Employing a casual employee (from 2 January 2025)

Employment forms

Casual employment agreement

When to use this form

This document should be used when engaging a casual employee under the Members of Parliament (Staff) Act 1984 (the MOP(S) Act). The agreement may cover up to a maximum period of 12 months, after which the agreement must be reviewed. After the agreement's review date, or promotion to a higher salary point or classification, a new agreement must be completed.

Record of Hours

When to use this form

After a Casual Employment Agreement has been completed, casual employees will record any hours worked each fortnight by retrospectively submitting the Record of Hours to their employing parliamentarian or authorised officer, for approval and submission to MaPS for processing.

What is casual employment?

Changes to Casual Employment Fact Sheet

Please refer to the fact sheet for information and key dates regarding the changes to casual employment from 2 January 2025.

Casual employees may be engaged to work from time to time as required, generally where the employment is occasional or irregular and there is no expectation or guarantee of continuing employment. Casual employment should not be used when the employment is of a regular, systematic nature.

Casual employment may be funded against an established position and/or the Electorate Support Budget (ESB), or a combination of both.

Casual employees are paid at an hourly rate for every hour worked. In accordance with clause 17.3 of the Commonwealth Members of Parliament Staff Enterprise Agreement 2024-27 (MOPS EA), a casual employee shall be engaged for at least 3 hours per engagement, or, be paid for a minimum of 3 hours per engagement, at the applicable rate. The hourly rate is based on a salary point in accordance with clause 23 of the MOPS EA, in addition to a 25 per cent loading of salary in lieu of access to those entitlements outlined in clause 17.6.

Changes to casual employment under the 2024-27 MOPS EA

In accordance with the 2024-27 MOPS EA, from 2 January 2025 casual employees will transition to new employment arrangements;

  • a casual employment agreement may span up to a maximum period of 12 months; and
  • casual employees will record any hours worked each fortnight by retrospectively submitting a Record of Hours to their employing parliamentarian or authorised officer, for approval and submission to MaPS for processing.

Casual employees engaged prior to 2 January 2025

For casual employees who undertook work prior to 2 January 2025, the 117 Form: Employing a Casual Employee must be submitted. This form will be retired after 16 January 2024.

Additional Forms

The New Employees Tool can be used to determine which employment forms may be required, depending on the employee’s circumstances. Casual employees may be required to complete additional forms if:

  • this is their first employment agreement under the MOP(S) Act 
  • it has been more than 12 months since they were last employed under the MOP(S) Act
  • any personal details have changed since the last period of employment (such as personal particulars, taxation or superannuation)
  • this period of MOP(S) Act employment is with a different parliamentarian from their last employment.

These additional forms must be completed by the employee and emailed separately to MOPSPay&Conditions@finance.gov.au.

Payroll Cut-Offs

Please submit all documents prior to the payroll cut-off to avoid any delays to payment or access to PEMS. Late submission of any additional forms required can delay the processing of pay.

Further Assistance

If you require assistance while filling out employment forms, please contact the MaPS Helpdesk on (02) 6215 3333.