Standing Orders — Sessional

I move, That the House adopt the following sessional order to support the implementation of the amendments to the Public Finance Act 1989, made by the Parliament (Repeals and Amendments) Act 2025, in respect of the treatment of the Office of the Clerk and the Parliamentary Service under that Act:

PARLIAMENTARY AGENCIES

1 Definitions

For the purposes of these rules—

Act means the Public Finance Act 1989

motion means a motion for an address to the Governor-General made under section 26EB of the Act to—

(a) commend estimates and capital injection for each parliamentary agency:

(b) request that the estimates be included in a Vote, and capital injection be authorised, in an Appropriation bill

parliamentary agency means a parliamentary agency within the meaning of the Act

recommendation means a recommendation made by the Officers of Parliament

Committee under Rule 2(1).

Functions of Officers of Parliament Committee

(1) The Officers of Parliament Committee considers and recommends to the House, in respect of each parliamentary agency,—

(a) an estimate of appropriations to be included in a Vote, and capital injection (if any) to be authorised, in an Appropriation bill, and

(b) any alteration to such a Vote or capital injection.

(2) A recommendation may be made under paragraph (1) only in respect of an appropriation or authorisation to which section 26EB of the Act applies.

(3) The function set out in paragraph (1) is additional to any other functions of the Officers of Parliament Committee.

3 Financial veto

(1) The Government may certify that it does not concur in a recommendation, motion, or amendment to a motion, because, in its view, estimates or capital injection proposed in the recommendation, motion, or amendment would have more than a minor impact on the Government’s fiscal aggregates if they were included in an Appropriation bill.

(2) A certificate by the Government under paragraph (1) must state with some particularity the nature of the impact on the fiscal aggregates and the reason why the Government does not concur in the recommendation, motion, or amendment.

(3) Standing Orders 334(1), 335(3) to (5), and 336(4) apply to a certificate by the Government under paragraph (1), and are read accordingly.

4 Annual reviews of parliamentary agencies

(1) This rule comes into effect on 1 July 2026.

(2) Each parliamentary agency is an organisation that is subject to annual review.

(3) Standing Orders 256(2) and 353 to 358A are read accordingly.

Motion agreed to.