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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 13 Hansard (2 December) . . Page.. 4360 ..
MRS CARNELL (continuing):
Ã(3) Where the Treasurer has given an authorisation under paragraph (1)(d) during a financial year, he or she shall cause a copy of the authorisation to be laid before the Legislative Assembly as soon as practicable after the end of the year.[Otilde].
Insertion
8C. After section 19A of the Principal Act the following section is inserted:
Authorisation of expenditure of certain Commonwealth grants
Ã19B. (1) Notwithstanding section 6, where Ã
(a) funds have been provided to the Territory by the Commonwealth under an agreement that specifies how the funds may be applied; and
(b) no appropriation has been made in respect of the funds;
the Treasurer may, by instrument, authorise the expenditure of the funds in accordance with the agreement.
Ã(2) Where the Treasurer gives an authorisation under subsection (1), he or she shall cause a copy of the authorisation to be laid before the Legislative Assembly within 3 sitting days after it is given.[Otilde].Ã.
Mr Speaker, clause 8A will enable prudent management from one year to the next. The clause will allow departments to spend above the level of funding appropriated within a financial year to meet the commitments incurred within that year. These commitments would otherwise have been met in the following year even though an earlier payment may have been more economical. The payment for commitments above the yearly appropriation will be met from the following year's appropriation. This amendment, Mr Speaker, removes the artificial constraint of the 30 June reporting date and allows for consistency of operation on and around the end of the financial year. The expense incurred is limited to either 3 per cent of the following year's approved appropriation where an Appropriation Bill has been passed or, if the following year's Appropriation Bill has not been passed, 3 per cent of the money provided under section 7 of the principal Act. The 3 per cent of the following year's appropriation is not a material amount. The percentage equates to less than eight working days of financial operations around the end of the financial year.
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