Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Tyrrell for the question. This falls across Minister Farrell's and my portfolios, as we are implementing the Set the Standard review and the recommendations from that.

I think it has been longstanding practice that the allocation of personal staff is a decision that's made by the Prime Minister of the day. I understand that has always been the case. I would however say to the Senator Tyrrell that we do acknowledge how hard our staff work in this building for any member of parliament or any senator. The demands, particularly in a sitting week and in estimates, and the hours that we expect them to work are particularly onerous, which is why we have been so keen to put in place the recommendations of the Jenkins review into providing better support for staff through the measures that we have introduced and legislation that passed this parliament last session.

The PWSS, an independent statutory authority, commenced on 1 October this year. One of the recommendations from the MOPS review was that the PWSS, once established, should do a resourcing review of members of parliament offices. We have funded PWSS to the capacity that they are able to perform that review. The resourcing that they were provided through the budget provides them with the budget to do all of the things the legislation requires of them and to act on that resourcing review. I understand that that is an immediate priority for the PWSS. That will be a new piece of information that will be provided. I don't think that's been done before. It will be independently managed by the PWSS under the rules that we have passed through this parliament. (Time expired)