Why is there a Senate estimates and not a House estimates?

Thanks for your question, Emma.

One of the functions of the Australian Parliament is to closely examine the work of the Australian Government. One of the ways the Senate does this is through Senate estimates, where senators have the opportunity to question ministers and top public servants about government spending.

Because the government has the support of the majority of members in the House of Representatives, Budget bills always pass and are not scrutinised – closely examined – as closely as in the Senate. These differences mean the House of Representatives has not developed the same processes as the Senate.

The Senate—where the government most often does not have a majority—considers the Budget in more detail through estimates before agreeing—or not agreeing—to it.