Scrutiny of Commonwealth expenditure [2021] AUSStaCSDLM 28 (18 February 2021)

• Chapter 3
• Scrutiny of Commonwealth expenditure

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 18 November 2020 and 7 December 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
Industry Research and Development (Boosting Female Founders Initiative Program) Instrument 2020 [F2020L01467]	Boosting Female Founders Initiative Program	$54 million over five years from 2020–21 to 2024–25	Funding will be provided through a combination of co-funded grants to women-owned and led startup businesses to undertake projects that scale the business, and procurements which provide women entrepreneurs with access to expert mentoring and advice. The Program supports women entrepreneurs to overcome disadvantages they face in getting access to finance and support to grow their startups.	Senate Economics Legislation Committee
Industry Research and Development (Cyber Security Business Connect and Protect Program) Instrument 2020 [F2020L01438]	Cyber Security Business Connect and Protect Program	$8.3 million over two years from 2020-21	Funding will be provided to support projects that raise the awareness of cyber security risks among small and medium enterprises (SMEs), promote action to address these risks, and support and uplift the capability of SMEs to meet best practice in cyber security.	Senate Economics Legislation Committee
Industry Research and Development (Digital Readiness Assessment Tool Program) Instrument 2020 [F2020L01439]	Digital Readiness Assessment Tool Program	$2.4 million in 2020-21	Funding will be provided to develop and operate an online tool that will help businesses self-assess their digital maturity and provide them with direction and pathways to existing government programs and resources to pursue their digital transformation. The purpose of the Program is to accelerate the adoption of digital technologies by Australian businesses and drive long-term growth and business resilience by providing businesses with information about how they compare against their peers or frontier firms, as well as practical pathways for businesses to improve their digital maturity to reach their business goals.	Senate Economics Legislation Committee
Industry Research and Development (Digital Skills Finder Platform Program) Instrument 2020 [F2020L01463]	Digital Skills Finder Platform Program	$2.5 million in 2020-21	Funding will be provided to Balance Internet Pty Ltd in order to enable Balance Internet to further develop and operate the Digital Skills Finder Platform (the Platform). Once fully developed, the Platform will be an online portal that aggregates links to free and paid private sector digital skills training for individuals and small and medium enterprises seeking to learn how to use software and digital tools.	Senate Economics 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.