Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Finance and Deregulation) Share this | Hansard source

The Special Minister of State has supplied the following answer to the honourable senator's question:

I am advised of the following:

(1) Documents detailing the number and classifications of personal staff positions allocated to each Minister and Parliamentary Secretary, including Senior Media Adviser and Media Adviser positions, were tabled by the Department of Finance and Deregulation at its Budget Estimates hearing on 26 May 2011. The documents are available at:

http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/fapa_ctte/estimates/bud_1112/finance/tableddoc02.pdf.

This information is regularly tabled at each Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Public Administration hearing, and is publicly available on the Parliament of Australia Senate website at www.aph.gov.au/SENATE/estimates/index.htm.

(a) The allocation of ministerial staff positions is based on the requirements of individual portfolios. The assignment of particular duties to individual staff members is a matter for Ministers and their chiefs of staff.

(b) The salary range for Senior Media Adviser and Media Adviser positions is set out in the Commonwealth Members of Parliament Staff Enterprise Agreement 2010-2012. This document is available at:

http://www.finance.gov.au/parliamentary-services/docs/Final_EA_2010_2012-With_Signatures.pdf.

(2) The allocation of ministerial staff positions is based on the requirements of individual portfolios. The assignment of particular duties to individual staff members is a matter for ministers and their chiefs of staff.