Authorisation pending enactment of Annual Appropriation Act

1) This section applies, in accordance with section 178 of the Constitution, if the Annual Appropriation Act for a financial year has not come into operation by the beginning of the year.

2) The Minister may authorise government expenditure for the ordinary services of the Government in advance of appropriation, and that expenditure may be incurred and paid accordingly.

3) The total amounts involved in authorisations for the financial year under this section for the ordinary services of the Government must not exceed one-third of the appropriations made for the ordinary services of the Government in respect of the preceding financial year.

4) The Minister is to allocate the amounts involved in authorisations under this section to particular heads of appropriation and appropriation categories.

5) The amounts of expenditure referred to in this section are taken to be appropriated, without further appropriation than this Act, pending the coming into operation of the Annual Appropriation Act for the financial year.

6) On the coming into operation of the Annual Appropriation Act for the financial year, the amounts involved in authorisations under this section for the year and already withdrawn are taken to have been appropriated to the heads of appropriation and appropriation categories referred to in subsection (3) and to have been withdrawn in accordance with that Act.

(Financial Management Act 2004 s(23))