Accessing Emergency Funding to Meet Urgent Claims

The Treasurer's Advance gives parliamentary and legal authority to the government to access funds to meet urgent expenditure claims.

By its nature, it is not aligned to any agency or output. Consequently, it is not subject to the parliamentary scrutiny that applies to the rest of the budget before it is spent.

Instead, Parliament can only authorise its use after any funds are spent. Due to this, there should be strong processes and controls over access to this funding and clear accountability to Parliament and the community on its use.