Estimates Debate — In Committee

I’ve got quite a bit to read out, members, so bear with me.

We turn first to the Appropriation (2019/20) Estimates Bill. The Standing Orders provide for 11 hours of debate on the Estimates, divided into 10 separate debates covering the sectors set out in the Estimates of Appropriations (2019/20). Each debate will be led by a call from the chairperson of the select committee nominated by the Government as the major committee reporting on the sector. Other calls are allocated to parties on a proportional basis and may be taken as parties see fit during the 10 sector debates. At the end of each debate, the question will be put that the votes in each sector stand part of the Schedules.

The times taken on each question is in the hands of members, depending on the parties’ use of their allocation of calls. However, this debate does expire after 11 hours. The Estimates debate should be relevant to the Government’s current spending plans as contained in the Estimates of Appropriations. All of the votes are available for debate, and a compendium of the reports of the select committees on the votes is available here on the Table.

Members will be aware of the joint venture package on family and sexual violence, which is funded under eight different votes, falling under three different sectors. The Finance and Expenditure Committee’s report on its briefing on the joint venture package has also been included in the compendium. In accordance with a determination of the Business Committee, members will be able to debate the joint venture package and the committee’s report as part of the debate on the social services and community sector.

I understand that it may be the Government’s intention to adjourn the debate at some time in order to move to other business. A motion to report progress on the bill must be moved on a call, not a point of order. Because the Estimates debate will run for a fixed period of time and the calls have been allocated proportionately, it would harm the proportionality of the debate to treat the motion to report progress as a member’s entire call. Therefore, when a member moves to report progress in this Estimates debate, the presiding officer will call on that member first when the debate resumes.

Colleagues, we come first to the votes in the economic development and infrastructure sector, B.5, volume 1. The question is that Vote Business, Science and Innovation and Vote Transport stand part of the Schedules, and it’s my understanding that the chairperson is not available today and therefore the deputy chairperson will be taking the call.

Economic Development and Infrastructure Sector