Victorian Numbered Acts

PARLIAMENTARY BUDGET OFFICER ACT 2017 (NO. 27 OF 2017) - SECT 27

    (1)     After each general election, the Parliamentary Budget Officer must prepare a report setting out—

        (a)     the cost of the operations of the Parliamentary Budget Officer and the Parliamentary Budget Office during the election costing period; and

        (b)     how many members of staff are employed or engaged during the election costing period in accordance with section 17; and

        (c)     how many consultants are engaged during the election costing period in accordance with section 18; and

        (d)     the number of election policy costing requests received and the number of election policy costings prepared; and

        (e)     the number of pre-election reports prepared; and

        (f)     any significant issues or problems encountered in dealing with election policy costing requests or preparing election policy costings or pre-election reports; and

        (g)     each statement publicly released in accordance with a request under section 38(2) or 40(2) in relation to the election costings period; and

        (h)     subject to subsection (2)—

              (i)     the number of times the Parliamentary Budget Officer decided, under section 37(5), to stop preparing an election policy costing for the election costings period (excluding decisions for which a statement was released under section 38); and

              (ii)     the number of times the Parliamentary Budget Officer decided, under section 39(6), to stop preparing a pre-election report for the election costings period (excluding decisions for which a statement was released under section 40); and

              (iii)     the number of times that the Parliamentary Budget Officer decided, under section 43(2)(a), to defer the exercise of a function under section 45 or 47 in relation to the election costings period; and

              (iv)     the number of times that the Parliamentary Budget Officer decided, under section 43(2)(b), to decline to exercise a function under section 45 or  47 in relation to the election costings period; and

              (i)     any recommendations for the future operations of the Parliamentary Budget Officer and the Parliamentary Budget Office; and

        (j)     any other information the Parliamentary Budget Officer considers appropriate.

    (2)     The Parliamentary Budget Officer must not include in the report of PBO operations any information that enables the identification of—

        (a)     a parliamentary leader who was informed that the Officer would stop preparing an election policy costing (unless the parliamentary leader requested the public release of a statement under section 38(2)); or

        (b)     a parliamentary leader who was informed that the Officer would stop preparing a pre-election report (unless the parliamentary leader requested the public release of a statement under section 40(2)); or

        (c)     a person who requested the exercise of a function under section 45 or 47 that was deferred or declined under section 43(2); or

        (d)     the nature of a request referred to in paragraph (c).

    (3)     The Parliamentary Budget Officer must give the report of PBO operations to the chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee before the later of—

        (a)     the day that is 3 months after the date of the general election; or

        (b)     the first day on which a member of the Parliamentary Committee is elected chairperson.

    (4)     The chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee must cause the report of PBO operations to be laid before each House of Parliament on the first sitting day of that House after the chairperson receives it.