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 (Regional Australia Statements) Act 2016.
2 Commencement
This Act commences on the day this Act receives the Royal Assent.
3 Schedules
Legislation that is specified in a Schedule to this Act is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this Act has effect according to its terms.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—Amendments
Charter of Budget Honesty Act 1998
1 After subclause 2(3) of Schedule 1
Insert:
Regional Australia statements
(3A) The Treasurer is to publicly release and table a regional Australia statement together with each budget economic and fiscal outlook report and each mid‑year economic and fiscal outlook report (see Part 5A).
2 After Part 5 of Schedule 1
Insert:
Part 5A—Regional Australia statements
19A Public release and tabling of regional Australia statements
(1) The Treasurer is to publicly release and table a regional Australia statement together with:
(a) each budget economic and fiscal outlook report; and
(b) each mid‑year economic and fiscal outlook report.
(2) A regional Australia statement for a report may be incorporated in the report.
19B Purpose of regional Australia statements
The purpose of a regional Australia statement is to provide information to allow the assessment of the impact of the Government’s decisions on regional Australia.
19C Contents of regional Australia statements
(1) A regional Australia statement for a budget economic and fiscal outlook report is to contain information about:
(a) the likely impacts on regional Australia of key Government initiatives, or significant changes to such initiatives, announced:
(i) since the last mid‑year economic and fiscal outlook report was released; or
(ii) in connection with the budget; and
(b) progress made since the last mid‑year economic and fiscal outlook report was released in implementing key Government initiatives that are likely to have an impact on regional Australia.
(2) A regional Australia statement for a mid‑year economic and fiscal outlook report is to contain information about:
(a) the likely impacts on regional Australia of key Government initiatives, or significant changes to such initiatives, announced:
(i) since the budget; or
(ii) in connection with the report; and
(b) progress made since the budget in implementing key Government initiatives that are likely to have an impact on regional Australia.
(3) A regional Australia statement is to be prepared having regard to the following:
(a) the economic, social, cultural and environmental impacts of Government initiatives;
(b) the economic drivers of regional communities;
(c) the disproportionate effect that Government initiatives may have in regional communities due to a lack of infrastructure, including:
(i) mobile phone coverage; and
(ii) reliable internet connections; and
(iii) access to public transport;
(d) the lack of access that people living in regional communities have to government services due to cost, and long travel distances and times;
(e) the effect that lack of competition in regional communities has on:
(i) the cost of living and doing business in regional communities; and
(ii) the cost and difficulty involved in complying with regulatory requirements for people and businesses in regional communities.
(4) A regional Australia statement does not have to include information that the Treasurer considers should not be included because:
(a) it is confidential commercial information; or
(b) its disclosure in the report could prejudice national security.
19D Commonwealth bodies to provide information to help prepare regional Australia statements
(1) To help the Treasurer to prepare a regional Australia statement, the Treasurer may request a Commonwealth body to provide information.
(2) A Commonwealth body is to comply with a request in time to allow the information to be taken into account in the preparation of the statement, unless it is not practicable for the body to do so. The body does not have to provide information if doing so would contravene another law of the Commonwealth.