There are a lot of numbers in a federal budget. But we’re not allowed to see all of them. Josh Frydenberg’s budget contains a raft of measures where the value is “not for publication” — either because of commercial, national security, or legal reasons. Here are a few of the key ones.
Cashless debit card
The government will continue to fund a controversial cashless debit card, but won’t tell us by how much because of “ongoing negotiations with potential commercial partners”. It’s pretty much the same story as last year.
Rum Jungle
The government is spending money rehabilitating the uranium mine at Rum Jungle, Northern Territory. But the cost is undisclosed because of commercial sensitivities.
Decommissioning oil fields
The receipts of a levy on offshore oil production to cover the costs of decommissioning the Laminaria-Corallina oilfields in the Timor Sea won’t be revealed because of commercial sensitivities.
Davis aerodrome project
Planning decisions around the Davis aerodrome in Antarctica are not for publication because of commercial-in-confidence sensitivities.
Funding for additional WHS legal services
The financial impact of extended workplace discrimination legal services under the government’s Respect@Work Report response is kept secret due to ongoing negotiations with the states and territories.
Review into staffers
Funding provided to the Department of Finance to provide support for parliamentary staff, including work health and safety and counselling, is undisclosed due to commercial sensitivities.
Enhanced trade and strategic capabilities
The amount of funding given to the Attorney-General’s Department and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to support exporters and enhance trade is not for publication because of legal and national security sensitivities.
Vaccines
A few vaccine things won’t be disclosed. We don’t know how much the government paid in advance purchase agreements for 30 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine because of commercial sensitivities. Funding to the Department of Industry to develop onshore mRNA vaccine capacity is undisclosed because of commercial sensitivities — although we know the government gave McKinsey a $2.2 million contract to work out the business case.
Adult Migrant English Program
A Home Affairs-administered program to teach adult migrants English will link their provider payments to their student outcomes. But the financial implications are kept quiet because of commercial sensitivities.
Child abuse responses
The costs of resolving litigation for claims brought by child migrants related to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse is hidden due to legal sensitivities. Meanwhile, further support for delivering the national redress scheme to survivors of institutional child abuse is secret because of negotiations between with the states and territories. Similarly, settlement costs for claims made by residents of the Garden Point Mission in the Northern Territory between 1940 and 1969 is undisclosed due to legal sensitivities.
Oil capacity
Funding over nine years to strengthen domestic oil refining capacity and improve fuel security is secret because of commercial sensitivities.
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