Jamie Briggs (Mayo, Liberal Party, Chairman of the Scrutiny of Government Waste Committee) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

asked the Minister for Indigenous Health, in writing, on 3 March 2011

(1) How many personal staff are employed by the Minister.

(2) What is the (a) total cost, and (b) breakdown of costs, of all capital works and acquisitions in the Minister's private office since 3 December 2007.

Warren Snowdon (Lingiari, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Defence Science and Personnel) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:

(1) The employment of staff under the Members of Parliament (Staff) Act 1984 is administered by the Department of Finance and Deregulation. On 22 February 2011, the Department tabled with the Senate Finance and Public Administration Committee a list of Government Personal Staff Positions as at 1 February 2011.

(2) The cost of capital works and acquisitions for Ministers' offices is shared by the Department of Parliamentary Services (DPS), Department of Finance and Deregulation (DoFD) and home departments in line with Appendix 2 of Supporting Ministers, Upholding the Values. The Special Minister of State will accordingly respond on behalf of all ministers in respect of costs incurred by the DPS and DoFD. Department of Veteran Affairs and Department of Defence will be providing their own response to the question. I am advised that the costs incurred by the Department of Health and Ageing are as follows:

(a) Total cost—$0.00

(b) The costs include acquisitions for standalone objects and equipment hired and/or purchased for the office excluding portable communication devices, office consumables and operating costs. These costs are for items such as printers, audio visual equipment, polycoms, safes, shredders and televisions. The department's financial data does not capture data to differentiate between a specific item or office. The data includes the minister's private office at Australian Parliament House as well as any Commonwealth Parliamentary Office or Commonwealth Parliamentary Office and Electorate Office combined.

The Minister for Indigenous Health was appointed on 14 September 2010. As such, no data is provided for the period prior to this date.