MYEFO snapshot shows $16b mystery figure prompting pork-barrelling concerns from Labor

The federal government's mid-year economic and fiscal outlook was released on Thursday presenting a positive outlook for the country as restrictions ease following Delta-induced lockdowns.

But contingency reserves, typically left for unanticipated spending and commercial-in-confidence items, have increased more than 10-times on the previous year's outlook.

The 2021-22 mid-year update shows around $15.9 billion has been reserved for decisions taken but not for publication compared with the 2020-21 update, which reached $1.6 billion.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the figures supplied in the snapshot were a best estimate given the uncertainties caused by COVID-19

He dismissed claims the ballooned reserves would form a mammoth election war chest dedicated to the Morrison government's re-election hopes.

"They are measures that we expect to eventuate, but at this point, we can't allocate and confirm to specific programs," he said on Thursday.

"What goes into a contingency reserve can be a number of specific initiatives, including those that are commercial-in-confidence and therefore can't be revealed.

"I can't give you a crystal ball that says what every particular outcome will be next year because we're still in the pandemic.

"What I can give you is Treasury's best analysis."

Finance Minister Simon Birmingham said contingency reserves were an allowance built into every budget but had increased drastically in light of the uncertainties caused by COVID-19.

But Labor finance spokesperson Katy Gallagher said the federal government was expecting Australians to trust them despite having a "dodgy" track record.

"It seems extraordinary to me that they would be essentially publishing a number that shows $16 billion of decisions taken but we're not to know about them until they feel like telling us - probably in election campaign spending," she said.

"It's worked for Scott Morrison in the past, and he's just putting down the accelerator hoping that it works for him in the next election too.

"I just think that's completely out of touch, you know, and it's arrogant."

The ACT senator introduced an "anti-rorts" bill in October, which would force ministers to report decisions made against departmental advice on funding grants within 30 days.

It will also legislate a requirement for the finance minister table those reports in parliament within five sitting days of receiving them.

Under existing rules, ministers can take more than a year to report funding decisions made without the backing of a department.

Senator Gallagher said the flawed system had been a contributing factor behind some of the funding scandals revealed by the Australian National Audit Office.

She said she was worried funding decisions made by the government between now and the federal election, which is due by May next year, would not be revealed until well after the 47^th Parliament was formed.

"That's going to kick [those discretionary decisions being made public] off into 2023," she said.

"So whatever they do between now and the election, under the current rules, won't be reported publicly until well after the election has passed.

"I think it should be much faster than that."

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