{"id":"BILL-TAS--2-2026-19-of-2026","name":"Appropriation Bill (No. 2) 2026","slug":"appropriation-bill-no-2-2026","collection":"bill","jurisdiction":"tas","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":"2026-01-01","administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":461847,"registerId":"BILL-TAS--2-2026-19-of-2026:current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-01-01","status":"in_force","reasons":null,"registeredAt":"2026-05-21T08:47:59.879Z"},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"retrieval-0001","sectionType":"document_chunk","heading":"Document excerpt 1","content":"# Appropriation Bill (No. 2) 2026\n\n[Bill 19]-VI\nTASMANIA\n__________\nAPPROPRIATION BILL (No. 2) 2026\n__________\nCONTENTS\n1. Short title\n2. Commencement\n3. Interpretation\n4. Issue, application and appropriation of $62 913 000\n5. Purposes of appropriation\n6. Expiry of Act\nSchedule 1 – Purposes of Appropriation 2026-27\n\n2\n\n[Bill 19] 3\nAPPROPRIATION BILL (No. 2) 2026\n(Brought in by the Treasurer, the Honourable Eric Abetz)\nA BILL FOR\nAn Act for the appropriation of $62 913 000 out of the\nPublic Account for the services of the Government in\nrespect of Parliament and Statutory Offices for the\nfinancial year ending on 30 June 2027\nBe it enacted by Her Excellency the Governor of Tasmania, by\nand with the advice and consent of the Legislative Council and\nHouse of Assembly, in Parliament assembled, as follows:\n1. Short title\nThis Act may be cited as the Appropriation Act\n(No. 2) 2026.\n2. Commencement\nThis Act commences on 1 July 2026, but if it\ndoes not receive the Royal Assent by that date\nthis Act is taken to have commenced on\n1 July 2026.\n3. Interpretation\nFor the purposes of this Act –\nCapital Services means –\n(a) public works or property required\nfor public purposes; or\n\nAppropriation Act (No. 2) 2026\nAct No. of 2026\ns. 4\n4\n(b) a loan authorised by law;\nOperating Services means the ordinary annual\nservices of the Government.\n4. Issue, application and appropriation of $62 913 000\n(1) In respect of the financial year ending on\n30 June 2027, the Treasurer may –\n(a) issue the sum of $62 913 000 out of the\nPublic Account; and\n(b) apply that sum for the services of the\nGovernment.\n(2) The sum specified in subsection (1)(a) is\nappropriated.\n5. Purposes of appropriation\nThe sum specified in section 4(1)(a) is to be\napplied for the purposes specified in Schedule 1\nand detailed in the agency information in support\nof the estimates for the financial year ending on\n30 June 2027.\n6. Expiry of Act\nThis Act expires on 30 June 2028.\n\nAppropriation Act (No. 2) 2026\nAct No. of 2026\nsch. 1\n5\nSCHEDULE 1 – PURPOSES OF APPROPRIATION\n2026-27\nSection 5\n\nAppropriation Act (No. 2) 2026\nAct No. of 2026\nsch. 1\n6 Government Printer, Tasmania","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This bill is confined to its original and ordinary purpose: authorising a single, year‑specific appropriation for Parliament and Statutory Offices. It does not expand the state's spending powers beyond the stated amount or create ongoing entitlements. The Act delegates detail to agency estimates (s.5), but that is a typical budgetary mechanism and does not materially change the scope of the appropriation authority created by the Act."},"complexity_factors":["Short instrument: 6 substantive sections plus a Schedule","Single monetary figure ($62,913,000) authorised (s.4)","Two defined terms in Interpretation (Capital Services; Operating Services) (s.3)","One primary cross-reference to Schedule 1 and to external 'agency information' for detailed allocation (s.5)","Commencement clause with deemed start if Royal Assent delayed (s.2)","Expiry clause terminating the Act after the next financial year (s.6)","Limited conditional logic and few exceptions; minimal nested provisions"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this law does (mechanically)\n\n- Gives the Treasurer permission to take $62,913,000 from the state's Public Account and spend it on government services for the year that ends 30 June 2027 (see section 4).\n- Says what those funds are to be used for by referring to Schedule 1 and the agency information that supports the budget estimates (see section 5 and Schedule 1).\n- Starts on 1 July 2026 (and is treated as having started on that date even if Royal Assent is received afterwards) and expires on 30 June 2028 (see sections 2 and 6).\n- Defines two short terms used in the Act: \"Capital Services\" and \"Operating Services\" (see section 3).\n\nWho it affects\n\n- The Treasurer: has the legal authority to issue and apply the stated sum from the Public Account (s.4).\n- Parliamentary and statutory office budgets (the named recipients in the Act's title and Schedule 1): these offices are the intended beneficiaries of the appropriation; the Act instructs that the money be applied to the purposes listed in Schedule 1 and in agency estimates (s.5, Schedule 1).\n- The Tasmanian Public Account (the source of the funds): the appropriation reduces available public funds by the specified amount.\n\nWhy it matters (purpose claims and practical effects)\n\n- The stated purpose is to authorize spending for Parliament and Statutory Offices for 2026–27 (title, s.5). Mechanically, the Act creates legal authority to draw the specified amount from public money and to allocate it according to the Schedule and agency estimates.\n\n- Who pays: the money comes from the Public Account (s.4). In practical terms that means the appropriation directs state revenue/existing cash reserves to these uses rather than to other programs.\n\n- Who decides how the money is spent: Parliament authorises the total by passing this Act; the Treasurer implements the draw and application (s.4). The Act refers spending details to agency information that supports the estimates, so much of the line-by-line allocation is handled administratively outside the text of the Act (s.5).\n\nCosts, incentives and trade-offs (concrete mechanisms)\n\n- Direct fiscal cost: a one-year appropriation of $62,913,000 is authorised (s.4).\n- Opportunity cost: those funds are not available for alternative uses unless reallocated by later appropriation or administrative decision.\n- Concentrated benefits: the recipients (Parliament and Statutory Offices) receive the authorised funding; benefits accrue specifically to those entities rather than broadly across government.\n- Administrative discretion: the Treasurer is given authority to issue and apply the funds (s.4). The Act delegates detail to agency estimates and associated information (s.5), which means the statutory text sets the total and general purposes but not every line-item—those are implemented through budget documents and agency processes.\n- Implementation and oversight risks: because detailed allocation is referenced to agency estimates rather than fully specified in the Act, parliamentary scrutiny of exact line items depends on the supporting budget documents and administrative processes rather than on the statute itself (s.5).\n\nOther notable mechanical features\n\n- The Act contains a deemed-commencement clause: it is treated as commencing on 1 July 2026 even if Royal Assent occurs later (s.2). That makes the authority effective from the start of the financial year regardless of timing of assent.\n- The Act expires on 30 June 2028 (s.6). It therefore authorises spending for a defined period and does not create ongoing standing authority beyond that date.\n\nRelevant sections cited: section 2 (commencement), section 3 (definitions: Capital Services, Operating Services), section 4 (authority to issue, apply and appropriate $62,913,000), section 5 (purposes: Schedule 1 and agency information), section 6 (expiry), Schedule 1 (purposes of appropriation)."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/appropriation-bill-no-2-2026","history":"/api/acts/appropriation-bill-no-2-2026/history","analysis":"/api/acts/appropriation-bill-no-2-2026/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/appropriation-bill-no-2-2026/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/appropriation-bill-no-2-2026/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/appropriation-bill-no-2-2026/documents"}}