Appropriation (No. 3) 2020-2021

# Appropriation (No. 3) 2020-2021 — Plain English Breakdown ## What it does This bill authorises the Australian Government to spend additional money from the national budget for its day-to-day operations during 2020-2021. It's essentially a supplementary spending bill — like getting approval to spend extra money that wasn't in the original budget plan. ## Why it matters Governments can't just spend money whenever they want; Parliament has to vote and approve it first. This bill gave the government the legal green light to access extra funds for services and programs that needed more money than originally budgeted during that financial year. ## Key details - **Comes into effect immediately** — The bill became law as soon as it received Royal Assent (the Governor-General's signature), with no waiting period - **Covers all government departments and agencies** — The actual spending breakdown is listed in Schedule 1, which specifies which departments get what extra funding - **Gives the Finance Minister flexibility** — The bill includes provisions allowing the Finance Minister to advance additional funds if needed, giving some room to adjust spending as circumstances change

🔒 Voting closed — this bill has been decided by parliament