenditure. That relatively large amount of capital money in the contingency fund reflects the expected timing for capital works expenditure. Again, it is expected to occur more in the early part of the year than in the later part of the year. Madam Speaker, Mr De Domenico asked also what the full-year Comcare premium payable during the supply period will be. I will endeavour to get that information for him.
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