This bill became law on Jun 19th, 2023.
Budget, tax & economy
This law approves about $5.5 billion in extra 2022-23 spending so the Australian Government can fund updated costs in existing programs and new decisions made after the October 2022 budget.
Government decisions made after the October 2022-23 Budget created a funding gap in the existing 2022-23 appropriations for ordinary government services. This bill provides extra money from the Consolidated Revenue FundThe main government account that appropriation bills let money be drawn from for approved spending. so departments and agencies can keep delivering those services.
After the October 2022 budget set the original 2022-23 funding, rising costs in existing demand-driven programs and new government decisions during the year left departments and agencies short of money for ordinary services, including areas such as Defence, disability supports, health, aged care, apprenticeship subsidies and passports after borders reopened. The bill responded by seeking about $5.5 billion in extra appropriationParliament's legal permission for the government to spend a set amount of money for a stated purpose. in May 2023, and its passage in June 2023 let the Commonwealth keep meeting those obligations for the rest of the financial year.
The main criticism was that this extra spending formed part of a budget critics said was too large and poorly targeted, risking more inflation, higher interest rates and little real cost-of-living relief for households. That case was pushed mainly by Coalition and some crossbench senators who opposed the bill, while other critics such as the Greens backed the bill but argued its spending priorities still left poorer Australians behind.
Stephen Jones MP introduced this bill. It passed on the voices.
Did it become law?
Yes
Became law 19 June 2023
Final passage
Passed without a counted vote
1 recorded amendment or procedural vote was found, but no counted vote on the bill itself was recorded.
Passage speed
41 days
From introduction to the latest recorded parliamentary step
Meaning
This law approves about $5.5 billion in extra 2022-23 spending so the Australian Government can fund updated costs in existing programs and new decisions made after the October 2022 budget.
The money in this law mainly goes to Australian Government departments and agencies so they can keep delivering ordinary government services.
The funding includes major top-ups for Defence, disability supports, apprenticeship wage subsidies, health and aged care costs, and passport demand after borders reopened.
Some of the money can be shifted into special accounts when those accounts cover the same purpose, which helps departments direct funds to the right program.
This law does not give the Finance Minister a separate emergency-style advance, so spending is limited to the amounts Parliament approves in the bill.
Appropriation Bill (No. 3) seeks approval for appropriations from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of $5.5 billion. This would ensure that there is sufficient appropriation to cover estimate variations related to existing programs—for instance, changes to costs for demand driven programs. These bills also pave for the first-year costs for measures announced since the October 2022 budget.Minister's second reading speech
The Bill provides for the appropriation of specified amounts for expenditure by Australian Government entities, primarily being non-corporate Commonwealth entities (non-corporate entities) under the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 (PGPA Act).Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2022-2023 explanatory memorandum
The bill provides funding to support the following significant items. The Department of Defence will receive $1.8 billion. This primarily reflects the reclassification of $1.3 billion from capital to operating funding, reflecting updated expenditure requirements and supplementation of $172.3 million for foreign exchange losses incurred during 2021-22. The Social Services portfolio will receive over $1 billion, with the majority of funding provided for the National Disability Insurance Agency to provide reasonable and necessary supports for National Disability Insurance Scheme participants. The Department of Employment and Workplace Relations will receive just under $1 billion, primarily to support apprentices and employers through the boosting apprenticeship commencements wage subsidy. The Department of Health and Aged Care will receive close to $900 million, including $207 million for vaccines and logistics, $182 million to reimburse aged-care providers, a direct cost relating to managing the COVID-19 outbreaks, and $166 million for administration of the COVID-19 vaccine. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade will receive over $235 million to meet the surge in demand for passports following the reopening of international borders and for the design and construction of the Australian pavilion at the Osaka World Expo.Minister's second reading speech
If any of the purposes of a special account is a purpose that is covered by an item (whether or not the item expressly refers to the special account), then amounts may be debited against the appropriation for that item and credited to that special account.Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2022-2023 introduced bill text
The Bill does not contain an Advance to the Finance Minister provision.Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2022-2023 explanatory memorandum
Context
After the October 2022 budget set the original 2022-23 funding, rising costs in existing demand-driven programs and new government decisions during the year left departments and agencies short of money for ordinary services, including areas such as Defence, disability supports, health, aged care, apprenticeship subsidies and passports after borders reopened. The bill responded by seeking about $5.5 billion in extra appropriationParliament's legal permission for the government to spend a set amount of money for a stated purpose. in May 2023, and its passage in June 2023 let the Commonwealth keep meeting those obligations for the rest of the financial year.
October 2022 budget sets the original 2022-23 funding
The government’s October 2022 budget established the base appropriations that later had to be topped up for the remainder of 2022-23.
Hansard ↗Higher program costs and new decisions create a funding gap
When introducing the bill, the government said updated costs in demand-driven programs and measures decided since the October 2022 budget meant extra money was needed, including for items such as passport demand after borders reopened.
Hansard ↗Government introduces a $5.5 billion additional appropriationParliament's legal permission for the government to spend a set amount of money for a stated purpose. bill
The bill was introduced to draw about $5.5 billion from the Consolidated Revenue FundThe main government account that appropriation bills let money be drawn from for approved spending. so departments and agencies could cover revised costs and start first-year costs of post-budget measures in 2022-23.
Hansard ↗Parliament passes the bill
Both houses passed the bill in the same form, clearing the way for the extra funding to support Commonwealth programs and obligations for the rest of the financial year.
Parliamentary timeline ↗Royal Assent turns the bill into law
Royal Assent made the measure an Act, allowing the approved additional spending to be legally issued for 2022-23 government services.
Parliamentary timeline ↗Legislative route
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
Introduced and read a first time
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
Second reading moved
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
Referred to Federation Chamber
The chamber agreed to the bill at second reading, meaning it accepted the bill in principle and allowed it to continue.
Second reading agreed to
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
Reported from Federation Chamber
The chamber agreed to the bill at third reading, which completed passage through that chamber.
Third reading agreed to
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
Introduced and read a first time
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
Second reading moved
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
The chamber agreed to the bill at second reading, meaning it accepted the bill in principle and allowed it to continue.
Second reading agreed to
The chamber agreed to the bill at third reading, which completed passage through that chamber.
Third reading agreed to
Both houses passed the bill in the same form, completing parliamentary passage.
Finally passed both Houses
The Governor-General gave Royal Assent, turning the bill into an Act.
Key criticism
The main criticism was that this extra spending formed part of a budget critics said was too large and poorly targeted, risking more inflation, higher interest rates and little real cost-of-living relief for households. That case was pushed mainly by Coalition and some crossbench senators who opposed the bill, while other critics such as the Greens backed the bill but argued its spending priorities still left poorer Australians behind.
Criticism was real but divided, with some opponents attacking overall economic settings and others attacking spending priorities from the left.
Inflation and household pressure
Critics argued the extra appropriations were part of an overly expansionary budget that would add to inflation, increase pressure for further interest rate rises and leave families worse off instead of easing living costs.
Wrong priorities in the spending package
Other critics said the bill funded the wrong priorities, favouring fossil fuel interests, tax settings they saw as benefiting wealthier Australians, and a tighter fiscal approach over stronger help for renters, people in poverty and First Nations communities.
Further sources
Votes
The bill passed both chambers on the voices. The counted divisions below were about amendments or procedure, not final passage.
House agreed to the bill's third reading on the voices, so there is no list of individual Aye and No votes for final passage in that chamber.
Passed on the voices
In a voice vote, members call out Aye or No and the presiding officer judges which side has it. Individual names are only recorded if a formal division is called.
Senate agreed to the bill's third reading on the voices, so there is no list of individual Aye and No votes for final passage in that chamber.
Passed on the voices
In a voice vote, members call out Aye or No and the presiding officer judges which side has it. Individual names are only recorded if a formal division is called.
Recorded amendment and procedural votes grouped by chamber. Expand a vote to see the party breakdown.
Senate
Defeated 11 to 24. Support came from Greens. Opposition came from Liberal Party, Labor, and Jacqui Lambie Network.
The Senate rejected the Greens’ statement amendment, so the bill proceeded without the proposed criticism attached and the original second-reading motion was agreed.
These are amendment votes, not the final passage vote on the bill itself. The bill passed both chambers on the voices.
Parliamentary debate
Start here — lead voices
Stephen Jones supports the appropriationParliament's legal permission for the government to spend a set amount of money for a stated purpose. bill and says it is needed to cover additional 2022-23 spending for existing programs and new measures announced since the October 2022 budget.
Read in Hansard ↗Brockman opposes the bill, saying it is part of a failed budget that worsens inflation, weakens investment, and attacks key industries like gas and live sheep exports.
Read in Hansard ↗Hume says the opposition will support the bill, but argues that backing the appropriationParliament's legal permission for the government to spend a set amount of money for a stated purpose. is not an endorsement of Labor's wider budget or its cost-of-living and tax decisions.
Read in Hansard ↗Pauline Hanson says One Nation will not oppose most of the budget relief measures in this bill, but she attacks the package as debt-fuelled, inflationary, and too generous to measures she thinks will not help ordinary Australians.
Read in Hansard ↗All speeches by bloc
3 speakers · 3 support
“Appropriation Bill 3 seeks approval for appropriations from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of $5.5 billion.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“Appropriation Bill (No. 3) seeks approval for appropriations from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of $5.5 billion. This would ensure that there is sufficient appropriation to cover estimate variations related to existing programs—for instance, changes to costs for demand driven programs. These bills also pave for the first-year costs for measures announced since the October 2022 budget.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“I would like to thank all members who have contributed to the debate on the additional estimates Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2022-2023, Appropriation Bill (No. 4) 2022-2023 and Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Bill (No. 2) 2022-2023. These bills seek authority from the parliament for additional expenditure of money from the Consolidated Revenue Fund for the remainder of 2022-23. Passage of the bills will ensure continuity of the government's programs, provide for commencement of new activities agreed to by the government since the October 2022 budget and ensure the Commonwealth's ability to meet its obligations for the remainder of 2022-23 as they fall due. In introducing the bills, the government has already highlighted some of the more significant items provided for in these bills. The total of the appropriations sought through these three bills is approximately $5.7 billion. Once again, I thank all members for their contributions and commend these bills to the house.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
5 speakers · 2 support · 3 oppose
“The opposition will support these additional appropriation bills, but understand that this government is making your life harder. The decisions that it's taking are making your life more difficult. Is there an Australian out there today that says they are feeling better off than they were just 12 months ago? If you can find me that Australian, that would be fantastic. Perhaps they could submit to the cost-of-living committee, because all the evidence that we hear as we travel around Australia is that Australians are doing it tough and that this government is not stepping up to help them. Indeed, it is potentially making a bad situation worse. We will support these additional appropriation bills, but we will also continue to hold the government to account over the budget decisions that it has made, the reckless spending that it continues to make and the increased taxes that it continues to impose on unsuspecting Australians who didn't vote for this. They didn't vote for this. They voted for one thing and got another. But, then again, that's Labor. That's in Labor's DNA—high taxes, high spending and broken promises.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“What are a few things in the budget that I think are particularly destructive? One thing, I think, that perhaps has been overlooked is the damage to the investment climate for industries that we need to survive, thrive and actually expand. One is the gas sector. We need a vibrant, effective gas sector in this country. Instead, the Labor government say they support gas—sort of—but then they also talk it down and agree with the Greens on restricting potential pathways for investment in that industry. The Labor government also put in place things like price caps—an extraordinary ministerial power to control the industry domestically—and requisitioned gas for the domestic market, which sent shockwaves through our trading partners and horrified those who have invested significantly in Australia and in the Australian gas industry over the last 40 years.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“those on this side of the chamber raised questions and concerns about whether or not that budget was fit for purpose for this point in time. I made a contribution in this place and spoke about how it was a big-taxing, big-spending and expansionary budget which, in my view, would contribute to inflation and which heightens the risk of a further interest rate rise.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“Unfortunately, this appropriations bill and all the other economic measures the government are taking are doing nothing—nothing!—to address cost-of-living challenges. Inflation is driving up the cost of living, and there is nothing that this government is doing—there is not a single measure that this government is taking—that is driving down inflation. Productivity is falling against wages, and this is having a dramatic inflationary impact. Real wages are going backwards as a result of this.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“The opposition will be supporting the additional appropriation bills. However, this support should not be misconstrued as support for many of the ineffective or misguided policies of Labor's 2022-23 October budget. Labor's big-spending October budget was the canary in the coalmine for the big spending that would come in the form of Labor's May budget. In two budgets, in only a year in office, this Labor government has undertaken $185 billion of additional spending, while, at the same time, managing to cut infrastructure.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
2 speakers · 1 support · 1 oppose
“The Greens will be supporting these bills, the Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2022-2023, the Appropriation Bill (No. 4) 2022-2023 and the Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Bill (No. 2) 2022-2023. This was a budget brought down in the face of massive challenges at a personal level, a local level, a community level, a state and territory level, a national level and a global level. This was a budget brought down while our climate is breaking down around us. This was a budget brought down while biodiversity is crumbling away as we speak. This was a budget brought down when Australia is facing massive wealth inequality, where the rich are getting richer and millions of Australians are being ground into poverty. This was a budget brought down when renters and mortgage holders are getting smashed, with 12 interest rate rises in 13 months—something we have never seen before in Australia's history.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“We are in a cost-of-living crisis and we are in a climate crisis, and this budget fails to address both of those. Labor have described this budget as being a result of making hard choices. I don't know how many times I heard during budget week, 'We've made the hard choices.' But a choice they made was actually to leave struggling everyday Australians behind. They left the most vulnerable in our communities behind. I know Senator Rice has risen many times in this chamber to talk about JobSeeker, raising its rate and lifting people in this country out of poverty in the current crisis we are in. Still we are not seeing action from the government. We thought we had a change of government last May, but we continue to see the same rhetoric from this government.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
1 speaker · 1 unclear
“There was a lot of pressure on the government to provide some relief to Australians who are struggling with the rising costs of living, and it's fair to say that the government has responded. There's a rise in unemployment benefits, rent assistance and the single parenting payment, and a bigger investment in Medicare. I'm not going to oppose most of these measures for families who are doing it tough. However, I completely reject the single parenting payment increase at a cost of almost $2 billion. It was Julia Gillard, Labor's PM—a woman, mind you—who about 11 years ago reduced to eight years the age of the child when the payment would cease, in an effort to get more parents back into the workforce. Now Anthony Albanese is reliving his childhood, wishing for his mother to be able to be at home for him, and he wants the taxpayers to fund it. Well and good, but it shouldn't be at the cost of our increasing debt, and it begs the question: don't the kids of working mums and dads deserve the same consideration? Albanese was the child, but I wore his mother's shoes as a single mother with three children. Support should be a helping hand, not a way of life. I expect many people may try to abuse the single parenting payment by having more kids just so they don't have to work. This is what happened with Peter Costello's baby bonus.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
Record
House · Introduced and read a first time
Introduced
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
House · Second reading moved
Second reading opened
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
House · Second reading debate
Second reading debate
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
House · Referred to Federation Chamber
Referred to Federation Chamber
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
House · Second reading agreed to
Second reading agreed
The chamber agreed to the bill at second reading, meaning it accepted the bill in principle and allowed it to continue.
House · Reported from Federation Chamber
Reported from Federation Chamber
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
House · Third reading agreed to
Third reading agreed
The chamber agreed to the bill at third reading, which completed passage through that chamber.
Senate · Introduced and read a first time
Introduced
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
Senate · Second reading moved
Second reading opened
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
Senate · Second reading debate
Second reading debate
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
Senate · Second reading agreed to
Second reading agreed
The chamber agreed to the bill at second reading, meaning it accepted the bill in principle and allowed it to continue.
Senate · Third reading agreed to
Third reading agreed
The chamber agreed to the bill at third reading, which completed passage through that chamber.
Parliament · Finally passed both Houses
Passed both houses
Both houses passed the bill in the same form, completing parliamentary passage.
Assent · Assent
Assent
The Governor-General gave Royal Assent, turning the bill into an Act.
