1.1 Strategic direction statement
The Department of the Senate is the secretariat to the Australian Senate. All of its functions derive from this purpose and its work is substantially driven by the requirements of the Senate and senators. The department facilitates meetings of the Senate and its committees. It succeeds when the Senate and its committees meet in accordance with their decisions, and when senators and others receive the advice and
support they need to participate in those meetings.
The department's outcome is delivered under a single program, comprising key activities in the following areas:
- Advice about Senate and committee proceedings
- Secretariat support for the Senate
- Secretariat support for committees
- Administrative advice and support for senators
- Public information and parliamentary education
- Capability, governance and accountability.
The department is one of the four parliamentary departments supporting the Australian Parliament. It is responsible to the Senate through the President of the Senate. Its administrative head is the Clerk of the Senate.
The total available appropriation for the department specified in Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Bill (No. 1) 2020-2021 is $26.2m, comprising a departmental appropriation of $25.8m ($23.5m in 2019-20) and capital funding of $0.4m ($0.4m in 2019-20). Figure 1 shows the trend in departmental appropriations in recent years.
The department’s appropriation includes one-off departmental supplementation of $2.2m in 2020-21 to provide secretariat support for an unprecedented number of committees. This will ensure the department can continue to meet the need of the Senate and senators. The funding reflects continuing high levels of demand for the department’s services arising from decisions of the Senate, particularly in the areas of
committee activity.
The department has third party access to special appropriations to drawdown funds for the payment of senators’ salaries and certain allowances, superannuation, and some postage and freight expenses. The resourcing of these special appropriations is detailed in the statements prepared by the Department of Finance.
Figure 1: Trends in departmental appropriation ($'000)
1.1 Resource statement
Table 1.1 shows the total funding from all sources available to the department for its
operations and to deliver its programs and services.
The table summarises how resources will be applied by outcome
Information in this table is presented on a resourcing (that is, appropriations/cash available) basis, whilst the ‘Budgeted expenses by Outcome 1’ tables in Section 2 and the financial statements in Section 3 are presented on an accrual basis.
Table 1.1: Department of the Senate resource statement — Budget estimates for 2020-21 as at Budget October 2020
| |
2019-20
Estimated
actual
$'000 |
2020-21
Estimate
$'000 |
| Departmental |
| Annual appropriations (a) |
| Prior year appropriations available |
12,507 |
12,507 |
| Departmental appropriation |
23,452 |
25,810 |
| s74 External Revenue (b) |
453 |
450 |
| Departmental capital budget (c) |
401 |
401 |
| Total departmental annual appropriations |
36,813 |
39,168 |
| Total departmental resourcing |
39,813 |
39,168 |
| Total resourcing for Department of the Senate |
36,813 |
19,168 |
| Average staffing level (number) |
2019-20 |
2020-21 |
| 157 |
172 |
| Third party payments from and on behalf of other entities |
| |
2019-20
Estimated
actual
$'000 |
2020-21
Estimate
$'000 |
Payments made on behalf of another entity
(as disclosed in the respective entity's resource statement)
Department of Finance |
| Parliamentary Business Resources Act 2017 s 59 |
21,312 |
21,608 |
| Parliamentary Superannuation Act 2004 s 18 |
2,550 |
2,550 |
| Australian Constitution s 66 |
1,417 |
1,553 |
| |
25,279 |
25,711 |
All figures shown above are GST exclusive - these may not match figures in the cash flow statement. Prepared on a resourcing (i.e. appropriations available) basis.
- Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Bill (No. 1).
- Estimated external revenue receipts under section 74 of the PGPA Act.
- Departmental capital budgets (DCB) are not separately identified in Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Bill (No.1). Refer to Table 3.5 for further details. For accounting purposes, this amount has been designated as a 'contribution by owner'.
1.2 Budget measures
Budget measures in Part 1 relating to the department are detailed in Budget Paper No. 2 and are summarised below
Table 1.2: Entity 2020-21 Budget measures
Measures announced after the Economic and Fiscal Update July 2020
| |
Program |
2020-21
$'000 |
2021-22
$'000 |
2022-23
$'000 |
2023-24
$'000 |
| Payment measures |
|
|
|
|
|
| Department of the Senate - additional funding |
1 |
|
|
|
|
| Departmental payment |
|
2,241 |
- |
- |
- |
| Total |
|
2,241 |
- |
- |
- |
| Total payment measures |
|
|
|
|
|
| Departmental |
|
2,241 |
- |
- |
- |
| Total |
|
2,241 |
- |
- |
- |
Prepared on a Government Finance Statistics (Underlying Cash) basis. Figures displayed as a negative (-)represent a decrease in funds and a positive (+) represent an increase in funds.