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2019-2020-2021
THE PARLIAMENT OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Charter of Budget Honesty Amendment
(Rural and Regional Australia Statements) Bill 2021
EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM
and
STATEMENT OF COMPATIBILITY WITH HUMAN RIGHTS
Circulated by authority of
Dr Helen Haines MP
Charter of Budget Honesty Amendment
(Rural and Regional Australia Statements) Bill 2021
OUTLINE
The purpose of the bill is to ensure that the obligations imposed on Government in the
Charter of Budget Honesty Act 1998 include an obligation to publicly release and table
regular rural and regional Australia statements that are evidence-based and ensure
tangible benefits are delivered to rural and regional communities in the context of a new,
comprehensive national white paper for rural and regional Australia to be developed and
published within 24 months of commencement of this Act.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The bill will have no financial impact.
NOTES ON CLAUSES
Clause 1: Short Title
This clause provides for the citation of the Act as the Charter of Budget Honesty
Amendment (Rural and Regional Australia Statements) Act 2021.
Clause 2: Commencement
This clause provides for the commencement of all Sections of the Act the day after the Act
receives Royal Assent.
Clause 3: Schedules
This clause establishes that, as the intent of the Bill is to be realised through amendments
to other Acts, the Schedules of this Bill will amend those Acts accordingly.
Schedule 1 - Amendments
Charter of Budget Honesty Act 1998
Item 1 of Schedule 1:
Item 1 proposes an obligation upon the Treasurer to publicly release and table rural and
regional Australia statements together with each budget economic and fiscal outlook report
and each mid-year economic and fiscal outlook report.
Item 2 of Schedule 1:
Item 2 inserts a new Part 5A - Regional Australia Statements after existing Part 5 Annual
Government Reporting of the Charter of Budget Honesty Act 1998.
Section 19A outlines the public release and tabling of rural and regional Australia
statements by the Treasurer with each budget economic and fiscal outlook report and
each mid-year economic and fiscal outlook report.
Section 19B outlines the purpose of rural and regional Australia statements to provide
information to allow the assessment of the impact of Government initiatives and decisions
on rural and regional Australia.
Section 19C details the contents of the rural and regional Australia statements, including
the economic, social, cultural, and environmental impacts on rural and regional Australia of
key Government initiatives.
In particular, it requires the Government to specify how its measures capitalise on the
unique potential and opportunities that exist in rural and regional Australia (including
initiatives to increase migration to rural and regional Australia, decentralision and business
innovation) using robust and recent quantitative data.
It also requires the Government to explain why and how any Government initiatives have a
detrimental impact on rural and regional Australia.
Section 19D allows for the Treasurer to request Commonwealth bodies to provide
information to help in the preparation of regional Australia statements and that the
Commonwealth body is to provide the information in time to allow the information to be
taken into account in the preparation of the statements.
Section 19E requires the Treasurer to publish a national white paper for rural and regional
Australia within 24 months after the commencement of this section, and to update that
what paper every 24 months thereafter.
Dr Helen Haines MP
STATEMENT OF COMPATIBILITY WITH HUMAN RIGHTS
Prepared in accordance with Part 3 of the Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Act 2011
Charter of Budget Honesty Amendment (Rural and Regional Australia Statements)
Bill 2021
This bill is compatible with the human rights and freedoms recognised or declared in the
international instruments listed in section 3 of the Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny)
Act 2011.
Overview of the bill
The purpose of the bill is to ensure that the obligations imposed on Government in the
Charter of Budget Honesty Act 1998 include an obligation to publicly release and table
regular rural and regional Australia statements that are evidence-based and ensure
tangible benefits are delivered to rural and regional communities in the context of a
national strategy.
Human rights implications
This bill does not engage any of the applicable rights or freedoms.
Conclusion
This bill is compatible with human rights because it does not raise any human rights
issues.
Dr Helen Haines MP