2004-2005

The Parliament of the

Commonwealth of Australia

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Presented and read a first time

Charter of Budget Honesty Amendment Bill 2005

No.      , 2005

(Mr Tanner)

A Bill for an Act to amend the Charter of Budget Honesty Act 1998, and for related purposes

Contents

1............ Short title............................................................................................ 1

2............ Commencement.................................................................................. 1

3............ Schedule(s).......................................................................................... 1

Schedule 1—Amendment of the Charter of Budget Honesty Act 1998   2

A Bill for an Act to amend the Charter of Budget Honesty Act 1998, and for related purposes

The Parliament of Australia enacts:

1  Short title

                   This Act may be cited as the Charter of Budget Honesty Amendment Act 2005.

2  Commencement

                   This Act commences on the day on which it receives the Royal Assent.

3  Schedule(s)

                   Each Act that is specified in a Schedule to this Act is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this Act has effect according to its terms.

Schedule 1—Amendment of the Charter of Budget Honesty Act 1998

1  Subclause 2(6) of Schedule 1

Repeal the subclause, substitute:

             (6)  The Government or the Opposition may ask the Secretaries to the Departments of the Treasury and Finance to prepare a costing of any of its policies during the period from within 12 months of the last day for issue of the writs for a general election to the end of the caretaker period.  The costing will then be publicly released (see Part 8).

2  Part 8 of Schedule 1 (heading)

Repeal the heading, substitute:

“Part 8—Costing of policy commitments”.

3  Clause 29 of Schedule 1

Repeal the clause, substitute:

             (1)  During the period from within 12 months of the last day for the issue of the writs for a general election to the end of the caretaker period:

                     (a)  the Prime Minister may request the responsible Secretaries to prepare costings of Government policies; and

                     (b)  the Leader of the Opposition may request the responsible Secretaries to prepare costings of Opposition policies.

             (2)  A request is to:

                     (a)  be in writing; and

                     (b)  outline fully the policy to be costed, giving relevant details; and

                    ( c)  state the purpose or intention of the policy.

(3)A request by the Prime Minister or by the Leader of the Opposition is to be given to the responsible Secretaries.

(4)The Prime Minister may, by writing, give directions to the responsible Secretaries about the level of resources to be allocated to the costing of Opposition policies.

(5)The responsible Secretaries must ensure that all communications with the Opposition in relation to the costing of Opposition policies, remain confidential.

(6)The Prime Minister or the Leader of the Opposition may, at any time, withdraw a request that he or she has made.  A withdrawal is to be by notice in writing given to the responsible Secretaries.          

Note:       The heading to Clause 29 is replaced by the heading “Requests for costing of policy commitments”.

4  After subclause 30(1) of Schedule 1

Insert:

          (1A)  The responsible Secretaries must provide to the person requesting a policy costing, details of the information and assumptions used to prepare a costing before it is complete.

5  Subclause 31(1) of Schedule 1

Omit “As soon as practicable”, substitute “Subject to subclause (1A), as soon as practicable”.

6  After subclause 31(1) of Schedule 1

Insert:

          (1A)  A responsible Secretary must not publicly release a policy costing until it is complete.