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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1995 Week 9 Hansard (23 November) . . Page.. 2577 ..

accountable to the parliament and the people for its performance and requires control over finances to effectively carry out its role of governing. Traditionally, if a parliament refuses to pass an appropriation or supply bill, or, in some cases, if the parliament simply reduces one item by a token amount, it signifies that the Executive has lost the confidence of the parliament.

The meaning of' `vote' in section 65

10. When section 65 is considered in this context - that is, as protecting the financial initiative of the Executive - the meaning of vote becomes very important. In the House of Commons, 'votes', in this context, "are units of appropriation." (Erskine and May Parliamentary Practice 21st Ed p 697). So, in 1989-90 in the House of Commons, the main appropriation bill of the year contained 167 'votes' to various Departments. (ibid)

11. In the Australian Senate 'vote', in the context of appropriation, also means a unit of appropriation, or more specifically, a line in an appropriation bill that appropriates money to a particular Department.

12. Even the heading to section 65, which can serve as an aid to interpretation, is entitled "Proposal of money votes". In other words 'vote', in section 65, means a money vote, a unit of appropriation within an appropriation bill.

13. The question arises as to which categories of proposed expenditure contained in the Appropriation Bill 1995 may be described as a 'vote'. The Bill, at clause 4, enables the Treasurer to issue a certain sum out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund and apply it in respect of services provided in the financial year by the 'appropriation units' specified in the Schedule. Part I of the Schedule lists 25 'appropriation units'. Part II of the Schedule is entitled 'Detailed Appropriations' and not only provides a breakdown in respect of the appropriation units but also groups these appropriation units.

14. Under the Appropriation Bill 1995, money is appropriated by reference to 'appropriation units' and, in my view, it is those line appropriations that are 'votes' for the purposes of section 65 of the Self-Government Act. In the case of education, for example, there appear to be four separate categories of expenditure which are all 'votes'.

15. For the purposes of section 65, the Legislative Assembly is being asked to approve not simply the enactment being the Appropriation Bill 1995, but each of the 'votes' within that Bill. It is not possible, under section 65, for a non-Executive member to move an amendment to increase the total amount being appropriated in the enactment, nor is it possible to increase the amount of any particular appropriation unit.

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