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This Budget Paper provides information, on an entity‑by‑entity basis, about the Outputs (goods and services) the Government will deliver to the Tasmanian community through General Government Sector entities in 2016‑17 and over the Forward Estimates period (2017‑18 to 2019‑20). Budget Paper No 2 is a major source of financial and non‑financial information on the operations of Government departments, agencies and General Government Sector statutory authorities. The other major source of detailed information on these entities is the annual report required to be published by each entity (2015‑16 Annual Reports will be available by 31 October 2016).
This chapter highlights some of the across‑entity issues which have been taken into account in the preparation, by entities, of the information presented within this Budget Paper. These issues include:
· agency key deliverables information;
· the impact of the implementation of a number of agency restructures;
· the presentation of agency performance information;
· the impact of Reserved by Law funding adjustments; and
· the impact of the 27th Pay in 2015-16.
Budget Paper No 2 comprises two volumes and three separate parts that reflect the differing nature of entities within the General Government Sector:
· Part 1 includes government departments, such as the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services;
· Part 2 includes Parliamentary agencies, such as the House of Assembly and the Legislative Council, and other independent entities, such as the Tasmanian Audit Office and the Office of the Ombudsman; and
· Part 3 includes other statutory authorities within the General Government Sector, such as the Tasmanian Health Service and TasTAFE.
Budget Paper No 2 does not provide information on government businesses. Information on these entities is available in each entity's annual financial report.
Some of the information presented in this Budget Paper is provided on a Ministerial Portfolio basis. Appendix 1.1 to this chapter includes a summary of current Ministerial portfolio responsibilities.
Each major agency chapter includes a table and associated commentary that highlights the major initiatives to be undertaken by the agency over the Budget and Forward Estimates period. These initiatives may be funded through new funding provided in the current Budget, additional funding provided in previous budgets, existing agency resources or a combination of funding sources.
The following changes have been reflected in the 2016‑17 Budget, and are effective from 1 July 2016. Consistent with the practice that has been adopted in prior years, the comparative financial information for restructured agencies for 2015‑16 is provided on the basis of the new agency structure.
· Output 4.3 Supervision of Poppy and Hemp Crops within the Department of Justice has been transferred to Output 2.3 Supervision of Poppy and Hemp Crops within the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment in accordance with reforms to the regulation of the Poppy industry. Responsibility for the Poppy Advisory and Control Board has been transferred from the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice to the Minister for Primary Industries and Water.
· As at 1 November 2015 the Crown's civil litigation functions were transferred from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions to the Office of the Solicitor-General within the Department of Justice. It is noted, that while the transfer of functions commenced on 1 November 2015, the Budget transfer takes place from 1 July 2016.
· The former Output 1.7 Anti-Discrimination Commissioner has been renamed Equal Opportunity Tasmania.
· A new Output 4.3 Planning Policy and Reform has been created within the Department. This Output has been created to separate the planning policy functions from statutory assessment functions. Statutory functions remain with Output 4.1 Tasmanian Planning Commission, and policy functions will be undertaken by the new Output 4.3 Planning and Policy Reform.
· The addition of the Building and Construction Portfolio to the Department of Justice has resulted in the transfer of some Outputs between Ministerial portfolios. Output 1.10 Workers Rehabilitation and Compensation Tribunal, Output 3.5 Building and Occupational Licensing Services and Output 4.1 WorkSafe Tasmania have been transferred from the Treasurer to the Minister for Building and Construction. Output 3.4 Consumer Services has been transferred from the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice to the Minister for Building and Construction.
· The former Output Group 5 Policy has been consolidated into the Department's corporate overhead cost pool which is spread across all of the Department's outputs. The 2015‑16 Budget estimate will be reported as Output Group 9 for the 2016-17 Budget in order to report the 2015-16 Budget allocation.
· The former Output Group 9 Racing Regulation and Policy becomes Output Group 5 but otherwise remains unchanged.
· The Poppy Advisory and Control Board was transferred from the Department of Justice to the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment and has become Output 2.3 Supervision of Poppy and Hemp Crops within Output Group 2 Primary Industries.
Performance information is collated and reviewed on an ongoing basis by each agency. Due to the timing of the Budget cycle, the previous year's actual performance information is not included, as the previous Budget year is yet to finish. The 2016‑17 Budget Papers therefore display two years of actual information, ending 2014‑15 and two years of forward projections, ending 2016‑17.
Agencies will next report on performance information in their 2015‑16 annual reports, due for release by 31 October 2016.
Following the 2015-16 Budget, legal advice was received that provided clarification in relation to the classification of some expenditure relating to travel and communications as either Reserved by Law expenditure or general Consolidated Fund expenditure (that is funding approved through the annual Appropriation Act). As a result of this advice, for some agencies there has been a reallocation of expenditure between affected Reserved by Law items and general Consolidated Fund expenditure. There is no impact on the overall Budget position as a result of these changes as it only reflects a reallocation of expenditure between funding sources. For most affected agencies this has resulted in a reduction in certain Reserved by Law allocations, however, for Ministerial and Parliamentary Support there has been an increase in the Reserved by Law amount.
Salary payments to employees in the General Government Sector are made fortnightly. Usually this means that there are 26 pay days in each year. Approximately once every 11 years, there are 27 fortnightly pay days in a financial year with 2015‑16 being such a year. The Department of Health and Human Services makes its salary payments fortnightly on alternative weeks to the rest of the General Government Sector and was therefore not required to make a 27th pay in 2015‑16.
In 2015‑16, funding was provided to agencies for this additional cost from the Consolidated Fund. On a cash basis, this was reflected as an increase in 2015‑16 in the level of appropriation to agencies and in Employee benefits in the agency Statement of Cash Flows. However, on an accrual basis, there was no impact on the agency Statement of Comprehensive Income, as the additional cash payment was offset by a reduction in the accrued Employee benefits expense. The reduction in accrued Employee benefits expense was also reflected in the liability for Employee benefits in the agency Statement of Financial Position. It should also be noted that the impact of the 27th pay on the financial statements of some agencies may not have been apparent due to other movements in the financial statements.
The information provided in the Budget Papers has been prepared taking into account the following conventions.
· Figures in tables and in the text have been rounded. Discrepancies in tables between totals and sums of component items reflect rounding. Percentage changes in all tables are based on the underlying unrounded amounts.
· The notation used in the Budget Papers is as follows:
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na |
not available, or not applicable |
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…. |
zero, or rounded to zero |
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$'000 |
$ thousand |
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$m |
$ million |
Table A1.1: General Government Departments
Minister |
Portfolio |
Department |
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Hon Will Hodgman MP |
Premier |
Premier and Cabinet |
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Minister for Tourism, Hospitality and Events |
Tourism Tasmania |
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Minister for Sport and Recreation |
Premier and Cabinet |
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Minister for Aboriginal Affairs |
Premier and Cabinet |
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Hon Jeremy Rockliff MP |
Deputy Premier |
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Minister for Education and Training |
Education / Premier and Cabinet |
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Minister for Primary Industries and Water |
Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment |
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Hon Adam Brooks MP |
Minister for Building and Construction |
Justice |
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Minister for Mining |
State Growth |
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Minister for Racing |
Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment |
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Hon Michael Ferguson MP |
Minister for Health |
Health and Human Services |
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Minister for Information Technology and Innovation |
State Growth / Premier and Cabinet |
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Hon Dr Vanessa Goodwin MLC |
Attorney‑General |
Justice |
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Minister for Justice |
Justice |
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Minister for Corrections |
Justice |
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Minister for the Arts |
State Growth |
Table A1.1: General Government Departments (continued)
Minister |
Portfolio |
Department |
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Hon Matthew Groom MP |
Minister for State Growth |
State Growth |
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Minister for Energy |
State Growth |
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Minister for Environment, Parks and Heritage |
Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment / Premier and Cabinet |
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Hon Peter Gutwein MP |
Treasurer |
Treasury and Finance / Justice |
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Minister for Planning and Local Government |
Justice / Premier and Cabinet / Treasury and Finance / Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment |
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Minister for Forestry |
State Growth / Justice |
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Hon Rene Hidding MP |
Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Management |
Police, Fire and Emergency Management |
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Minister for Infrastructure |
State Growth |
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Hon Jacquie Petrusma MP |
Minister for Human Services |
Health and Human Services |
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Minister for Women |
Premier and Cabinet |
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These Statutory Authorities are established under specific legislation, which defines the purpose of the authority and the general functions for which it is responsible.
Table A1.2 identifies the current Ministerial portfolio allocations for the General Government Sector Authorities.
Table A1.2: General Government Sector Authorities
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Statutory Authority |
Portfolio Minister |
Portfolio Department |
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Inland Fisheries Service |
Hon Jeremy Rockliff MP |
Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment |
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Marine and Safety Tasmania |
Hon Rene Hidding MP |
State Growth |
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Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens |
Hon Matthew Groom MP |
Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment |
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State Fire Commission |
Hon Rene Hidding MP |
Police, Fire and Emergency Management |
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Tasmanian Health Service |
Hon Michael Ferguson MP |
Health and Human Services |
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TasTAFE |
Hon Jeremy Rockliff MP |
Education |
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