Scrutiny of Commonwealth expenditure [2021] AUSStaCSDLM 16 (4 February 2021)

• Chapter 3
• Scrutiny of Commonwealth expenditure

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Chapter 3

Scrutiny of Commonwealth expenditure

3.1 The Financial Framework (Supplementary Powers) Act 1997 (FF(SP) Act) and the Industry Research and Development Act 1986 (IRD Act) authorise the Commonwealth to spend public money on grants and programs specified in instruments made under those Acts. Consequently, the specification of expenditure in an instrument made under these Acts effectively authorises the Commonwealth to spend public moneys on the relevant grant or program. The scrutiny of such instruments is a key aspect of parliamentary scrutiny and control of Commonwealth expenditure.^[1]

3.2 To facilitate such scrutiny, this chapter draws the Senate's attention to the nature and extent of Commonwealth expenditure that is authorised by the FF(SP) Act and the IRD Act and specified in delegated legislation made under those Acts.^[2]

3.3 The tables below outline the expenditure specified in legislative instruments registered between 14 October 2020 and 17 November 2020.

3.4 The committee has resolved to write to the relevant legislation committees to alert those committees to the expenditure listed below that falls within their area of portfolio responsibility. The committee does so under standing order 23(4) which requires the committee to scrutinise each instrument to determine whether the Senate's attention should be drawn to it on the ground that it raises significant issues, or otherwise gives rise to issues that are likely to be of interest to the Senate.

Instrument	Grant/Program	Amount	Description	Portfolio committee
Financial Framework (Supplementary Powers) Amendment (Agriculture, Water and the Environment Measures No. 6) Regulations 2020 [F2020L01309]	Tracking Waste Program Grant for national food waste governance entity Financial counselling for small regional businesses affected by drought, bushfires or COVID‑19 Bushfire Recovery for Species and Landscapes—Tranche 2 Emergency Intervention Fund	$24.6 million over four years from 2020-21 Up to $4 million over four years from 2020-21 $12.8 million over two years from 2019-20 $149.7 million over two years from 2020-21	Funding will be provided for the development and operation of an online platform displaying visualised data relating to waste and including analytical capabilities in order to reveal opportunities to invest in waste collection, recycling and manufacturing. Funding will be provided to establish a national food waste governance entity which will work with industry and researchers to reduce food waste in the supply chain through a voluntary commitment program and to influence behavioural change in business and households. Funding will be provided for the provision of financial counselling services to small regional businesses facing financial hardship due to drought, the 2019-20 bushfires or the COVID-19 pandemic. Funding will be provided to support emergency intervention works for threatened species and landscapes affected by the 2019-20 bushfire emergency.	Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee
Financial Framework (Supplementary Powers) Amendment (Education, Skills and Employment Measures No. 6) Regulations 2020 [F2020L01310]	PaTH Business Placement Partnerships Australian Training Awards National Careers Institute—Digital Platform National Training System Commonwealth Own Purpose Expenditure Program	$11.9 million over three years from 2019-20 $1.1 million per financial year, with current funding levels in place until 2023-24 $9.4 million over five years from 2019-20 $107.1 million over three years from 2020-21	Funding will be provided to trial the development and delivery, in collaboration with industry and employer groups, of measures to assist young people to find employment, including apprenticeships, traineeships and other work experience opportunities. Funding will be provided to the peak, national awards program for the vocational education and training sector. Funding will be provided for the development of a national website that will provide careers information to support individuals and organisations to access, understand and compare post-compulsory skills development pathways, occupation choices and labour market needs. Funding will be provided for certain projects and activities under the National Training System Commonwealth Own Purpose Expenditure Program, including statistical and research services provided by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research, the Vocational Education and Training Data Streamlining project, the National Register for Vocational Education and Training (training.gov.au), and the Performance Information for Vocational Education and Training projects.	Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee
Financial Framework (Supplementary Powers) Amendment (Education, Skills and Employment Measures No. 7) Regulations 2020 [F2020L01360]	Relocation Assistance to Take Up a Job Program Extended New Enterprise Incentive Scheme—COVID‑19 response	$17.4 million over two years from 2020-21 for the program, including $15.4 million for the program modification $5.7 million over two years from 2020-21	Funding will be provided for the temporary modification of the existing Relocation Assistance to Take Up a Job Program to make it available to eligible individuals who relocate to other areas of Australia to take up short-term agricultural work, including for the purpose of addressing labour shortages resulting from COVID-19. Funding will be provided for the expansion of the New Enterprise Incentive Scheme to provide existing micro‑business owners impacted by COVID-19 with access to small business assistance services.	Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee Senate Select Committee on COVID-19
Financial Framework (Supplementary Powers) Amendment (Health Measures No. 5) Regulations 2020 [F2020L01312]	Support for Australia’s Thalidomide Survivors	$44.9 million over four years from 2020-21	Funding will be provided for measures under the support package, including: • a one-off lump sum payment scaled according to level of disability; • an Extraordinary Assistance Fund to support activities of daily living which are adversely affected due to the nature of disability or impaired functional capacity, such as home and vehicle modifications; • a Health Care Assistance Fund to provide reimbursement of out-of-pocket health care expenses required as a result of the thalidomide related injuries; • annual payments scaled according to level of disability; • to third party organisations to administer payments and to establish a national disability support service to identify and coordinate specific thalidomide support services for the survivors; and • a national site of recognition for thalidomide survivors and their families in the form of a public memorial to be located within the Parliamentary Triangle in Canberra. The support package addresses a number of the recommendations of the final report of the Senate Community Affairs References Committee inquiry into Support for Australia’s Thalidomide Survivors, presented on 22 March 2019.	Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee
Financial Framework (Supplementary Powers) Amendment (Home Affairs Measures No. 5) Regulations 2020 [F2020L01313]	National identity crime and cybercrime support service	$6.1 million over four years from 2020-21	Funding will be provided to third party service providers to assist individuals and businesses that have been affected by cybercrime or had their identity stolen or misused online.	Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee
Financial Framework (Supplementary Powers) Amendment (Social Services Measures No. 4) Regulations 2020 [F2020L01314]	Disability Royal Commission and Other Support Services Seniors Connected—Village Hubs	$117 million over three years from 2019-20 $4.7 million over four years from 2020-21	Funding will be provided for the Disability Royal Commission and other support services for people with disability who have experienced violence, abuse, neglect or exploitation (and others affected by this ill-treatment). Funding will be provided for the Village Hubs initiative under the Seniors Connected Program, which supports the establishment and operation of community-based organisations (Village Hubs) offering social, physical and other activities or opportunities to older Australians living in their community.	Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee
Industry Research and Development (BusinessBalance Program) Instrument 2020 [F2020L01345]	BusinessBalance Program	$6.5 million, comprised of a grant to Beyond Blue of up to $4.26 million and a grant to Deakin University of up to $2.24 million	Funding will be provided for activities aimed at increasing the number of small business owners taking proactive, preventative and early steps to improve their mental health. Activities that will be supported under the BusinessBalanceProgram include: • providing free, accessible and tailored support for small business owners by expanding Beyond Blue’s NewAccess program; and • building the ‘mental health literacy’ of trusted business advisers (such as accountants and financial advisors) by expanding a free accredited professional development program to be delivered online by Deakin University.	Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee
Industry Research and Development (Supporting Agricultural Shows and Field Days Program) Instrument 2020 [F2020L01401]	Supporting Agricultural Shows and Field Days Program	$39.025 million in 2020-21	Funding will be provided for reimbursements to agricultural show societies and organisers of field days that cancelled their 2020 show because of COVID-19. In addition, $100,000 grants will be provided to Agricultural Shows Australia and the Association of Agricultural Field Days of Australasia.	Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee Senate Select Committee on COVID-19
Industry Research and Development (Supporting Small Business to Go Digital Post-COVID-19 Program) Instrument 2020 [F2020L01413]	Supporting Small Business to Go Digital Post-COVID-19 Program	$7.47 million in 2020–21	Funding will be provided for a ‘Go Digital’ advertising campaign to promote the benefits of digital technology to small business, and to fund the Australian Small Business Advisory Services Program and other Australian Government services directed at supporting small businesses’ digital capability.	Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee Senate Select Committee on COVID-19
Industry Research and Development (Thermochemical Conversion Technology Trial Facility Program) Instrument 2020 [F2020L01425]	Thermochemical Conversion Technology Trial Facility Program	$8 million in 2020-21	Funding will be provided to ARI Global Technologies Australasia Pty Ltd to conduct preliminary work and preparations to establish a cost-effective, viable asbestos destruction facility in Australia that complies with all relevant regulatory requirements and addresses key pre-construction planning, issues and risks.	Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee

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[1] For further information see the committee's guideline on Scrutiny of Commonwealth expenditure and Chapter 7 of the report of the committee's inquiry, Parliamentary scrutiny of delegated legislation.

[2] Details of all instruments which specify Commonwealth expenditure are published on the committee's website: https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Scrutiny_of_Delegated_Legislation/Scrutiny_of_Commonwealth_expenditure.