1.1
On 29 March 2022, the Senate referred the following to the Senate Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee (the committee) for examination and report:
particulars of proposed expenditure in respect of the year ending on 30 June 2023;
particulars of certain proposed expenditure in respect of the year ending on 30 June 2023; and the
particulars of proposed expenditure in relation to the parliamentary departments in respect of the year ending on 30 June 2023.
1.2
The committee has responsibility for examining the expenditure and outcomes of the following departments and agencies:
Parliamentary departments;
Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) portfolio;
cross-portfolio on Indigenous matters.
1.3
Departments and agencies under the committee’s oversight are listed in Appendix 1 of this report.
Portfolio Budget Statements 2022-23
1.4
The Portfolio Budget Statements (PBS) 2022-23 for the PM&C portfolio, the Finance portfolio and the Parliamentary departments were tabled in the Senate on 29 March 2022.
Hearings
1.5
The committee held public hearings on the following dates as part of Budget Estimates 2022-23:
Thursday 31 March 2022 – PM&C portfolio;
Monday 4 April 2022 – Parliamentary departments and the PM&C
Tuesday 5 April 2022 – Finance portfolio; and
Friday 8 April 2022 – cross-portfolio on Indigenous matters.
1.6
The committee took evidence from the President of the Senate, Senator the Hon Slade Brockman, and the following ministers accompanied by officers of relevant departments and agencies:
Senator the Hon Jonathon Duniam, Assistant Minister for Industry Development and, Forestry and Fisheries;
Senator the Hon Marise Payne, Minister for Foreign Affairs and, Minister for Women;
Senator the Hon Bridget McKenzie, Minister for Emergency Management and National Recovery and Resilience and, Regionalisation, Regional Communications, and Regional Education;
Senator the Hon Simon Birmingham, Minister for Finance; and
Senator the Hon Amanda Stoker, Assistant Minister to the Attorney General, Women and, Industrial Relations.
1.7
The committee expresses its appreciation for the assistance of the President, ministers and officers who appeared.
1.8
Over the course of the hearings, the committee took evidence from the following departments, agencies, and statutory officers:
Parliamentary departments
Parliamentary Budget Office
Department of Parliamentary Services
PM&C portfolio
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
National Recovery and Resilience Agency
Workplace Gender Equality Agency
Australian Public Service Commission
Office of National Intelligence
Digital Transformation Agency
Office of the Official Secretary to the Governor-General
Australian National Audit Office
Finance portfolio
Australian Naval Infrastructure Pty Ltd
Future Fund Management Agency
Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority
Australian Electoral Commission
Cross-portfolio on Indigenous Matters
Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation
Aboriginal Hostels Limited
National Indigenous Australians Agency
1.9
Documents tabled during the hearings are listed in Appendix 2.
Questions on notice and Hansard transcripts
1.10
The committee set Friday 20 May 2022 as the date for the return of answers to questions on notice arising from the hearings for Budget Estimates 2022–23.
1.11
Answers to questions on notice are published on the committee’s estimates webpage as they are received, along with the Hansard transcripts of the proceedings of the hearings.
Answers to questions on notice – Additional Estimates 2021-22
1.12
The committee held public hearings on the following dates as part of Additional Estimates 2021-22:
Monday 14 February 2022 – Parliamentary departments and the PM&C
Tuesday 15 February 2022 – Finance portfolio; and
Friday 18 February 2022 – cross-portfolio on Indigenous matters.
1.13
The committee set 25 March 2022 as the date for the return of answers to questions on notice.
Timeliness of answers to questions on notice
1.14
The committee placed a total of 423 questions on notice, with 289 answered by the due date.
1.15
The parliamentary departments took 16 questions on notice, all of which were provided by the due date.
1.16
The PM&C portfolio (including cross-portfolio on Indigenous Matters) took 340 questions on notice. 206 answers were provided by the due date. As at the time of this report, 134 answers remain outstanding.
1.17
The committee notes that the following answers remain outstanding for the PM&C portfolio:
38 answers to questions on notice outstanding from Supplementary Budget Estimates 2021–22, which were due by 10 December 2021;
32 answers to questions on notice outstanding from Budget Estimates 2021‑22;
60 answers to questions on notice outstanding from Additional Estimates 2020‑21;
79 answers to questions on notice outstanding from Budget Estimates 2020‑21;
20 answers to questions on notice outstanding from Supplementary Estimates 2019-20; and
six answers to questions on notice outstanding from Additional Estimates 2019-20.
1.18
The Finance portfolio took 67 questions on notice, all of which were provided by the due date.
1.19
The Department of Health did not take any questions on notice during this estimates round. However the committee notes that the following answers remain outstanding for the Department of Health:
four answers to questions on notice outstanding from Supplementary Budget Estimates 2021-22; and
three answers to questions on notice outstanding from Budget Estimates 2021-22.
1.20
The committee highlights its preference for outstanding responses to be provided before the next estimates round.