{"id":"F2020L00235","name":"Advance to the Finance Minister Determination (No. 2 of 2019-2020)","slug":"advance-to-the-finance-minister-determination-no-2-of-2019-2020","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":100783,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2020L00235-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-02","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"Advance to the Finance Minister Determin","sectionType":"section","heading":"Advance to the Finance Minister Determination (No. 2 of 2019‑2020)","content":"###### Advance to the Finance Minister Determination (No. 2 of 2019‑2020)\n\nI, Mathias Hubert Paul Cormann, Minister for Finance, being satisfied of the matters set out in subsection 12(1) of Appropriation Act (No. 2) 2019‑2020 (the Act), make the following determination under subsection 12(2) of the Act:\n\nThat the Act have effect as if Schedule 2 of the Act were amended so that the item described in Column 1 of the Table, for the Entity listed in Column 2 of the Table, were increased by the amount listed in Column 3 of the Table.\n\nTable\n\n|      | Column 1                                 | Column 2             | Column 3     |\n| ---- | ---------------------------------------- | -------------------- | ------------ |\n| Item | Appropriation Item                       | Entity               | Amount       |\n| 1    | Administered assets and liabilities item | Department of Health | $200,000,000 |\n\nDated: 9 March 2020\n\nMATHIAS HUBERT PAUL CORMANN\n\nMinister for Finance","sortOrder":0},{"sectionNumber":"Column 3","sectionType":"section","heading":"Column 3","content":"###### Column 3","sortOrder":1}],"analysis":{"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This instrument performs exactly the function intended by the Advance to the Finance Minister mechanism in the Appropriation Act — providing urgent supplementary funding without requiring new legislation. The scope remains tightly limited to the specific budget increase described."},"complexity_factors":["Single operative provision with no defined terms","No cross-references to other legislation beyond the enabling section (subsection 12(2) of the Appropriation Act)","Simple tabular structure with only one data row","No conditional logic, exceptions, or procedural requirements","Total length is approximately 150 words of substantive content"],"plain_english_summary":"This is a **budget adjustment instrument** made by the Finance Minister in March 2020.\n\n**What it does:**\nIt adds **$200 million** to the Department of Health's budget for the 2019-2020 financial year. Specifically, this money goes toward \"administered assets and liabilities\" — which essentially means funding for things the Department owns, owes, or manages on behalf of the government (like buildings, equipment, or financial obligations).\n\n**Why it matters:**\nThis determination was made in early March 2020, right as the COVID-19 pandemic was beginning to hit Australia. The extra $200 million likely provided crucial early funding for the health system to prepare for the pandemic response — purchasing medical supplies, equipment, or preparing facilities before the main emergency funding packages were passed by Parliament.\n\n**How it works:**\nUnder Australia's budget laws, the Finance Minister has limited power to move money around quickly without waiting for new legislation. This instrument uses that power to top up the Department of Health's existing budget allocation."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"This Determination changes the effect of the Appropriation Act (No. 2) 2019–2020 by increasing the Schedule 2 entry for the \"Administered assets and liabilities item\" for the Department of Health by $200,000,000 (Table, Columns 1–3). The instrument is limited in scope to that single numeric increase and records the Minister's satisfaction of the subsection 12(1) condition as the basis for exercising the subsection 12(2) power (opening paragraph)."},"complexity_factors":["Single, narrow change to a single Schedule 2 appropriation line (one item in the Table).","Relies on statutory condition in subsection 12(1) but does not reproduce or expand it — requires cross-reference to the Appropriation Act to see those conditions.","Uses a statutory \"as if\" amendment mechanism rather than directly amending the Act text, which is a technical drafting device.","No programmatic detail, offsets or implementation instructions included in the instrument — limits interpretive complexity."],"plain_english_summary":"The Finance Minister used a power in Appropriation Act (No. 2) 2019–2020 to have that Act operate \"as if\" Schedule 2 were amended to increase the Department of Health’s administered assets and liabilities item by $200,000,000 (Determination dated 9 March 2020). The instrument records the Minister’s statutory satisfaction but only changes the Schedule figure; it says nothing about funding sources, offsets or program-level effects."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/advance-to-the-finance-minister-determination-no-2-of-2019-2020","history":"/api/acts/advance-to-the-finance-minister-determination-no-2-of-2019-2020/history","analysis":"/api/acts/advance-to-the-finance-minister-determination-no-2-of-2019-2020/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/advance-to-the-finance-minister-determination-no-2-of-2019-2020/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/advance-to-the-finance-minister-determination-no-2-of-2019-2020/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/advance-to-the-finance-minister-determination-no-2-of-2019-2020/documents"}}