Budget Measures
Budget Paper No. 2
2017-18
Circulated by
The Honourable Scott Morrison MP
Treasurer of the Commonwealth of Australia
and
Senator the Honourable Mathias Cormann
Minister for Finance of the Commonwealth of Australia
For the information of honourable members
on the occasion of the Budget 201718
9 May 2017
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© Commonwealth of Australia 2017
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Foreword
Budget Paper No.2, Budget Measures 201718 ensures that the Budget Papers provide comprehensive information on all Government decisions that involve changes to its revenue, expense and investing activities since the MidYear Economic and Fiscal Outlook201617.
Budget Paper No. 2 comprises three parts:
• Part 1: Revenue Measures
• Part 2: Expense Measures
• Part 3: Capital Measures
Revenue measures are defined as those measures that affect taxation or nontaxation revenues (on a Government Finance Statistics basis).
Expense measures are defined as those measures that affect expenses (on a Government Finance Statistics basis).
Capital measures are defined as those measures that affect net capital investment, defined as the change in nonfinancial assets. Capital measures that fall outside of this definition, such as equity injections or loans used for purposes other than investment in nonfinancial assets, are shown as having a zero impact on the fiscal balance.
Notes
(a) The following definitions are used in this Budget Paper:
– ‘real’ means adjusted for the effect of inflation;
– real growth in expenses is calculated using the consumer price index(CPI) as the deflator;
– the Budget year refers to 201718, while the forward years refer to 201819, 201920 and 202021; and
– one billion is equal to one thousand million.
(b) Figures in tables and generally in the text have been rounded. Discrepancies in tables between totals and sums of components are due to rounding.
– estimates under $100,000 are rounded to the nearest thousand;
– estimates $100,000 and over are generally rounded to the nearest tenth of a million; and
– estimates midway between rounding points are rounded up.
(c) For the budget balance, a negative sign indicates a deficit while no sign indicates a surplus.
(d) The following notations are used:
nilna / not applicable
.. / not zero, but rounded to zero
$m / millions of dollars
$b / billions of dollars
nfp / not for publication
COAG / Council of Australian Governments
AEST / Australian Eastern Standard Time
NEC/nec / not elsewhere classified
* / The nature of this measure is such that a reliable estimate cannot be provided.
(e) The Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory are referred to as ‘theTerritories’. References to the ‘States’ or ‘each State’ include the Territories. The following abbreviations are used for the names of the States, where appropriate:
NSW / New South WalesVIC / Victoria
QLD / Queensland
WA / Western Australia
SA / South Australia
TAS / Tasmania
ACT / Australian Capital Territory
NT / Northern Territory
(f) In this paper, the term ‘Commonwealth’ refers to the Commonwealth of Australia. The term is used when referring to the legal entity of the Commonwealth of Australia.
The term ‘Australian Government’ is used when referring to the Government and the decisions and activities made by the Government on behalf of the Commonwealth of Australia.
Budget Paper No.2, Budget Measures 201718 is one of a series of Budget Papers that provides information to supplement the Budget Speech. A full list of the series is printed on the inside cover of this paper.
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Contents
Part 1: Revenue Measures 1
Agriculture and Water Resources 7
Communications and the Arts 9
Education and Training 10
Environment and Energy 10
Finance 11
Immigration and Border Protection 12
Infrastructure and Regional Development 19
Treasury 20
Part 2: Expense Measures 41
Agriculture and Water Resources 61
AttorneyGeneral’s 64
Communications and the Arts 72
Cross Portfolio 75
Defence 79
Education and Training 80
Employment 91
Environment and Energy 94
Finance 98
Foreign Affairs and Trade 101
Health 104
Immigration and Border Protection 126
Industry, Innovation and Science 129
Infrastructure and Regional Development 132
Parliament 137
Prime Minister and Cabinet 138
Social Services 143
Treasury 160
Veterans’ Affairs 174
Part 3: Capital Measures 181
Finance 187
Health 188
Infrastructure and Regional Development 189
Treasury 190
Table of measures by portfolio
Agriculture and Water Resources 7
Changes to agricultural production levies 7
Communications and the Arts 9
Broadcasting and Content Reform Package — replacing broadcast licence fees with broadcast spectrum pricing 9
Education and Training 10
Australian Skills Quality Authority — establishment of registration levy 10
National Emissions Standards for NonRoad Spark Ignition Engines and Equipment — cost recovery 10
Environment and Energy 10
National Emissions Standard for Non-Road Spark Ignition Engines and Equipment — cost recovery 10
Finance 11
Future Fund — timing of drawdowns 11
Immigration and Border Protection 12
Aligning the tax treatment of roll your own tobacco and cigarettes 12
Better targeting skilled visas 13
Community Support Programme — establishment 15
Indexation of visa application charges 15
IndonesiaAustralia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement — elimination of tariffs on pesticides and herbicides 16
Skilling Australians Fund levy — introduction 16
Temporary sponsored parent visa — establishment 17
Infrastructure and Regional Development 19
University of the Sunshine Coast, Moreton Bay Campus — concessional loan 19
Treasury 20
Additional funding for addressing serious and organised crime in the tax system 20
Commonwealth contribution to Bourke Street Fund 20
Extending tax relief for merging superannuation funds 21
Extending the immediate deductibility threshold for small businesses 21
Finalisation of the Industry Funding Model for the Australian Securities and Investments Commission 22
GST — removing the double taxation of digital currency 22
Indirect Tax Concession Scheme — diplomatic and consular concessions 23
Major bank levy — introduction 24
Personal income tax — increase in the Medicare levy — National Disability Insurance Scheme 24
Personal income tax — increasing the Medicare levy lowincome thresholds 25
Reducing Pressure on Housing Affordability — affordable housing through Managed Investment Trusts 26
Reducing Pressure on Housing Affordability — annual charge on foreign owners of underutilised residential property 27
Reducing Pressure on Housing Affordability — capital gains tax changes for foreign investors 27
Reducing Pressure on Housing Affordability — contributing the proceeds of downsizing to superannuation 28
Reducing Pressure on Housing Affordability — disallow the deduction of travel expenses for residential rental property 29
Reducing Pressure on Housing Affordability — expanding tax incentives for investments in affordable housing 29
Reducing Pressure on Housing Affordability — first home super saver scheme 30
Reducing Pressure on Housing Affordability — limit plant and equipment depreciation deductions to outlays actually incurred by investors 30
Reducing Pressure on Housing Affordability — restrict foreign ownership in new developments to no more than 50 per cent 31
Streamlining and enhancing the foreign investment framework 32
Strengthening Penalties under the Australian Consumer Law 33
Superannuation — integrity of limited recourse borrowing arrangements 33
Superannuation — integrity of nonarm’s length arrangements 34
Tax Integrity Package — application of the OECD hybrid mismatch rules to regulatory capital 34
Tax Integrity Package — Black Economy Taskforce: extension of the taxable payments reporting system to contractors in the courier and cleaning industries 35
Tax Integrity Package — Black Economy Taskforce: one year extension of funding for ATO audit and compliance activities 35
Tax Integrity Package — Black Economy Taskforce: prohibition on sales suppression technology and software 36
Tax Integrity Package — combatting fraud in the precious metals industry 37
Tax Integrity Package — improving the integrity of GST on property transactions 38
Tax Integrity Package — improving the small business capital gains tax concessions 38
Tax Integrity Package — toughening the multinational antiavoidance law 39
Agriculture and Water Resources 61
Domestic Ballast Water — cost recovery 61
Farm Business Concessional Loans Scheme — extension of eligibility 61
Funding for Border Services at New International Airports 62
Livestock Exports Global Assurance Program 62
Regional Investment Corporation — establishment 63
Strengthening Australia’s Food Safety System 63
AttorneyGeneral’s 64
AsiaPacific Economic Cooperation 2018 — support for meetings in PapuaNewGuinea 64
Australian Victims of Terrorism Overseas Payment 64
Disaster Relief 65
Disaster Resilience Program — extension 65
Family Law Courts — improving risk identification and management 66
Legal Assistance Services — additional funding 66
Managing National Security Risks in Critical Infrastructure 67
National Fire Danger Rating System 67
National Security — Australia New Zealand CounterTerrorism Committee 68
National Security — Australian Federal Police — additional resourcing 68
National Security — Australian Security Intelligence Organisation — additional funding 69
Parenting Management Hearings — establishment 69
Schools Security Programme — extension 70
Solomon Islands Police Development Program — establishment 70
Specialist Domestic Violence Units — expansion 71
Communications and the Arts 72
Australia Council — additional funding 72
Broadband Performance Monitoring and Reporting Program — establishment 72
Broadcasting and Content Reform Package — funding for Australian film and television content and SBS 73
Community Broadcasting — funding for community radio 74
Cross Portfolio 75
Overseas Allowances for Australian Government Employees — efficiencies 75
Public Service Modernisation Fund — transformation and innovation stream 75
Public Service Modernisation Fund — agency sustainability 76
Unlegislated Budget Repair Measures — not proceeding 77
Defence 79
Defence Force Ombudsman — continuation and expansion 79
Department of Defence — efficiencies 79
Education and Training 80
Central Coast Health and Medical Campus — additional funding 80
Closing the Gap — English language learning for Indigenous children trial 80
Family Day Care — further improving integrity 80
Framework for Open Learning Program — efficiencies 81
Higher Education Reform — a fairer and studentfocused higher education system 81
Higher Education Reform — a more sustainable higher education sector 83
Industry Specialist Mentoring for Australian Apprentices — establishment 84
Industry Workforce Training Program — efficiencies 84
IT System to Support VET Student Loans 85
Jobs for Families Package — Budget Based Funded services — continuation 85
Jobs for Families Package — upper income threshold 86
National Innovation and Science Agenda — Research Infrastructure Investment Plan — development 86
National Partnership Agreement on Universal Access to Early Childhood Education — extension 87
Quality Schools — true needsbased funding for Australia’s schools 87
Rural and Regional Enterprise Scholarships — establishment 89
Skilling Australians Fund 89
Skills for Education and Employment Program — efficiencies 90
Employment 91
Better Targeting of Assistance to Support Jobseekers 91
Closing the Gap — Employment Services — additional funding 92
ParentsNext — national expansion 93
Environment and Energy 94
Adaptation Partnership 94
Bureau of Meteorology — improved security and resilience 94
Energy for the Future — energy use data model for better forecasting 95
Energy for the Future — gas supply and affordability 95
Energy for the Future — solar thermal in Port Augusta 96
National Landcare Programme — continuation 97
Finance 98
Australian Electoral Commission — restructure of the Northern Territory office 98
Australian Hearing Services — ownership arrangements 98
Electoral Reforms — advertising authorisation regime 98
Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority — establishment 99
Life Gold Pass — abolition 100
Foreign Affairs and Trade 101
Australia’s Diplomatic Engagement and Security Arrangements in Afghanistan — continuation 101
Australia’s Diplomatic Engagement and Security Arrangements in Iraq — continuation 101
Centralised Management of the Commonwealth’s Overseas Property Portfolio 102
Maintaining the Level of Official Development Assistance 102
National Security — Australian Secret Intelligence Service — additional funding 103
Queensland Tourism Cyclone Debbie Recovery Package 103
Health 104
Ban on Cosmetic Testing on Animals — implementation 104
BreastScreen Australia Program — additional support 104
Cancer Screening — Victorian Cytology Service — continuation 105
Child Dental Benefits Schedule — increased cap 105
Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games — additional Australian Government support 106
Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games — support for athletes 107
Greater Choice for At Home Palliative Care 107
Guaranteeing Medicare — aligning reciprocal health care 107
Guaranteeing Medicare — development of the Health Care Homes trial 108
Guaranteeing Medicare — Medical Services Advisory Committee — continuation 108
Guaranteeing Medicare — Medicare Benefits Schedule — improved compliance 108