Section 1: Department overview and resources

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 and shape 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
Sustaining 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) 2023-24 is $27.3m, comprising a departmental appropriation of $27.0m ($24.2m in 2022-23) and capital funding of $0.3m ($0.3m in 2022-23). Figure 1 shows the trend in departmental appropriations in recent years.

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)

1.2 Resource statement

Table 1.1 shows the total funding from all sources available to the department for its operations and to deliver 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 2023-24 as at Budget May 2023
Third party payments from and on behalf of other entities
	2022-23 Estimated actual $'000	2023-24 Estimate $'000
Departmental
Annual appropriations (a)
Prior year appropriations available	15,864	15,864
Departmental appropriation	23,937	26,972
s74 External Revenue (b)	450	450
Departmental capital budget (c)	265	293
Total departmental annual appropriations	40,516	43,579
Total departmental resourcing	40,516	43,579
Total resourcing for Department of the Senate	40,516	43,579
Average staffing level (number)	2022-23	2023-24
Average staffing level (number)	160	173
	2022-23 Estimated actual $'000	2023-24 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	22,872	22,872
Parliamentary Superannuation Act 2004 s 18	2,832	2,945
Australian Constitution s 66	958	973
	26,662	26,790

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'.

1.3 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 2023-24 Budget measures Measures announced since the 2022-23 October Budget
	Program	2022-23 $'000	2023-24 $'000	2024-25 $'000	2025-26 $'000	2026-27 $'000
Payment measures
Department of the Senate	1
Parliamentary Departments - additional resourcing		-	2,202	2,236	2,254	2,274
Total		-	2,202	2,236	2,254	2,274
Total payment measures
Departmental		-	2,202	2,236	2,254	2,274
Total		-	2,202	2,236	2,254	2,274

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.