• PROGRAMS

• STUDENTS

• TEACHERS

• FRIENDS & COLLEAGUES

• FAQ

You are here: Home > Students > Fact Sheet Series > 42 Estimates

• Students contents
• Kidsview
• Fact Sheet Series
• Closer Look Series
  • The Australian Constitution
  • A Multi-tiered System: governing Australia
  • A Short History of Parliament
  • A Comparison of the Australian and United States Federal Legislatures
  • Australia's Parliament House
  • The First Parliament of Australia: the ceremony
• Image Library
  • The Parliament
  • Parliament in Action
  • The House of Representatives
  • The Senate
  • The Government
  • Important People
  • The Law
  • Representing Australia
  • Australia's Parliament House
  • History
• Parliamentary Glossary
  • A-B
  • C-D
  • E-G
  • H-L
  • M-O
  • P-Q
  • R-S
  • T-Z
• Parliament NOW
  • Senate NOW
  • House of Representatives NOW

Fact Sheets in alphabetical order A Day in Parliament A Day in the Life of an MP Adjournment Debate Amendments Bills and Acts Budget Cabinet Clerk Coalition Coat of Arms Constitution Crossing the Floor Despatch Box Double Dissolution Elections Estimates Federation Frontbenchers & Backbenchers Functions of Parliament Governor-General Hansard House of Representatives Independents Inside Parliament House Joint Sitting of Parliament Leader of the Opposition Mace Main Committee Media Members of Parliament Ministers Ministers & Shadow Ministers Parliament House Facts Parliamentary Committees Party Leadership Party Meetings Party Whip Passing a Bill Petitions Political Party Preparing a Bill for Parliament President of the Senate Prime Minister Private Members & Senators Prorogation & Dissolution Question Time Senate Senators Separation of Powers Serjeant-at-Arms Speaker Speaker's Chair Standing Orders Three Levels of Government Usher of the Black Rod Where Bills Come From Fact Sheets in numerical order 01 The Coat of Arms 02 Despatch Box 03 The Speaker's Chair 04 The Usher of the Black Rod 05 Adjournment Debate 06 Amendments 07 Party Leadership 08 Main Committee 09 Party Meetings 10 The Serjeant-at-Arms 11 The Mace 12 Coalition 13 Prorogation & Dissolution 14 Independents 15 Leader of the Opposition 16 President of the Senate 17 The Governor-General 18 House of Representatives 19 Cabinet 20 Members of Parliament 21 Ministers & Shadow Ministers 22 Political Party 23 The Prime Minister 24 The Media 25 The Senate 26 The Party Whip 27 A Day in Parliament 28 Bills & Acts 29 Functions of Parliament 30 The Speaker 31 The Consitution 32 Senators 33 Double Dissolution 34 Federation 35 Separation of Powers 36 Passing a Bill 37 Frontbenchers & Backbenchers 38 Crossing the Floor 39 Question Time 40 A Day in the Life of an MP 41 Elections 42 Estimates 43 Parliament House Facts 44 Hansard 45 Inside Parliament House 46 Joint Sitting of Parliament 47 Private Members & Senators 48 Ministers 49 Parliamentary Committees 50 Petitions 51 Preparing a Bill for Parliament 52 Standing Orders 53 The Budget 54 The Clerk 55 Three Levels of Government 56 Where Bills Come From

42 Estimates

Estimates are also known as the Estimates Committees or Senate Estimates, in which senators examine or scrutinise how the government is spending Commonwealth funds. The senators focus on how government funds have been spent recently and on government spending plans for the future. The committees are called ‘estimates’ because it examines what the government estimates it will collect and spend in the current financial year.

Estimates hearings are held twice a year, usually soon after the government presents its annual budget to the Parliament in May, and then half way through the financial year, in about December. Senate Estimates hearings last for two weeks on both occasions. All hearings are open to the media and the public, and are televised live. There are separate sessions or hearings for each government department and often last several days. Hearings begin at 9am and continue until 11pm each day with four committees running simultaneously. Since Estimates are a formal meeting of the Parliament, Hansard records and publishes all statements and debates in the hearings for public information and scrutiny.

Before the public meeting of an Estimates Committee, the panel of senators from all parties scrutinise the budget statements. These are documents that have been presented by the Treasurer to the Parliament in May and contain very detailed lists of all the main items of income and expenditure for the financial year which, in Australia, runs from July to June.

After the senators have studied the Budget documents, there is a formal meeting or hearing of the committee with the minister whose departmental Budget they are scrutinising. The minister is assisted by senior officials from the department. The Senate panel sit along the side of one table, while the minister, flanked by department officials, sits facing the panel at another table.

Senators ask the minister and officials about specific items of income and expenditure, how the programs are being administered, as well as government policy. Only ministers who are senators are required to attend and answer for the government. Senate ministers therefore have to represent ministers who sit in the House of Representatives. In these cases, the Senate minister may not know a great deal about a specific department or portfolio and may rely upon the departmental officials to know all the details of the department’s budget.

Estimates proceedings attract great public attention because there are often discussions and disagreements between the Opposition senators on the panel and the minister representing the executive government. Opposition and minor party senators use Estimates to find out more about what they think the government is trying to conceal. Under detailed questioning from non government senators, the government and its department officials often reveal details about government actions that have previously not been made public.

Estimates hearings are a major activity of the Parliament, whose task is to scrutinise and review the work of executive government. Since the government cannot legally spend money without the approval of the Parliament, the Parliament insists that it knows, in detail, about how funds are collected and spent.

Download: 42 Estimates [184KB]

top

• site index
• privacy
• disclaimer
• copyright
• accessibility
• Parliament of Australia website

Address: Parliamentary Education Office PO Box 6100 Parliament House Canberra ACT AUSTRALIA 2600

Telephone: + 61 2 6277 3147 Facsimile: + 61 2 6277 5775 Email: info@peo.gov.au

Website feedback: webmaster@peo.gov.au Last update: 30-Jun-2008