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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1995 Week 9 Hansard (23 November) . . Page.. 2585 ..

(c) Benefits or grants, -

that are the responsibility of one Minister of the Crown and administered
by one department.

28. The practice in the Assembly is of interest (see attachment B). With the exception of the consideration of the Appropriation Bill 1989-90, the Assembly has consistently considered the Schedule by Division, considering Part II of the Schedule of each Bill in the order as printed. (Standing order 180 makes provision for the order to be varied).

29. The Schedule to Appropriation Bill 1995-96 is in 2 parts (as is the past practice). Part I is the summary and lists 25 appropriation units. Part II lists the detailed appropriations by Division and also uses the term "appropriation unit". In previous years the term "Division" has always been used. The term "appropriation unit" has not been used in previous years, the term used being "Program". Other terms have been used in Supply Bills. There are 25 Divisions. Taking aside the Legislative Assembly, the Executive and the Auditor General, the remainder are spread between 6 Departments nominated on the Schedule (Chief Minister's Department, Department of Health and Community Care, Department of Business, the Arts, Sport and Tourism, Department of Urban Services, the Attorney-General's Department, Department of Education and Training), the Planning Authority, the Housing Bureau, Canberra Institute of Technology and the Advance to the Minister Administering the Audit Act.

30. Clauses 4, 6 and 10 of the Bill refer to the Schedule. Clause 4 providing that the Treasurer may issue the sum of $1,343,690,900 and " ... apply it in respect of services provided in the financial year by the appropriation units specified in the Schedule" (emphasis added). Clause 6 provides that specified sums authorised to be issued by section 3 of the Supply Act and section 4 of "this Act" and amounting to the sum of $1,343,690,900 "... as specified in the third column in Part I of the Schedule are to be taken to have been appropriated on 1 July 1995 for services provided in the financial year by the relevant appropriation unit specified in the Schedule" (emphasis added). Clause 10 deals with net appropriations and provides for annotated items (Divisions 40, 50, 80 and 130 are so annotated) to be credited with revenue received in connection with the provision of services to an appropriation unit.

31. The explanatory memorandum to the Bill states, in referring to the Schedule:

The Appropriation Units differ from the Programs existing in the 1994-95 Budget as a result of the Administrative Arrangements order dated 29 June 1995 - Funds are to be appropriated to the Appropriation Unit level. Programs retain importance in that they remain the mandatory reporting level.

32. The Administrative Arrangements of 29 June 1995 (Australian Capital Territory Gazette S149 of 30 June 1995) lists administrative units that do not tally with the appropriation units listed in Part I of the Schedule. There are agencies listed as appropriation units in the Bill that are not listed in the Administrative arrangements and agencies in the Administrative Arrangements are not listed at the Division level or as headings to each collection of Divisions in the Bill. In addition, it should be noted that the order in Part I (Summary) of the Schedule is not reflected in Part II (Detailed Appropriations).

33. Given the terminology in this year's appropriation Bill, it could be argued that a "vote" refers to an "appropriation unit". However, as pointed out above, there are inconsistencies between the Schedule and the Administrative Arrangements that could lead to some confusion. This becomes important as can be seen in my concluding

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