This bill became law on Mar 27th, 2025.
Budget, tax & economy
This Act gives the Australian Government access to $86.1 billion to keep ordinary government services running in 2025-26.
The government would otherwise be left without enough money to keep ordinary services running in the first five months of 2025-26 before the full annual appropriations are passed. This bill provides that interim funding, gives some entities more where early spending is heavier, and lets the Finance Minister add limited urgent top-ups.
Australia’s annual budget laws had not yet passed for 2025-26, so the government needed a separate supply billA short-term funding law that lets the government keep paying for ordinary services before the full yearly budget laws are passed. to keep ordinary Commonwealth services funded for the first five months of the financial year and to give some entities extra room where spending falls heavily at the start of the year. The bill responded by appropriating about five-twelfths of expected annual funding, allowing limited urgent top-ups through the Advance to the Finance MinisterAn emergency funding pool the Finance Minister can draw on when a spending need was missed, underestimated, or could not be foreseen., and it became law within two days so agencies could keep operating from 1 July 2025 while the full appropriation bills followed.
The main recorded criticism was that the budget behind this supply billA short-term funding law that lets the government keep paying for ordinary services before the full yearly budget laws are passed. was rushed, added too much debt and should have cut spending to better match revenue. That objection appears to have been raised narrowly by Pauline Hanson's One Nation in a defeated Senate amendment, while no party represented in the debate opposed the bill itself.
Stephen Jones MP introduced this bill. It passed on the voices.
Did it become law?
Yes
Became law 27 Mar 2025
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
2 days
From introduction to the latest recorded parliamentary step
Meaning
This Act gives the Australian Government access to $86.1 billion to keep ordinary government services running in 2025-26.
Most government bodies get about the first five months of funding up front, with some getting more if they have heavy early spending or need flexibility to keep services going.
The Finance Minister can add urgent extra funding during 2025-26 if something was missed, underestimated or could not be predicted in time.
That urgent top-up power is capped at a combined $400 million across this Act and the main 2025-26 Appropriation ActA law that gives the government legal authority to spend money from public revenue for specified purposes..
Money approved under this Act can also be moved into a special government account when that account is used for the same purpose.
The total of the items specified in Schedule 1 is $86,090,584,000.Supply Act (No. 1) 2025-2026 final Act text
The Bill proposes appropriations broadly equivalent to 5/12ths of the estimated 2025-26 annual appropriations for the ordinary annual services of the Government. The Bill proposes a greater proportion of appropriations for certain entities which may have disproportionately high expenditure early in the financial year or need flexibility to respond to service delivery requirements such as the National Emergency Management Agency. Further details of the amounts proposed in the Bill are outlined in the Notes on Clauses section of this Explanatory Memorandum (under Schedule 1—Services for which money is appropriated).Supply Bill (No. 1) 2025-2026 explanatory memorandum
Subclause 10(1) enables the Finance Minister to allocate additional amounts for expenditure when satisfied that there is an urgent need for expenditure in the current year that is not provided for, or is insufficiently provided for, in Schedule 1 either because of an erroneous omission or understatement, or because of unforeseen circumstances. The allocated amount is referred to as the Advance to the Finance Minister (AFM).Supply Bill (No. 1) 2025-2026 explanatory memorandum
(3) The total of the amounts determined under subsection (2) of this section and subsection 10(2) of the Appropriation Act (No. 1) 2025‑2026 cannot be more than $400 million.Supply Act (No. 1) 2025-2026 final Act text
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.Supply Act (No. 1) 2025-2026 final Act text
Context
Australia’s annual budget laws had not yet passed for 2025-26, so the government needed a separate supply billA short-term funding law that lets the government keep paying for ordinary services before the full yearly budget laws are passed. to keep ordinary Commonwealth services funded for the first five months of the financial year and to give some entities extra room where spending falls heavily at the start of the year. The bill responded by appropriating about five-twelfths of expected annual funding, allowing limited urgent top-ups through the Advance to the Finance MinisterAn emergency funding pool the Finance Minister can draw on when a spending need was missed, underestimated, or could not be foreseen., and it became law within two days so agencies could keep operating from 1 July 2025 while the full appropriation bills followed.
Government introduces interim funding bill for 2025-26 services
The government brought in the bill to provide roughly the first five months of ordinary annual funding before the full 2025-26 appropriation laws were passed, with higher proportions for some entities that spend more early in the year.
Supply Bill (No. 1) 2025-2026 explanatory memorandum ↗House passes the bill
The House completed all stages on the same day, advancing a measure that also let the Finance Minister allocate limited urgent extra funding in 2025-26 if omissions, underestimates or unforeseen circumstances arose.
Parliamentary timeline ↗Senate passes the bill and Parliament completes supplyA short-term funding law that lets the government keep paying for ordinary services before the full yearly budget laws are passed.
The Senate passed the bill in the same form, completing parliamentary approval for interim ordinary annual services funding while the balance of 2025-26 appropriations was to be dealt with in Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2025-2026.
Parliamentary timeline ↗Royal Assent makes the interim funding law
Royal Assent turned the bill into an Act, locking in the supplyA short-term funding law that lets the government keep paying for ordinary services before the full yearly budget laws are passed. arrangements and the shared $400 million cap on Advance to the Finance MinisterAn emergency funding pool the Finance Minister can draw on when a spending need was missed, underestimated, or could not be foreseen. determinations across this Act and Appropriation ActA law that gives the government legal authority to spend money from public revenue for specified purposes. (No. 1) 2025-2026.
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 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
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 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 recorded criticism was that the budget behind this supply billA short-term funding law that lets the government keep paying for ordinary services before the full yearly budget laws are passed. was rushed, added too much debt and should have cut spending to better match revenue. That objection appears to have been raised narrowly by Pauline Hanson's One Nation in a defeated Senate amendment, while no party represented in the debate opposed the bill itself.
Criticism was limited and focused on broader budget settings, not the bill's service-continuity purpose.
Broader budget seen as rushed and too debt-heavy
A Senate amendment argued the budget underpinning the supply billA short-term funding law that lets the government keep paying for ordinary services before the full yearly budget laws are passed. was rushed, increased debt and should be redrawn so spending better matched revenue, framing the concern as fiscal mismanagement rather than a problem with keeping services funded.
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 3 to 42. Support came from One Nation. Opposition came from Labor, Greens, Liberal Party, Australia's Voice, and minor parties and independents. Minor-party and independent votes were split.
This was a failed attempt to attach a political rebuke to the Supply BillA short-term funding law that lets the government keep paying for ordinary services before the full yearly budget laws are passed.'s second-reading motion rather than change the bill itself.
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 supply billA short-term funding law that lets the government keep paying for ordinary services before the full yearly budget laws are passed., saying it must pass this sitting week so essential public services and core government functions keep operating from 1 July during the election period.
Read in Hansard ↗All speeches by bloc
1 speaker · 1 support
“This bill, along with Supply Bill (No. 2) and Supply (Parliamentary Departments) Bill (No. 1), must be passed during this sitting week to ensure funding is available from 1 July this year so that essential public services and the core functions of government continue to operate in the context of an election.”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 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 · 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 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.
