1     Introduction

Key Issues

·       The Government has allocated significant additional funding in the 2017‑18 Budget to undertake a wide range of initiatives that will improve the delivery of services to the Tasmanian community. Together with the funding provided by the Government in previous Budgets, this new funding is providing strong support for the implementation of the Government's key priorities of jobs and economic growth; health and education; and supporting Tasmanians in need.

·       The new funding provided in this Budget has been allocated in the context of the ongoing achievement of all elements of the Government's established Fiscal Strategy. It is only through an improvement in the Government's Budget position, which now sees Net Operating Balance surpluses forecast over the Budget and Forward Estimates period, that new funding for services can be allocated in a sustainable and responsible manner.

·       This Budget Paper provides information on an entity‑by‑entity basis that supports the whole‑of‑government information provided in The Budget Budget Paper No 1. Most importantly, this Budget Paper provides detailed information on the services provided by entities (Outputs) and the key deliverables that are being undertaken by the entities over the Budget and Forward Estimates period. Volume 1 provides information about Government departments and Volume 2 comprises other General Government Sector entities.

·       Other information provided in this Budget Paper includes:

-   performance information that enables an assessment of the efficiency and effectiveness of agencies to be undertaken;

-   details of infrastructure projects being undertaken by agencies; and

-   detailed financial statements for the 2017‑18 Budget and Forward Estimates period for each agency.

·       Detailed information that assists in understanding the financial and other information provided in this Budget Paper and The Budget Budget Paper No 1, is provided in the Guide to the Budget available at www.treasury.tas.gov.au.


 

Budget Paper No 2 Information

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 2017‑18 and over the Forward Estimates period (2018‑19 to 2020‑21). 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 (2016‑17 Annual Reports will be available by 31 October 2017).

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.


 

Current Agency Presentation Issues

Additional commentary is provided in this chapter to assist in understanding the information provided on agencies in this Budget Paper. Comprehensive information on the Tasmanian Government financial management framework, the annual Budget process and the presentation of Budget Paper information is provided in the Guide to the Budget available at www.treasury.tas.gov.au. These issues include:

·       agency Output restructures since the 2016-17 Budget;

·       the presentation of agency key deliverables information; and

·       the presentation of agency performance information.

2017-18 Budget Agency Output Restructures

Agencies consider the presentation of Output information on an ongoing basis. From year to year, changes may be made to current agency Output structures with a view to more accurately representing the services being provided by the agency. Changes implemented in the 2017-18 Budget are detailed below. Consistent with the practice that has been adopted in prior years, the comparative financial information for restructured agencies for 2016‑17 is provided on the basis of the new agency structure.

Department of Health and Human Services

·       The former Output Group 8 Independent Children's Review Service has been renamed Independent Children's and Young Persons' Review Service.

·       The former Output 8.1 Office of the Commissioner for Children has been renamed Office of the Commissioner for Children and Young People.

Department of Justice

·       The former Output 3.4 Consumer Services and Output 3.5 Building and Occupational Licensing Services within the Department of Justice have been amalgamated into a new Output 4.4 Consumer, Building and Occupational Services.

·       The former Output Group 3 Corrections, Enforcement and Consumer Protection has been renamed Corrections and Enforcement.

Department of Premier and Cabinet

·       The former Output 3.1 Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Policy Development and Implementation has been renamed Information, Technology and Digital Services Strategy and Policy Development.

Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment

·       A new Output 3.5 Threatened Species has been created within the Department. This new Output has been created to reflect the responsibilities of the Environment and Parks Ministerial portfolio that were previously included within Output 3.1 Resource Management and Conservation.

Department of Treasury and Finance

·       A new Output 3.4 Office of the Superannuation Commission has been created within the Department. This Output comprises the provision of support to the Superannuation Commission in undertaking statutory functions under the Public Sector Superannuation Reform Act 2016; the Public Sector Superannuation Reform Regulations 2017; and the Public Sector Superannuation Reform (Parliamentary Superannuation) Regulations 2016.

Agency Key Deliverables

The information provided in this Budget Paper on key deliverables for each major agency reflects important information on the initiatives being announced by the Government in this Budget together with the other high priority initiatives being undertaken by agencies over the Budget and Forward Estimates period. These other high priority initiatives have either been funded by the Government in recent previous Budgets or are being funded by agencies from within existing resources. The Key Deliverables Table can also include a combination of recurrent and capital initiatives. Totals of the items in the table are therefore not provided. The Policy and Parameters table in chapter 4 of The Budget Budget Paper No 1 provides information on the specific new policy initiatives in this Budget.

Agency Performance Information

The public presentation of agency performance information is important in assisting an open and transparent assessment of agencies expenditure of funding provided through the Budget process. Agencies continually review performance measures based on a number of factors including national approaches to performance measurement, the availability of information and the changing nature of services. This leads to changes in the performance information for some agencies between Budgets.

The timing of the Budget process does not lend itself to the presentation of the most up to date performance information. Due to its presentation in May, actual results are not available for the current financial year and it is some time since the data for the previous financial year was published in agency annual reports or in national reporting documents. The 2017-18 Budget Papers therefore display two years of actual information, ending 2015‑16 and two years of targets, ending 2017‑18. The presentation of performance information in the Budget Papers is subject to ongoing review.

Agencies will next report on performance information in their 2016‑17 Annual Reports, due for release by 31 October 2017.


 

Conventions

The information presented 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:

na

not available, or not applicable

….

zero, or rounded to zero

$'000

$ thousand

$m

$ million


 

Appendix 1.1:     Ministerial Portfolio and Departmental Structure

Table A1.1:       General Government Departments1


Minister

Portfolio

Department

 

 

 

Hon Will Hodgman MP

Premier

Premier and Cabinet

 

Minister for Aboriginal Affairs

Premier and Cabinet

 

Minister for Heritage

Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment

 

Minister for Sport and Recreation

Premier and Cabinet

 

Minister for Tourism, Hospitality and Events

Tourism Tasmania

 

Acting Minister for the Arts

State Growth

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hon Jeremy Rockliff MP

Deputy Premier

 

 

Minister for Education and Training

Education / Premier and Cabinet

 

Minister for Primary Industries and Water

Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment

 

Minister for Racing

Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hon Guy Barnett MP

Minister for Building and Construction

Justice

 

Minister for Resources

State Growth / Justice

 

Acting Minister for Corrections

Justice

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hon Michael Ferguson MP

Minister for Health

Health and Human Services

 

Minister for Information Technology and Innovation

State Growth / Premier and Cabinet

 

 

 

Table A1.1:       General Government Departments (continued)1


Minister

Portfolio

Department

 

 

 

Hon Matthew Groom MP

Acting Attorney‑General

Justice

 

Acting Minister for Justice

Justice

 

Minister for Energy

State Growth / Treasury and Finance

 

Minister for Environment and Parks

Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment

 

Minister for State Growth

State Growth

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hon Peter Gutwein MP

Treasurer

Treasury and Finance / Justice

 

Minister for Planning and Local Government

Justice / Premier and Cabinet / Treasury and Finance / Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hon Rene Hidding MP

Minister for Infrastructure

State Growth

 

Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Management

Police, Fire and Emergency Management

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hon Jacquie Petrusma MP

Minister for Human Services

Health and Human Services

 

Minister for Women

Premier and Cabinet

 

 

 

Note:

1.   Table A1.1 illustrates the current Ministerial portfolio and departmental structure of the Tasmanian Government under the Administrative Arrangements Order 2017.

General Government Sector Authorities

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

Statutory Authority

Portfolio Minister

Portfolio Department

Inland Fisheries Service

Hon Jeremy Rockliff MP

Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment

Marine and Safety Tasmania

Hon Rene Hidding MP

State Growth

Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens

Hon Matthew Groom MP

Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment

State Fire Commission

Hon Rene Hidding MP

Police, Fire and Emergency Management

Tasmanian Health Service

Hon Michael Ferguson MP

Health and Human Services

TasTAFE

Hon Jeremy Rockliff MP

Education