A $2 million calculation mistake has been uncovered in an emergency spending bill, just hours after the legislation cleared Tasmania’s lower house this morning.
The error was found in Supply Bill No. 1, which Treasurer Guy Barnett tabled to keep the lights on while the state heads to an early election following last week’s no-confidence vote in Premier Jeremy Rockliff.
The $4.583 billion emergency budget contains a significant error in its calculations, with the mistake lying within the Department of Premier and Cabinet’s allocation.
Eight separate ministerial budgets were listed correctly but weren’t properly added up for the department’s total.
When properly calculated, the budgets total $184.162 million. However, the official document lists the department’s total spending as just $182.162 million – a shortfall of $2 million.
The mistake appears to be a simple typo. The total $4.583 billion expenditure authorised by the bill remains accurate.
Supply bills act as stopgap funding, keeping essential services afloat while a full budget is still in the works. In this case, the legislation is meant to carry Tasmania through until a new government is formed after the looming state election.
The upper house was being briefed on the bill earlier this afternoon, having broken for lunch at 1pm.
Labor MLC Luke Edmunds said the mistake had “held today’s proceedings up by hours”.
“Bringing the parliament back for a day to pass essential budget bills should have been a mere formality, but not for Jeremy Rockliff’s minority government,” he said.
