✦ Plain-English Summary

Appropriation (Coronavirus Economic Response Package) Bill (No. 1) 2019-2020

What it does

This bill authorises the government to spend additional money from the national budget specifically for coronavirus economic support measures. It's the legal mechanism that says "the government can now unlock these funds" — without it, the money can't actually be distributed.

Why it matters

This was Australia's first major financial response to COVID-19, so it funded things like JobKeeper, cash payments to households, and business support. Without this bill passing, those payments couldn't legally happen.

Key details

• Comes into effect immediately upon Royal Assent (the Governor-General's signature), so money could start flowing quickly during the crisis
• Money comes from the Consolidated Revenue Fund — this is the central government bank account, so no new borrowing needed to be authorised here (that came separately)
• The actual spending amounts and programs aren't detailed in this bill — they're listed in Schedule 1, which the excerpt doesn't show. This bill is just the legal permission slip; the real spending details were in separate legislation and government announcements

Committee Referrals

Senate Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Bills

No formal division recorded

This bill passed by voice vote — parliament agreed without calling a formal count. A division is only recorded when a member explicitly requests one.

No votes yet.

No votes were recorded for this bill.