Administration responsibilities

Ministerial and Parliamentary Services

Offices, office expenses and other resources

• electorate offices, as determined by the Minister
• Ministerial offices, as determined by the Minister
• office holder offices, as determined by the Minister
• Commonwealth Parliament Offices (CPO), including visiting suites, as determined by the Minister
• resources for offices which are reasonably required for the conduct of members’ parliamentary business in electorate, Ministerial and office holder offices and CPO visiting suites, as determined by the Minister*. This includes furniture and fittings, office and audio visual equipment and associated training, fixed telephone services, parking, signage, security, post office boxes and flagpoles
• costs to establish, operate, maintain or vacate a privately-leased office (referred to as a satellite electorate office)
• office expenses that are met from the annual budget for office expenses
• postage costs related to official duties for a senior office holder who is a member of the Opposition and the leader of a minority party
• costs for flags under the Chamber Flag Program (the parliamentary departments administer the distribution of chamber flags and certificates).

MaPS does not administer:

• information and communications technology and services (including mobile phones) and associated training and support in electorate, Ministerial and office holder offices and CPO visiting suites, which are determined by the Presiding Officers. These resources for offices are provided by the Department of Parliamentary Services
• additional resources provided by portfolio departments.

Ministerial Wing at Parliament House

• office accommodation management, including parking in the basement car park
• supply of executive furniture for Ministers, a range of standard furniture for Ministers’ employees, amenities and other equipment necessary for the function of Ministers’ offices (e.g. refrigerator, microwave oven, television)
• authorising the removal of any furniture or equipment. MaPS also authorises the removal of furniture and equipment provided by portfolio departments.

Vehicles and Commonwealth transport

• through the whole-of-government fleet provider, administration* of private-plated vehicles and Canberra-based self-drive vehicles, including the costs of operating and maintaining the vehicle, in accordance with determinations made by the Remuneration Tribunal and the Minister
  *IPEA provides advice on eligibility to claim travel expenses where a parliamentarian could reasonably use their private-plated vehicle, additional electorate allowance in lieu of a private-plated vehicle, or a Canberra-based self-drive vehicle.
• operation of COMCAR services*.
  *COMCAR costs for Ministers’, Assistant Ministers' and Presiding Officers' official duties are charged to portfolio departments. IPEA provides advice on travel expenses, including COMCAR usage.

Employees

• administration of employment conditions (including salaries, leave and non-travel related allowances of personal and electorate employees under the Members of Parliament (Staff) Act 1984 (MOP(S) Act))
• provision of human resources, work health and safety and other employment related advice and services for MOP(S) Act employees, the Professional Development Program and ad-hoc training
• facilitating* Negative Vetting Level 2 security clearances for all MOP(S) Act employees of a Minister.
  *Processing of Negative Vetting Level 2 security clearances is undertaken by the Australian Government Security Vetting Agency within the Department of Defence.

Other

• reimbursement of internet or telephone services provided at a parliamentarian’s private residence (other than Ministers, Assistant Ministers and Presiding Officers).

IPEA

Travel allowances

• domestic and international travel allowances, including private vehicle allowance, for parliamentarians, staff and family members.

Domestic and international travel expenses

• domestic travel expenses* for parliamentarians, staff and family members
  *road transport for Ministers’ official duties are provided by portfolio departments
• cost recovery from passengers travelling with members that are covered by transport costs undertakings
• international travel expenses and transport costs for incidental travel within Australia to undertake the international travel, for parliamentarians, accompanying spouse/de facto partner and accompanying staff
• cost of resources reasonably required for the conduct of the Prime Minister’s official duties during international travel (including hiring office space, office equipment or other premises and facilities; ICT facilities and services; interpreters or other specialist services; hospitality; newspapers and other consumables; booking and cancellation fees; and other associated fees and charges)
• costs related to cancelled travel.

Other responsibilities

In addition to administering the above resources, IPEA’s functions include:

• providing personal advice on travel expenses and allowances
• monitoring travel expenses and allowances
• issuing rulings in respect of travel expenses and allowances under the PBR Act
• publicly reporting all work expenses
• auditing all work expense claims.

More about IPEA can be found on their website.

Parliamentary departments

(The Departments of Parliamentary Services, the House of Representatives and the Senate)

Remuneration

• payment of parliamentarians’ salary (both base salary and any additional salary as a Minister or office holder) and electorate allowance
• payment of any additional electorate allowance in lieu of a private-plated vehicle
• payment of parliamentarians’ employer superannuation contributions.

Office expenses and other resources

• provision of certain facilities and equipment to parliamentarians in their office at Parliament House, including telephones, two computers linked to the Parliament House network and a facsimile machine
• installation, repair and replacement of information and communications technology equipment, software and network infrastructure, including associated training and support, in electorate, ministerial and office holder offices and CPOs (other than equipment, services and software provided by entities other than the Department of Parliamentary Services)
• the provision of photographic services at Parliament House (AUSPIC)
• the provision of chamber flags and certificates under the Chamber Flag Program.

Portfolio departments

Ministers (including Assistant Ministers) are provided with support from their portfolio department particularly for services and costs relating to official duties.

Portfolio departments are responsible for providing the following resources, should the Minister require. This does not prevent portfolio departments providing other resources the Minister requires that are not listed below.

Remuneration

• costs of internet, telephone and facsimile services provided at private residences.

Domestic and international travel expenses

• road transport costs, including COMCAR, for official duties, and the road transport costs of the Minister’s spouse/de facto partner and dependent children
• at the Minister’s request, a self-drive vehicle in Canberra, including the costs of operating and maintaining the vehicle, in lieu of road transport costs in Canberra
• the cost of portfolio-related business when travelling overseas (for example, costs for: meeting rooms, portfolio-related hospitality, office hire, communications charges, and employees of the portfolio department). For the Prime Minister, these costs are only those in addition to expenses covered by the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority noted above
• official hospitality within Australia (including when an employee represents the Minister on portfolio-related business)
• any security requirements when travelling overseas additional to those provided by the Department of Home Affairs.

Offices, office expenses and other resources

• additional or alternative furniture or equipment requested by the Minister (including additional information technology and communications equipment) for the office in the Ministerial Wing of Parliament House and the Ministerial office, where these items are beyond the standard ordinarily provided
• repairs and maintenance to furniture and equipment, provided by the portfolio department
• installation of any additional telephone and data transmission services in the Ministerial office or combined Ministerial/electorate office
• ongoing costs associated with all office telephone services in the Ministerial office (or combined Ministerial/electorate office) except:
  • Finance pays transmission and maintenance costs for the Ministerial Communications Network
  • the Department of Parliamentary Services provides the Parliament House Network.
• providing the Minister and nominated employees a laptop computer and a mobile telephone (additional to those provided by the Department of Parliamentary Services)
• additional stationery and office supplies for the Parliament House office and the Ministerial office (or for official duties at the combined Ministerial/electorate office)
• where not claimed from the annual budget for office expenses, the cost of:
  • publications
  • business cards for the Minister and personal employees.
• postage costs related to official duties
• facsimile services at the Minister’s private residence(s)
• membership fees of business organisations related to official duties
• the cost of CabNet computer terminals and printers, and related cabling, which are supplied by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
• implementation of procedures and training for the Minister and employees in the handling, storage, transfer and transmission of National Security classified material
• installation and maintenance of information security technologies for the storage of National Security classified information in the Ministerial and electorate offices and at the Minister’s private residence(s)
• relief arrangements for personal employees, where the period of an employee’s absence is less than 12 weeks (except where a vacancy is filled from within the Minister’s office under higher duties).

Other

• the provision of semi-official residential telephone services for nominated senior employees
• payment of conference and training-related expenses for personal employees, and membership of airline lounges for nominated employees
• salary, travel and other costs of Departmental Liaison Officers.

Note

The Ministerial Communications Network provides secure communications services to the Ministry within Parliament House and to interstate offices, portfolio agencies and state and territory jurisdictions. These services include the National Telepresence System, secure telephones (including handheld devices), secure facsimile machines, and assisting with the secure transmission of other agency systems such as (Prime Minister and Cabinet) CabNet, (Attorney-General’s Department) ASNet and (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade) SATIN.

VIP Operations – Department of Defence

The Department of Defence is responsible for the cost and provision of Commonwealth transport by air (referred to as Special Purpose Aircraft). Where this is not provided under the PBR Act, Defence is responsible for Special Purpose Aircraft policy.

Department of Home Affairs

The Department of Home Affairs monitors and, where appropriate, coordinates protective security arrangements.

Government Network Services Branch – Department of Finance

The Government and Network Services Branch is responsible for the provision and maintenance of the Ministerial Communications Network.

Protocol and International Visits Branch – Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

The Protocol and International Visits Branch is responsible for the supply of official gifts for presentation, and for overseeing all aspects of the official gifts service.