{"id":"F2020L00421","name":"Advance to the Finance Minister Determination (No. 4 of 2019-2020)","slug":"advance-to-the-finance-minister-determination-no-4-of-2019-2020","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":100943,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2020L00421-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. 4 of 2019‑2020)","content":"###### Advance to the Finance Minister Determination (No. 4 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 (Coronavirus Economic Response Package) 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 | $400,000,000 |\n\nDated: 9 April 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":{"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"The instrument changes the scope of Schedule 2 of the Appropriation (Coronavirus Economic Response Package) Act (No. 2) 2019–2020 by increasing the \"Administered assets and liabilities item\" for the Department of Health by $400,000,000, effectively amending the Act as if Schedule 2 reflected that increased amount (instrument preamble and Table, dated 9 April 2020)."},"complexity_factors":["Single, narrow amendment limited to one appropriation item (Table)","Relies on statutory cross-reference to subsection 12(1) and subsection 12(2) of the Act (instrument preamble)","No operational or eligibility detail for expenditure is provided — requires knowledge of broader appropriation rules for implementation","Low procedural complexity: a ministerial satisfaction + determination mechanism rather than multiple administrative steps"],"plain_english_summary":"What this instrument does\n\n- The Minister for Finance (Mathias Cormann) used a power in the Appropriation (Coronavirus Economic Response Package) Act (No. 2) 2019–2020 to change the Act as if Schedule 2 had been amended. The Minister made that determination under subsection 12(2) of the Act after being satisfied of the matters in subsection 12(1) (see the first paragraph of the instrument). Dated 9 April 2020.\n\n- Mechanically, the instrument increases one appropriation line in Schedule 2: the \"Administered assets and liabilities item\" for the Department of Health is increased by $400,000,000 (see the Table, Column 3).\n\nWho decides and who pays\n\n- Decision-maker: the Minister for Finance makes the change by a statutory determination under subsection 12(2) once satisfied of the conditions in subsection 12(1) (instrument preamble). The instrument itself is the Minister's exercise of that power.\n\n- Payer: the additional $400,000,000 is an increase to a Commonwealth appropriation item in Schedule 2 of the Act. In practical terms, the Commonwealth appropriation authorised by the Act is the source of the additional funds (see the Table and the instrument's instruction that the Act have effect as if Schedule 2 were amended).\n\nWhat changes for behaviour and choices\n\n- The Department of Health has an increased budget line for the specified administered item; how that changes departmental purchasing, contracting, or payments is not specified in the instrument — it only changes the authorised amount (Table).\n\nCosts, incentives and trade-offs (source‑grounded)\n\n- Concentrated benefit: the direct, defined beneficiary is the Department of Health via the increased administered appropriation item (Table).\n\n- Diffuse cost: the instrument increases the Commonwealth's authorised spending under the Act by $400,000,000; the instrument does not set offsets or identify alternative savings (Table and instrument text). The fiscal cost is borne from amounts available under the Act.\n\n- Ministerial discretion and implementation risk: the power exercised requires the Minister to be satisfied of the matters in subsection 12(1) before acting under subsection 12(2). The instrument does not prescribe administrative conditions for how the Department must use the additional funds — that operational detail is left to the Department and existing appropriation and public finance rules (instrument preamble and Table).\n\nCompliance burden and regulatory detail\n\n- The instrument is narrowly framed and does not impose new obligations on private parties, businesses, or individuals. It changes an appropriation figure only; any downstream compliance for contractors or grant recipients depends on how the Department of Health uses the funds (Table).\n\nSummary statement\n\n- This is a single-purpose statutory determination by the Finance Minister that treats the Act as if Schedule 2 were amended to increase one appropriation item for the Department of Health by $400,000,000 (subsection 12(2) action, Table). The instrument changes the authorised Commonwealth spending amount; operational effects depend on departmental decisions not detailed here."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This determination performs exactly the function intended by the parent Act — it uses the Advance to the Finance Minister mechanism precisely as designed for rapid budget supplementation during the COVID-19 emergency. The scope remains tightly constrained to the specific appropriation increase authorised."},"complexity_factors":["Very short document (under 300 words)","Only 1 substantive operative provision","Single cross-reference to parent Act (subsections 12(1) and 12(2))","Simple tabular structure with only 1 row of data","No defined terms section","No conditional logic or exceptions","Straightforward administrative determination format"],"plain_english_summary":"This is a legal instrument that gives the Department of Health an extra **$400 million** to spend.\n\n**What it does:**\n- The Finance Minister (Mathias Cormann) used his powers under the Appropriation (Coronavirus Economic Response Package) Act to increase the Department of Health's budget.\n- Specifically, this money is for \"administered assets and liabilities\" — essentially funds the Department controls on behalf of the government for things like purchasing medical supplies, equipment, or other assets needed for the COVID-19 response.\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- **Directly:** The Department of Health, which gets more money to manage the health response to the pandemic.\n- **Indirectly:** Australian taxpayers and anyone receiving health services during the COVID-19 crisis, as this funds the government's health emergency spending.\n\n**Why it matters:**\n- This is part of the government's emergency financial response to COVID-19. Rather than passing new legislation through Parliament, the Finance Minister used a special \"advance\" power to quickly release funds during the crisis. This allows rapid deployment of money for urgent health needs (like personal protective equipment, vaccines, or hospital resources) without waiting for the full parliamentary process."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/advance-to-the-finance-minister-determination-no-4-of-2019-2020","history":"/api/acts/advance-to-the-finance-minister-determination-no-4-of-2019-2020/history","analysis":"/api/acts/advance-to-the-finance-minister-determination-no-4-of-2019-2020/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/advance-to-the-finance-minister-determination-no-4-of-2019-2020/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/advance-to-the-finance-minister-determination-no-4-of-2019-2020/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/advance-to-the-finance-minister-determination-no-4-of-2019-2020/documents"}}