This bill became law on Jun 19th, 2023.
Budget, tax & economy
Australia provides an extra $560,000 to the Department of the House of RepresentativesThe parliamentary department that supports the House of Representatives, including its staff and systems. in 2022-23 to help move its IT systems into cloud-based services.
The Department of the House of RepresentativesThe parliamentary department that supports the House of Representatives, including its staff and systems. needed an extra $560,000 in 2022-23 to move its IT systems into cloud-based services. This bill provides that extra funding to that department alone and lets the money remain available until it is spent or the appropriationA legal authorisation for the government to spend money from the federal budget for a stated purpose. expires.
After the October 2022 budget set the parliamentary departmentsThe separate departments that support Parliament itself rather than running government programs.’ original funding for 2022-23, the Department of the House of RepresentativesThe parliamentary department that supports the House of Representatives, including its staff and systems. found it needed an extra $560,000 during the year to shift its IT systems to cloud-based services. The government responded by bringing this additional appropriationA legal authorisation for the government to spend money from the federal budget for a stated purpose. bill into the May 2023 additional estimatesMid-year budget changes where Parliament approves extra funding after the original budget has been set. package, and Parliament passed it in June so the extra funding could be used until spent or until the appropriationA legal authorisation for the government to spend money from the federal budget for a stated purpose. lapsed.
Criticism of this bill was limited and mostly indirect, with opponents arguing it sat inside a broader budget package that would worsen cost-of-living pressure or fund the wrong priorities rather than addressing urgent household needs. Those objections came from Coalition, Greens and One Nation speakers in the Senate, while other speakers treated the bill as a routine appropriationA legal authorisation for the government to spend money from the federal budget for a stated purpose. measure and still supported it.
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
Australia provides an extra $560,000 to the Department of the House of RepresentativesThe parliamentary department that supports the House of Representatives, including its staff and systems. in 2022-23 to help move its IT systems into cloud-based services.
This law only gives extra funding to the Department of the House of RepresentativesThe parliamentary department that supports the House of Representatives, including its staff and systems., not to the other parliamentary departmentsThe separate departments that support Parliament itself rather than running government programs..
The funding can keep being used after 2022-23 until it is spent or until the law automatically expires within about three years.
The amount approved is a net amount, because any GSTThe federal sales tax, which is excluded here because the bill only counts the net amount the department cannot reclaim. the department can later recover from the Australian Taxation Office is left out.
The Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Bill (No. 2) 2022-2023 provides additional appropriations for the operations of parliamentary departments, specifically the Department of the House of Representatives, for the remainder of 2022-23. This bill seeks approval for appropriations from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of $560,000 for the Department of the House of Representatives to support the transition of IT systems to cloud based solutions. Full details of the proposed expenditure are set out in the schedule to the bill, the explanatory memorandum and the portfolio additional estimates statements tabled in the parliament today. I commend this bill to the House as well.Second reading speech
The Bill provides for the appropriation of specified amounts for expenditure by the Parliamentary Departments. The only Parliamentary Department included in the Bill is the Department of the House of Representatives.Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Bill (No. 2) 2022-2023 explanatory memorandum
The cash to meet departmental expenses may be required at times other than when the expenses are incurred. Departmental items are available until they are spent, or until the Act through which they were appropriated is repealed. Annual Appropriation Acts have a lifespan of up to three years after which they automatically repeal.Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Bill (No. 2) 2022-2023 explanatory memorandum
Appropriations may be adjusted by amounts recoverable by a non-corporate entity from the Australian Taxation Office for Goods and Services Tax (GST), in accordance with section 74A of the PGPA Act. The amounts specified in Schedule 1 exclude recoverable GST. The appropriations shown represent the net amount that the Parliament is asked to allocate to particular purposes.Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Bill (No. 2) 2022-2023 explanatory memorandum
Context
After the October 2022 budget set the parliamentary departmentsThe separate departments that support Parliament itself rather than running government programs.’ original funding for 2022-23, the Department of the House of RepresentativesThe parliamentary department that supports the House of Representatives, including its staff and systems. found it needed an extra $560,000 during the year to shift its IT systems to cloud-based services. The government responded by bringing this additional appropriationA legal authorisation for the government to spend money from the federal budget for a stated purpose. bill into the May 2023 additional estimatesMid-year budget changes where Parliament approves extra funding after the original budget has been set. package, and Parliament passed it in June so the extra funding could be used until spent or until the appropriationA legal authorisation for the government to spend money from the federal budget for a stated purpose. lapsed.
House department seeks extra money for a cloud IT migration
The explanatory material says the Department of the House of RepresentativesThe parliamentary department that supports the House of Representatives, including its staff and systems. needed an additional $560,000 in 2022-23 to move its IT systems into cloud-based services.
Australian Parliament House ↗October 2022 budget sets the year’s original funding
The later second reading speech said the additional estimatesMid-year budget changes where Parliament approves extra funding after the original budget has been set. bills dealt with spending decisions made since the October 2022 budget for the 2022-23 financial year.
Hansard ↗Government introduces an additional appropriationA legal authorisation for the government to spend money from the federal budget for a stated purpose. bill for parliamentary departmentsThe separate departments that support Parliament itself rather than running government programs.
The Finance Minister introduced this bill as part of the 2022-23 additional estimatesMid-year budget changes where Parliament approves extra funding after the original budget has been set. package to provide extra funding tied to decisions made after the October 2022 budget.
Hansard ↗Parliament passes the bill
Both houses passed the bill in the same form, clearing the way for the extra appropriationA legal authorisation for the government to spend money from the federal budget for a stated purpose. for the House of Representatives department.
Parliamentary timeline ↗Royal AssentThe step where the Governor-General signs a bill and it becomes an Act. makes the extra funding law
Royal AssentThe step where the Governor-General signs a bill and it becomes an Act. turned the bill into an Act, allowing the additional 2022-23 appropriationA legal authorisation for the government to spend money from the federal budget for a stated purpose. to remain available until spent or until it expired.
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.
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.
Considered by scrutiny committee (14/06/2023): Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights; Report 6 of 2023
Considered by scrutiny committee
APH bill page notesThe 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 AssentThe step where the Governor-General signs a bill and it becomes an Act., turning the bill into an Act.
Key criticism
Criticism of this bill was limited and mostly indirect, with opponents arguing it sat inside a broader budget package that would worsen cost-of-living pressure or fund the wrong priorities rather than addressing urgent household needs. Those objections came from Coalition, Greens and One Nation speakers in the Senate, while other speakers treated the bill as a routine appropriationA legal authorisation for the government to spend money from the federal budget for a stated purpose. measure and still supported it.
No major criticism targeted the cloud funding itself; most objections were aimed at the wider budget package.
Part of a budget critics said would worsen living costs
Several senators argued the bill should not be backed because it formed part of a wider budget they said would fuel inflation, raise pressure on wages and small business, and do little to ease household cost-of-living stress.
Wrong spending priorities
Greens critics said the broader appropriations package prioritised surplus settings, fossil fuel subsidies and political spending over stronger help for renters, low-income people, climate action and First Nations needs.
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 Labor, Liberal Party, and minor parties and independents.
The amendment would have turned the second-reading motion into a formal rebuke of the budget's priorities, but the Senate defeated it 11-24 so the bill proceeded without that criticism attached.
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 bill, saying it provides additional funding for parliamentary departmentsThe separate departments that support Parliament itself rather than running government programs. and specifically for the House of Representatives to help move its IT systems to cloud-based solutions.
Read in Hansard ↗Roberts opposes the bill and uses the speech to attack the Albanese government’s budget as a package of wasteful handouts that will not create real jobs or lift living standards.
Read in Hansard ↗Jane Hume says the opposition will support the bill, but only as a necessary appropriationA legal authorisation for the government to spend money from the federal budget for a stated purpose. measure and not as an endorsement of Labor's budget choices.
Read in Hansard ↗Duniam criticises the government's broader budget choices and says Tasmania's needs have been neglected.
Read in Hansard ↗All speeches by bloc
2 speakers · 2 support
“The Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Bill (No. 2) 2022-2023 provides additional appropriations for the operations of parliamentary departments, specifically the Department of the House of Representatives, for the remainder of 2022-23. This bill seeks approval for appropriations from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of $560,000 for the Department of the House of Representatives to support the transition of IT systems to cloud based solutions. Full details of the proposed expenditure are set out in the schedule to the bill, the explanatory memorandum and the portfolio additional estimates statements tabled in the parliament today. I commend this bill to the House as well.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“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.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
6 speakers · 1 support · 3 mixed · 2 unclear
“It's a pleasure to join others in speaking on the appropriation bills that are before the parliament for debate and deliberation. The job of an elected representative is a pretty basic proposition. We are paid to assist the communities we represent to solve problems. That's it. That is the one thing we—from the Prime Minister to the most junior members of the backbench—have to do. People have different responsibilities. They might have portfolio responsibilities or shadow portfolio responsibilities or be committee chairs—you name it; there are a range of roles we all play—but at the end of the day the one thing we are tasked with doing is to seeking to resolve the problems faced by the communities we represent. I think somewhere along the way this government has lost the memo on that.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“The Australian people need to understand we are heading into a time machine. We're back to the seventies and the eighties, where we're going to see small businesses pushed out. We have this facade of 'same job, same pay', which is absolutely so detrimental to the Australian economy. I think today I saw an article that said a $13 billion hole would be blown into the economy—because that's what we can afford at the moment!—a $13 billion hole, thanks to a deceptive policy that's coming through under a pretty slogan, which is actually a complete fallacy.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“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 ↗
“I rise to speak on the Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2022-2023 and cognate bills. I will start by correcting the record. I agree with some of what Senator McKim had to say in criticising this budget, and I'll go on to say why I think this is an absolutely failed budget in a moment.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“This was a typical Labor, big spending, big taxing budget, an expansionary budget—the last thing we needed at this point in time, and now we're seeing the consequences of that.”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 ↗
2 speakers · 1 support · 1 mixed
“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.”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.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
2 speakers · 1 oppose · 1 unclear
“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.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“What we hear from the Prime Minister is rhetoric around plans for better days accompanied by handouts to make it look like he cares—not to do good but to look good. Handouts are government funded fake jobs which will not lift the poor out of poverty. They will not provide a sustainable breadwinner job that is so necessary for starting and supporting a family.”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 · 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 AssentThe step where the Governor-General signs a bill and it becomes an Act., turning the bill into an Act.
Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights; Report 6 of 2023
Considered by scrutiny committee
Considered by scrutiny committee (14 June 2023): Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights; Report 6 of 2023
APH bill page notes
