Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

asked the Minister representing the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, upon notice, on 6 November 2012:

What is the final, total cost of the Fair Work Act Review, and can a full breakdown be provided including all staff, travel and secretariat costs.

Senator Wong – The Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations has provided the following answer to the honourable senator's question:

The total cost of the Review was just under $900 000, including Panel, secretariat and publication expenses.

Each Panel member was paid $550 per hour (including GST) for a maximum of eight hours a day ($4400 per day including GST). The Panel members' appointments were part-time and they were remunerated for time worked, not for each day of the review period. These arrangements are consistent with appointments of similar standing and import.

The remuneration invoiced by the Panel was $382 800. The total cost of additional expenses incurred by the Panel was $13 000. This includes travel to attend meetings of the Panel and meetings with stakeholders as part of the Panel's consultations, accommodation, and Professor McCallum's engagement of a reader to assist him in his work. The total cost of the services provided by the panel was $395 800 (including GST).

The total cost for the Secretariat from 20 December 2011 (when the Minister announced the appointment of the Panel members) until the finalisation of the Review in June 2012 was $447 700, including the cost of an outposted officer from the Office of Best Practice Regulation for approximately eight weeks.

The Secretariat spent $29 800 on travel, accommodation and meeting expenses which included arrangements for stakeholder meetings and roundtables. These costs are independent of those incurred by the Panel and are included under 'Secretariat expenses' below.

Cost of the Review

Note: figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred.