Purpose

The Portfolio Budget Statements (PB Statements) inform Members of Parliament and the public of the proposed allocation of resources to government outcomes.

They also assist the Senate Standing Committees with their examination of the Budget.

Agencies receive resources from the annual appropriations Acts, special appropriations (including standing appropriations and special accounts), and revenue from other sources.

A key role of the PB Statements is to facilitate the understanding of proposed annual appropriations in Appropriation Bills No. 1 and No. 2. The PB Statements are Budget‑related papers and are declared by the Appropriation Bills to be 'relevant documents' to the interpretation of the Acts according to section 15AB of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901.

The PB Statements provide information, explanation and justification to enable Parliament to understand the purpose of each outcome proposed in the Bills.

As required under section 12 of the Charter of Budget Honesty Act 1998, non-general government sector entities are not consolidated into the Commonwealth general government sector fiscal estimates and accordingly, these entities are not reported in the PB Statements.

Timing

The PB Statements are tabled in Parliament on Budget night at approximately 8:30 pm.

Entity Portfolio Budget Statements

The following Australian Government entities have Portfolio Budget Statements on their websites: