Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2025-2026, Appropriation Bill (No. 2) 2025-2026, Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Bill (No. 1) 2025-2026
Senator GREEN (Queensland—Assistant Minister for Tourism, Assistant Minister for Pacific Island Affairs and Assistant Minister for Northern Australia) (18:25): I move: That these bills be now read a second time. I seek leave to have the second reading speeches incorporated in Hansard. Leave granted.
The speeches read as follows— APPROPRIATION BILL (NO. 1) 2025-2026 This Bill, together with Appropriation Bill 2 and Parliamentary Departments Appropriation Bill 1, form the principal Bills underpinning the Government's 2025-26 Budget. These Appropriation Bills are substantially the same as the Bills with the same names that were introduced into the 47th Parliament and lapsed on the dissolution of the House of Representatives before this year's Federal Election.
The Bills must now be reintroduced to provide the remaining 7/12ths of annual appropriations for 2025-26 (that were not covered by the Supply Acts passed before the Election) as well as funding for the 2025-26 Budget measures. The reintroduced Bills contain minor changes which reflect: Government decisions and estimate variations from the 2025 Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Outlook two election commitments including the $800 million saving for the first year of the Government's Further reducing spending on consultants, contractors and labour hire, and non-wage expenses election commitment two terminating measures that were extended beyond 2024-25 Machinery of Government changes as a result of the Administrative Arrangements Order changes on 13 May and 1 July 2025, and direct appropriations to two new entities that will commence later in 2025: the Defence and Veterans' Services Commission and the Australian Naval Nuclear Power Safety Regulator.
The net effect of these changes is a $216.2 million overall reduction in the reintroduced Bills from the lapsed Bills. Appropriation Bill 1 seeks approval for appropriations from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of approximately $83.4 billion. Together with the Supply Act 1, which commenced on 1 July 2025, this would provide the total funding of $169.5 billion for the ordinary annual services of the Government in 2025-26.
Funding provided through this Bill will support the following significant items. The Department of Defence will receive close to $25.3 billion to implement the 2024 National Defence Strategy and 2024 Integrated Investment Program, including funding for the nuclear-powered submarines, support for military operations and other Australian Defence Force activities.
The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing will receive over $20.3 billion to implement various programs to improve the wellbeing and social and economic participation of people with disability, and ensure the current and future health needs of all Australians are met. There is funding of over $9 billion for the National Disability Insurance Agency to provide reasonable and necessary supports for National Disability Insurance Scheme participants.
Funding also includes over $3 billion for aged care services to provide support for older Australians with everyday living and other needs; approximately $1.2 billion for the health workforce; over $900 million for mental health and suicide prevention; over $800 million for primary health care quality and coordination; and almost $800 million for First Nations peoples' health.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade will receive over $4.2 billion to advance Australia's international strategic and security interests, provide development assistance overseas and consular assistance to Australians abroad. The Department of Home Affairs will receive over $3.2 billion to implement various programs to ensure Australia's security, prosperity and unity by safeguarding national security interests, improving cyber security and security of critical infrastructure assets, supporting law enforcement policy and operations, and maintaining Australia's cohesive multicultural society.
The funding will also enable the Department to maintain the integrity of the migration system, sustain visa processing capability, provide settlement services to refugees and migrants, and protect the Australian border. No changes are proposed to the maximum amount of $400 million for the Advance to the Finance Minister (AFM) provision in Appropriation Bill 1, which enables the Government to provide additional appropriations for urgent and unforeseen expenditure during 2025-26.
Details of the proposed expenditure are set out in the Schedule to the Bill, the Explanatory Memorandum, and the 2025-26 Portfolio Budget Statements tabled in March. This Bill, along with Appropriation Bill 2 and Parliamentary Departments Appropriation Bill 1, must be passed before the end of November to ensure continuity of the Government's programs and the operation of Commonwealth entities.
I commend this Bill to the chamber. APPROPRIATION BILL (NO. 2) 2025-2026 This Bill, along with Appropriation Bill 1 and Parliamentary Departments Appropriation Bill 1, form the principal Bills underpinning the Government's 2025-26 Budget. As was the case for Appropriation Bill 1, minor changes have been made to this Bill to reflect Government decisions and estimate variations from the 2025 Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Outlook and to fund the Supporting the construction of the first-ever Hindu School in Australia election commitment.
The Bill also reflects Machinery of Government changes as a result of the Administrative Arrangements Order changes on 13 May and 1 July 2025. Appropriation Bill 2 seeks approval for appropriations from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of $14.6 billion. Together with the Supply Act 2, this would provide the total funding of $25.5 billion for services that are not the ordinary annual services of the Government in 2025-26.
Funding provided through this Bill will support the following significant items. The Department of Defence will receive close to $7.2 billion to support the implementation of the 2024 National Defence Strategy and 2024 Integrated Investment Program, including through investments in military capability and enabling ICT capabilities and infrastructure. The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts will receive close to $2.4 billion, including funding for Government Business Enterprises to continue to deliver projects and other programs.
This includes funding for the Australian Rail Track Corporation for the Inland Rail program; completion of fibre upgrades for the NBN; Western Sydney Airport; National Intermodal Corporation for the development of intermodal projects; and funding for the Roads to Recovery and Local Roads and Community Infrastructure programs. The Department of Finance will receive over $1.6 billion, including funding for Australian Naval Infrastructure Pty Ltd and Snowy Hydro Limited.
No changes are proposed to the maximum amount of $600 million for the Advance to the Finance Minister (AFM) provision in Appropriation Bill 2. Details of the proposed expenditure are set out in the Schedules to the Bill, the Explanatory Memorandum, and the 2025-26 Portfolio Budget Statements tabled in March. I commend this Bill to the chamber.
APPROPRIATION (PARLIAMENTARY DEPARTMENTS) BILL (NO. 1) Parliamentary Departments Appropriation Bill 1 provides appropriations for the last seven months of 2025-26 for the operations of: the Departments of the Senate, House of Representatives, Parliamentary Services, and the Parliamentary Budget Office. The Bill also reflects Parliamentary Departments' contribution to the $800 million saving for the first year of the Government's Further reducing spending on consultants, contractors and labour hire, and non-wage expenses election commitment.
This Bill seeks approval for appropriations from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of $195.1 million. Together with the Parliamentary Departments Supply Act 1, this would provide the total funding of $334.7 million to support the expenditure of Parliamentary Departments in 2025-26. The most significant item in this Bill is the provision of over $155 million to the Department of Parliamentary Services to support the work of the Australian Parliament, through services to parliamentarians and as custodians of Parliament House.
No changes are proposed to the maximum amount of $1.9 million for the Advance to the responsible Presiding Officer provision, which has been included in full in the Parliamentary Departments Supply Act 1. Details of the proposed expenditure are set out in the Schedule to the Bill, the Explanatory Memorandum, and the 2025-26 Portfolio Budget Statements tabled in March.
I commend this Bill to the chamber. Debate adjourned. Ordered that the resumption of the debate be made an order of the day for a later hour.