{"id":"appropriation-2025-2026-act-2025","name":"Appropriation (2025-2026) Act 2025","slug":"appropriation-2025-2026-act-2025","collection":"act","jurisdiction":"nt","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":29841,"registerId":"nt-appropriation-2025-2026-act-2025-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-01","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Appropriation (2025-2026) Act 2025","content":"NORTHERN TERRITORY OF AUSTRALIA\nAPPROPRIATION (2025-2026) ACT 2025\n____________________\nAct No. 16 of 2025\n____________________\nTable of provisions\n1 Short title ......................................................................................... 1\n2 Commencement .............................................................................. 1\n3 Appropriation ................................................................................... 1\n4 Repeal of Act ................................................................................... 1\nSchedule Appropriation\n\n\n\nNORTHERN TERRITORY OF AUSTRALIA\n____________________\nAct No. 16 of 2025\n____________________\nAn Act to authorise an amount to be paid from the Central Holding Authority\nfor the financial year ending 30 June 2026\n[Assented to 26 June 2025]\n[Introduced 13 May 2025]\nThe Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory enacts as follows:\n1 Short title\nThis Act may be cited as the Appropriation (2025-2026) Act 2025.\n2 Commencement\nThis Act commences on the day on which the Administrator's\nassent to this Act is declared.\n3 Appropriation\n(1) An amount in aggregate of $9 175 792 000 is authorised to be paid\nfrom the Central Holding Authority for the financial year ending on\n30 June 2026.\n(2) The amount is authorised to be paid to each Purpose of an Agency\nor other Purpose that is specified in column 1 of the Schedule, in\nthe amount specified in the corresponding entry of column 2 of the\nSchedule.\n4 Repeal of Act\nThis Act is repealed on 1 July 2026.\n\nSchedule Appropriation\nAppropriation (2025-2026) Act 2025 2\nSchedule Appropriation\nsection 3(2)\nPurpose Amount\n$'000\nDepartment of the Chief Minister and Cabinet\nOutput 71 025\nCommonwealth 1 054\nDepartment of the Legislative Assembly\nOutput 29 638\nCapital 41\nAuditor-General's Office\nOutput 3 214\nNorthern Territory Electoral Commission\nOutput 1 712\nOffice of the Independent Commissioner Against Corruption\nOutput 5 667\nOmbudsman's Office\nOutput 2 893\nNorthern Territory Police Force\nOutput 491 120\nCapital 8 265\nCommonwealth 42 363\nNorthern Territory Fire and Emergency Service\nOutput 67 659\nCapital 4 462\nCommonwealth 4 431\nDepartment of Agriculture and Fisheries\nOutput 45 261\nCapital 401\nCommonwealth 1 548\nDepartment of Mining and Energy\nOutput 40 020\nCommonwealth 2 000\nDepartment of Corrections\nOutput 435 392\nCapital 8 641\n\nSchedule Appropriation\nAppropriation (2025-2026) Act 2025 3\nPurpose Amount\n$'000\nDepartment of Treasury and Finance\nOutput 240 138\nCommonwealth 20 685\nDepartment of Logistics and Infrastructure\nOutput 397 637\nCapital 890 915\nCommonwealth 442 394\nAttorney-General's Department\nOutput 131 692\nCapital 556\nCommonwealth 65 428\nDepartment of Tourism and Hospitality\nOutput 175 405\nCapital 260\nCommonwealth 4 448\nDepartment of Health\nOutput 1 284 652\nCapital 7 302\nCommonwealth 176 877\nDepartment of Housing, Local Government and Community\nDevelopment\nOutput 305 867\nCapital 29 269\nCommonwealth 229 615\nDepartment of Lands, Planning and Environment\nOutput 88 015\nCapital 15 383\nCommonwealth 3 860\nAboriginal Areas Protection Authority\nOutput 3 323\nDepartment of Corporate and Digital Development\nOutput 358 604\nCapital 21 163\nCommonwealth 2 200\nDepartment of Education and Training\nOutput 713 813\nCommonwealth 654 902\n\nSchedule Appropriation\nAppropriation (2025-2026) Act 2025 4\nPurpose Amount\n$'000\nDepartment of Trade, Business and Asian Relations\nOutput 64 869\nCommonwealth 188\nDepartment of Children and Families\nOutput 280 731\nCommonwealth 70 623\nDepartment of People, Sport and Culture\nOutput 211 162\nCapital 45\nCentral Holding Authority\nTreasurer's Advance 190 000\nInterest, Taxes and Administration 466 504\nEmployee Entitlements 360 460\nTOTAL APPROPRIATIONS 9 175 792\nOutput 5 449 509\nCapital 986 703\nCommonwealth 1 722 616\nTreasurer's Advance 190 000\nInterest, Taxes and Administration 466 504\nEmployee Entitlements 360 460","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The Act does not change the legal scope of existing programs or create new statutory powers. It solely authorises specified payments from the Central Holding Authority for 2025–26 as set out in the Schedule (s3(1)–(2)); it contains no amendments to other legislation and expires on 1 July 2026 (s4)."},"complexity_factors":["Single, one-year appropriation covering the financial year ending 30 June 2026 (s3(1); s4).","Large aggregate sum but mechanically simple: Act authorises payment rather than creating new powers or regulatory regimes (s3(1)–(2)).","Detailed Schedule with many line items and agencies increases bookkeeping and administrative complexity for implementation (Schedule).","Mix of funding types—outputs, capital, Commonwealth-contributed amounts—requires cross‑matching of funding streams (Schedule).","Inclusion of a Treasurer's Advance provides executive contingency spending capacity and requires later accounting (Schedule: Treasurer's Advance).","Clear commencement and repeal dates reduce legal longevity and limit ongoing administrative complexity (s2; s4)."],"plain_english_summary":"This Act authorises $9,175,792,000 to be paid from the Central Holding Authority for the financial year ending 30 June 2026 to the agencies and purposes listed in its Schedule (s3(1)–(2)).\n\nIt commences on assent (s2), is repealed on 1 July 2026 (s4), and allocates output, capital, Commonwealth‑funded items and a Treasurer's Advance so agencies may lawfully spend those amounts."},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"Unauthenticated. Configure AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY or use a provider module. Learn more: https://ai-sdk.dev/unauthenticated-ai-gateway","source":"analysis-cron"},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This legislation performs exactly the function it was designed for: annual appropriation of funds for the Northern Territory Government. It has not expanded beyond its original purpose of authorising expenditure for a specific financial year. The structure mirrors decades of previous Appropriation Acts with consistent categories (Output, Capital, Commonwealth, Treasurer's Advance)."},"complexity_factors":["Extremely short: 4 operative sections plus a Schedule","Only 1 defined term implied ('Central Holding Authority' — the NT's consolidated revenue fund)","No cross-references to other legislation","Simple conditional logic: spending authorised only for FY2025-26, with automatic repeal","Schedule uses plain tabular format with no nested conditions or exceptions","Straightforward appropriation mechanism: single aggregate amount ($9.175bn) with itemised breakdown"],"plain_english_summary":"This is the Northern Territory's annual budget law for the 2025-2026 financial year. It authorises the government to spend **$9.18 billion** from the territory's main bank account (the Central Holding Authority) to run public services from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026.\n\n**What it does:**\n- **Legalises spending** — Without this Act, the government cannot legally pay for salaries, programs, or infrastructure. This is the constitutional foundation that makes the budget lawful.\n- **Allocates money to specific purposes** — The Schedule breaks down spending by government department and type:\n  - **Output**: Day-to-day running costs (salaries, services, programs) — $5.45 billion\n  - **Capital**: Buildings, equipment, infrastructure — $987 million\n  - **Commonwealth**: Federal government grants for specific projects — $1.72 billion\n  - **Treasurer's Advance**: Emergency/contingency fund — $190 million\n  - **Interest, Taxes and Administration**: Government overheads — $467 million\n  - **Employee Entitlements**: Long-service leave and superannuation provisions — $360 million\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- Every Northern Territory resident, as it funds hospitals, schools, police, roads, and child protection\n- Public servants, contractors, and grant recipients who rely on these payments\n- The Legislative Assembly, which must pass this annually to keep government functioning\n\n**Why it matters:**\nThis is the single most important financial statute each year. It transforms the budget announced by the Treasurer into legally enforceable authority to spend public money. The Act self-destructs on 1 July 2026, ensuring it cannot be used for future years and forcing Parliament to scrutinise spending annually."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/appropriation-2025-2026-act-2025","history":"/api/acts/appropriation-2025-2026-act-2025/history","analysis":"/api/acts/appropriation-2025-2026-act-2025/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/appropriation-2025-2026-act-2025/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/appropriation-2025-2026-act-2025/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/appropriation-2025-2026-act-2025/documents"}}