GG 02/10
28 September 2010
Special Minister of State Gary Gray today announced an increase in the number of personal staff allocated to Members of Parliament and Senators.
Since the election, requests have been received from across the Parliament to increase personal staffing resources to reflect the changed circumstances confronting the Parliament.
The increase will apply to members from all political parties along with independent members.
The allocation of electorate staff to Members and Senators remains unchanged.
Minister Gray said the make-up of the 43rd Parliament presented a unique and complex environment for all members, and an increase in staff would enable them to carry out the work required of them.
“In his 2009 Review of Government Staffing, Alan Henderson stated that; “the need for personal staff is likely to be greater when governing conditions are more difficult,” Mr Gray said.
“It is obvious that the current political environment is a challenging one. It is important the Government, Opposition, Minor Parties and independents are able to access advice and prepare and facilitate negotiated outcomes to serve the Parliament and the people in an efficient and effective way.
“The additional staff will allow Members and Senators to better manage their workload and greater need for consultation by providing them with specialised expertise.
In recent years there has been significant attention paid to the turnover of personal staff employed under the Members of Parliament Staff Act 1984. This reflected the challenging and intense environments these staff operate within and the demanding nature of the jobs.
The increase in personal staff includes:
The Government’s staffing level of 420 positions is still 10.2 per cent below the highest level reached under the Howard Government, of 467.9 staff in 2007.
Between 2003 and 2007 the Howard Liberal Government increased its personal staff by an average of 6.23 per cent per year. Had that trend continued there would now be more than 565 Government personal staff members, growing to more than 591 Government personal staff by July 2011.
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