Overview

In 2021–22, the department was appropriated $25.811m by the Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Act (No.1) 2021–22. This revenue included one-off departmental supplementation of $2.022m to support the elevated levels of committee activity during the financial year.

The department ended the financial year with an operating surplus of $1.798m (excluding asset-related adjustments). The result reflects the continuing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic which has resulted in a reduction in a number of our large expenditure items. In addition, the increase in the bond rate during the financial year, has led to an overstatement of the leave provisions. However, without the supplementary funding, the department would have been overspent against current resourcing levels.

Net results

The following table outlines a summary of financial results between 2020–21 and 2021–22:

Statement of comprehensive income	2021–22 ($’000)	2020–21 ($’000)	Variance ($’000)	Variance %
Total own-source revenue	503	451	52	11.4%
Total revenue from government	25,811	25,810	1	0.0%
Total expenses	24,827	24,909	(82)	-0.3%
Net surplus*	1,487	1,352

* including asset-related adjustments

The department’s operating expenses for 2021–22 were $24.516m (excluding asset-related adjustments). The majority of the expenditure is on employee benefits ($22.415m), with the remaining eight per cent on supplier related expenses. A further breakdown of the proportion of expenses is shown in the following figure:

Figure 20 – Expenses by type 2021–22

Financial position

The following table outlines a summary of financial position between 2020–21 and 2021–22:

Statement of financial position	2021–22 ($’000)	2020–21 ($’000)	Variance ($’000)	Variance %
Total assets	18,247	17,461	787	4.5%
Total liabilities	7,874	8,674	(800)	-9.2%
Equity/Net assets	10,373	8,787	1,586	18.1%

As at 30 June 2022, the department’s net equity was $10,373m, representing $18,247m of assets offset by $7,874m of liabilities. Most of these assets and liabilities are of a financial nature, with the largest balance being appropriation and other receivables ($15,773m). The majority of the department’s liabilities relate to employee provisions ($7.118m) and the remainder largely to short term payable ($0.745m) for accrued salaries and trade payables.

Entity resource statement

The entity resource statement provides additional information about the funding sources that the department had access to during the year. Appendix 1 details the resources available to the department during 2021–22 and sets out a summary of total expenses for Outcome 1.

Sustainability

The department’s financial performance for the last five years is demonstrated below:

Figure 21 – Financial performance 2017–18 to 2021–22

The department’s workload is driven by the needs of the Senate and senators. With the commencement of the 47th Parliament, the level of expenditure is unknown and resourcing will need to be closely monitored. In addition, should the number and duration of committees established by the Senate in the previous parliament continue at the increased level in this and future parliaments, the cost of services cannot be accommodated without further supplementation.