Whole Act
132 provisions in continuous reading order
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The purposes of this Act are—
to improve financial administration of the public sector;
to make better provision for the accountability of the public sector;
to provide for annual reporting to the Parliament by departments and public sector bodies.
Part 1 and sections 60 and 61 come into operation on the day on which this Act receives the Royal Assent.
The remaining provisions of this Act come into operation on 1 July 1994.
In this Act—
S. 3 def. of accountable officer amended by No. 75/1994 s. 5(1)(a)(i)(ii), substituted by Nos 69/2013 s. 11(b), 11/2026 s. 93(a).
accountable officer has the meaning given by section 42;
accounting records includes—
invoices, receipts, orders for the payment of money, bills of exchange, cheques, promissory notes, vouchers and other documents of prime entry; and
such working papers and other documents as are necessary to explain the methods and calculations by which accounts are made up;
S. 3 def. of authorised deposit-taking institution inserted by No. 11/2001 s. 3(Sch. item 26.1).
authorised deposit-taking institution has the same meaning as in the Banking Act 1959 of the Commonwealth;
authority means—
a department; or
a person or body prescribed as an authority for the purposes of this Act;
S. 3 def. of Board inserted by No. 75/1994 s. 5(1)(b), amended by No. 30/2025 s. 3(2), repealed by No. 11/2026 s. 93(c).
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S. 3 def. of business day inserted by No. 43/2004 s. 4.
business day means a day other than a Saturday, a Sunday or a public holiday appointed under the Public Holidays Act 1993;
S. 3 def. of chief finance and accounting officer amended as chief finance officer by No. 30/2025 s. 3(3).
chief finance officer, in relation to an authority or public body, means the person designated as that officer for the purposes of section 43;
S. 3 def. of Court Services Victoria inserted by No. 1/2014 s. 63(b).
Court Services Victoria means Court Services Victoria established under section 5 of the Court Services Victoria Act 2014;
S. 3 def. of Courts Council inserted by No. 1/2014 s. 63(b).
Courts Council means the Courts Council established under section 10 of the Court Services Victoria Act 2014;
S. 3 def. of department substituted by No. 46/1998 s. 7(Sch. 1), amended by Nos 108/2004 s. 117(1) (Sch. 3 item 77.1), 37/2014 s. 10(Sch. item 62), 30/2025 s. 3(4).
department means—
a department within the meaning of the Public Administration Act 2004;
a prescribed office;
S. 3 def. of Department Head inserted by No. 30/2025 s. 3(1).
Department Head means—
in relation to a department within the meaning of the Public Administration Act 2004, a person employed as the Department Head of that department under section 12 of that Act; and
in relation to a prescribed office, the prescribed officer for the prescribed office;
enactment means a rule, regulation, by-law, order, Order in Council, proclamation or other instrument of a legislative character;
S. 3 def. of financial accommoda-tion inserted by No. 43/1995 s. 8.
financial accommodation has the same meaning as in the Borrowing and Investment Powers Act 1987;
S. 3 def. of financial year amended by No. 75/1994 s. 5(1)(c).
financial year means—
in relation to a public body—
if the Minister has made a determination under section 6 with respect to the financial year of that public body, the period referred to in the determination;
if a period is determined by or under any other Act to be the financial year for that public body, that period;
in any other case, the period of 12 months ending at midnight on 30 June;
S. 3 def. of gender equality inserted by No. 21/2024 s. 4.
gender equality has the same meaning as in section 3 of the Gender Equality Act 2020;
S. 3 def. of goods and services procurement policy inserted by No. 11/2026 s. 93(b).
goods and services procurement policy means an instrument made under section 54B(1);
S. 3 def. of prescribed office inserted by No. 30/2025 s. 3(1).
prescribed office has the same meaning as in section 4(1) of the Public Administration Act 2004;
S. 3 def. of prescribed officer inserted by No. 30/2025 s. 3(1).
prescribed officer has the same meaning as in section 4(1) of the Public Administration Act 2004;
S. 3 def. of public body amended by Nos 75/1994 s. 5(1)(d)(i)(ii), 43/1995 s. 7(1)(a), 1/2014 s. 63(a).
public body means—
a public statutory authority;
a State business corporation or State body within the meaning of the State Owned Enterprises Act 1992;
Court Services Victoria;
a body, office or trust body—
established by or under an Act or enactment; or
established by the Governor in Council or a Minister—
and that is declared by the Minister, by notice published in the Government Gazette, to be a body or office to which Part 7 applies;
S. 3 def. of outputs inserted by No. 1/1998 s. 4(a).
outputs means goods produced or services provided by or on behalf of an authority or public body;
S. 3 def. of services repealed by No. 1/1998 s. 4(b).
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S. 3 def. of specified entity inserted by No. 69/2013 s. 11(a), repealed by No. 11/2026 s. 93(c).
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S. 3 def. of the relevant Minister substituted by Nos 75/1994 s. 5(1)(e), 43/1995 s. 7(1)(b).
the relevant Minister means—
in relation to a department, the Minister or Ministers for the time being responsible for any part of that department;
in relation to a public body established by or under a provision of an Act or enactment, the Minister or Ministers for the time being administering that provision or enactment;
in relation to any other public body, the Minister declared by Order under section 5 to be the relevant Minister;
in relation to a body to which section 53A applies, the Minister declared by notice under section 53A(3) to be the relevant Minister in relation to the body for the purposes of section 53A;
trust body means a body (including a trustee or trustees) who or which, or any office the holder of which, is charged with the control or management of any trust, fund, account or superannuation scheme which is established by an Act or enactment or by the Governor in Council or a Minister.
S. 4 repealed by No. 75/1994 s. 5(2), new s. 4 inserted by No. 9/2000 s. 3.
This Act binds the Crown not only in right of Victoria but also, so far as the legislative power of the Parliament permits, the Crown in all its other capacities.
S. 5 amended by No. 43/1995 s. 7(1)(c).
The Governor in Council may, by Order, declare a Minister to be the relevant Minister in relation to a public body for the purposes of this Act.
S. 6 substituted by No. 75/1994 s. 6, amended by No. 100/1995 s. 26(1).
The Minister may determine in writing that a period, other than the period of 12 months ending at midnight on 30 June or the period determined by or under any other Act, is the financial year for a public body for the purposes of its first or final report of operations and financial statements under Part 7.
S. 6(2) inserted by No. 100/1995 s. 26(2).
Unless inconsistent with another Act, the Minister may, in relation to a public body or class of public bodies, in writing determine that a period, other than the period of 12 months ending at midnight on 30 June, is the financial year for that public body or public bodies of that class for the purposes of Part 7.
The Minister may, by instrument, delegate to any person or class of persons employed in the administration of this Act any power of the Minister under this Act or the regulations, other than this power of delegation.
S. 8(1) substituted by No. 26/2006 s. 4(1), amended by No. 30/2025 s. 4(1).
The Minister may give an authority, a public body, an accountable officer or a chief finance officer directions in writing for or with respect to any of the matters for or with respect to which regulations may be made under this Act.
Note
Section 59 sets out the matters for or with respect to which regulations may be made under this Act.
Directions referred to in subsection (1) must not be inconsistent with this Act or the regulations.
S. 8(3) inserted by No. 26/2006 s. 4(2).
Directions—
may be of a general or limited application;
may differ according to differences in time, place or circumstances;
may confer a discretionary authority or impose a duty on a specified person or class of person;
may provide in a specified case or class of case for the exemption of persons or things or class of persons or things from any of the provisions of the directions, whether unconditionally or on specified conditions and either wholly or to such an extent as is specified.
S. 8(4) inserted by No. 26/2006 s. 4(2).
A direction may adopt, apply or incorporate the whole or any part of a statement of accounting standards or statement of accounting practice issued at any time before the direction is made by all or any of the persons or bodies referred to in section 59(3).
S. 8(5) inserted by No. 26/2006 s. 4(2).
For the avoidance of doubt, the power to make directions under subsection (1) extends to directions with respect to money in a Trust Account in the Trust Fund that is established by or under another Act.
S. 8(6) inserted by No. 30/2025 s. 4(2).
A person or body given a direction under subsection (1) must comply with the direction.
S. 8A inserted by No. 21/2024 s. 5.
The Minister may issue guidelines in relation to—
statements of the gender impacts of budgets under Division 4A of Part 5; and
gender impact assessments under section 40AA.
S. 8B inserted by No. 30/2025 s. 5.
A Minister (other than the Minister administering this section) who intends to establish a body, office or trust body must consult the Minister administering this section before the body, office or trust body is established.
A Minister (other than the Minister administering this section) who intends to abolish a body, office or trust body must consult the Minister administering this section before the body, office or trust body is abolished.
Notice of the establishment or abolition of a body, office or trust body by a Minister must be published in the Government Gazette by that Minister.
There shall be established and kept an account to be known as the Consolidated Fund.
There shall be credited to the Consolidated Fund—
all money forming part of the Consolidated Revenue under the Constitution Act 1975;
all money—
raised by or on behalf of or received by the State; or
which by or under an Act is payable to a person holding an office or place in the public service—
and which is not, by or under an Act, required or authorised to be paid to the Trust Fund, or an account in the Trust Fund, or to any other fund.
If the purpose for which money must be applied is defined by the Commonwealth, the Minister may accept the money and credit it to a suitable account in the Trust Fund and, without any other authority than this Act, authorise the disbursement of the money for that purpose.
If, under an Act of the Commonwealth or an arrangement between the Commonwealth and the State, money is or will be made available by the Commonwealth to the State by way of grant or otherwise, the Minister may, with approval of the Governor in Council, issue out of the Consolidated Fund such amount as is required to be expended in pursuance of the Act of the Commonwealth or the arrangement and the Consolidated Fund is to the necessary extent appropriated accordingly.