Parliamentarians employ their staff on behalf of the Commonwealth. MOP(S) Act employees may be employed on an ongoing, non-ongoing basis (no more than 12 months), or casual basis (no more than 4 weeks).
A written employment agreement between the parties is required and is to be submitted prior to commencement to MaPS.
New (or returning) employee contracts
Parliamentarians or authorised persons need to complete a new employment agreement:
- when a new employee is employed
- for each engagement of a non-ongoing employee
- for each engagement of a casual employee
- when the employee is subject to a termination of employment under the terms of the MOP(S) Act and the parliamentarian wishes to re-employ that employee.
Employees are paid by MaPS. To ensure staff receive on time payment:
- complete the required new employee contracts
- complete, sign and scan the associated forms and documents, including employee’s personal details, superannuation options, and proof of identity
- email all documents to MOPSPay&Conditions@finance.gov.au.
To determine which forms you need to complete when establishing a new contract, see new employee contracts.
Once the employee has commenced the induction checklist (see related resources) should be completed and a performance agreement and feedback cycle should be established with their employer and manager.
The parliamentarian determines the salary within the classification and the electorate staff allowance allocation for the position.