Making govt simpler - the complicated way

It's a measure designed to make the processes of government simpler and more streamlined.

Yet its official description, on the front of 52 pages of legislation, is far from it.

"A Bill for an Act to amend the law relating to the governance, performance and accountability of, and the use and management of resources by, the Commonwealth, Commonwealth entities and Commonwealth companies, and to deal with consequential and transitional matters in connection with the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013, and for other purposes," it says.

Wait, what?

The second-reading speech by new parliamentary secretary to the Treasurer Kelly O'Dwyer didn't make things any clearer.

It was a brute of a measure to be lumbered with on her first morning of legislative duties.

Ms O'Dwyer battled bravely through gems such as "amendments to provisions within the PGPA C&T Act that would streamline transitional arrangements supporting the implementation of the PGPA Act".

Or, "transitional arrangements in the PGPA C&T Act will be amended to clarify that repayments by the Commonwealth are covered by Section 77 of the PGPA Act, regardless of when the money was received by the Commonwealth".

After considerably more of this stuff, Ms O'Dwyer reached her triumphant conclusion: "The bill is another step towards streamlining and simplifying resource management and governance arrangements across the Commonwealth."

Debate was, mercifully, adjourned.