{"id":"F2025L00135","name":"Parliamentary Business Resources (Parliamentary Business) Determination 2025","slug":"parliamentary-business-resources-parliamentary-business-determination-2025","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":442726,"registerId":"F2025L00135-fast-fetch-1775957681541","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-12","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Parliamentary Business Resources (Parliamentary Business) Determination 2025","content":"---\nmeta-content-style-type: text/css\nmeta-content-type: application/xhtml+xml; charset=utf-8\nmeta-keywords: \"[SEC=UNOFFICIAL]\"\n---\n\n \n\n \n\nParliamentary Business Resources (Parliamentary Business) Determination 2025\n\nI, Don Farrell, Special Minister of State, make the following determination.\n\nDated 12 February 2025 \n\nDon Farrell\n\nSpecial Minister of State\n\n \n\n \n\nContents\n\n \n\n1 Name\n\n2 Commencement\n\n3 Authority\n\n4 Repeal\n\n5 Interpretation\n\n6 Parliamentary business of members\n\nSchedule 1—Parliamentary duties\n\nSchedule 2—Electorate duties\n\nSchedule 3—Party political duties\n\nSchedule 4—Official duties\n\n \n\n \n\n1 Name\n\n This instrument is the Parliamentary Business Resources (Parliamentary Business) Determination 2025.\n\n2 Commencement\n\n This instrument commences on the day after this instrument is registered.\n\n3 Authority\n\n This instrument is made under subsections 6(3) and 6(4) of the Parliamentary Business Resources Act 2017.\n\n4 Repeal\n\n The Parliamentary Business Resources (Parliamentary Business) Determination 2017 (F2017L01691) is repealed from the date this instrument commences.\n\n5 Interpretation\n\n1. In this instrument:\n\n\nAct means the Parliamentary Business Resources Act 2017.\n\nNote: A number of expressions used in this instrument are defined in the definitions section of the Act, including the following:\n\n1. constituent;\n2. member;\n3. office holder; and\n4. vice regal function.\n\n\n1. For the avoidance of doubt, an activity specified in a Schedule to this determination is specified whether it takes place within Australia or overseas.\n\n\n6 Parliamentary business of members\n\n1. For the purposes of paragraph 6(4)(a) of the Act, the parliamentary duties of a member are the activities specified in Schedule 1 for that member.\n2. For the purposes of paragraph 6(4)(b) of the Act, the electorate duties of a member are the activities specified in Schedule 2 for that member.\n3. For the purposes of paragraph 6(4)(c) of the Act, the party political duties of a member are the activities specified in Schedule 3 for that member.\n4. For the purposes of paragraph 6(4)(d) of the Act, the official duties of a member are the activities specified in Schedule 4 for that member. \n5. For the avoidance of doubt, a member may make a claim for and use public resources under Part 3 of the Act for an activity:\n\n\n (a) undertaken for the dominant purpose of the member’s parliamentary business as defined by section 6 of the Act and specified in a Schedule to this determination and to the extent that subsections 26(1) and 26(3) of the Act apply; and\n\n (b) which may occur in the context of a federal election.\n\nNote: Dominant purpose has the meaning set out in section 26 of the Act.\n\nNote: The Act and related instruments set out other limitations on the circumstances in which resources may be provided.\n\nSchedule 1—Parliamentary duties\n\n \n\n| | Column 1 | Column 2 |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Item | Member (or class) | Parliamentary duties |\n| 1 | All members who are a senator or member of the House of Representatives | In the member’s capacity as a member of the Parliament:
(a) Preparing for, participating in and attending to business arising from proceedings of the Parliament, whether by committee of the whole or otherwise;
(b) Developing, reviewing or amending legislation or proposed legislation, and activities engaged in for that purpose;
(c) Undertaking research, communication (including with stakeholders) or administration connected with the business of the Parliament, the member’s policy portfolio, or their role as a member;
(d) Preparing for, participating in, or attending to matters arising from an official government, parliamentary or vice regal meeting, event or function;
(e) Preparing for, participating in and attending to matters arising from a meeting (including with stakeholders), event or function for the purposes of their role as a member, including in relation to the member’s policy portfolio;
(f) Preparing for, participating in, or attending to business arising from a non-Parliamentary committee, taskforce or other formal group in which the member participates;
(g) Representing the Parliament, in accordance with an approval of the Parliament or a House of the Parliament, and engaging in associated activities for that purpose;
(h) Representing a Minister or office holder in their official capacity, at the request of that Minister or office holder, at a meeting, event or function;
(i) Representing the Government or Australia, with the approval of the Prime Minister.
Note: For Ministers representing the Government or Australia in their capacity as a Minister, this would be part of the member’s official duties (see Schedule 4).
|\n\n\n \n\nNote: Schedule 1 determines the meaning of parliamentary duties in paragraph 6(4)(a) of the Act.\n\n \n\n\n\n\nSchedule 2—Electorate duties\n\n \n\n| | Column 1 | Column 2 |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Item | Member (or class) | Electorate duties |\n| 1 | All members who are a senator or member of the House of Representatives | In the member’s capacity as their constituent’s elected representative:
(a) Facilitating and participating in debate, discussion, a meeting, event or function, or undertaking research or administrative functions relating to matters of importance or interest to constituents (including matters that do not relate exclusively to constituents, such as matters of national importance);
(b) Otherwise communicating with constituents;
(c) Representing the views and interests of constituents. |\n\n\n \n\nNote: Schedule 2 determines the meaning of electorate duties in paragraph 6(4)(b) of the Act.\n\n \n\n \n\nSchedule 3—Party political duties\n\n \n\n| | Column 1 | Column 2 |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Item | Member (or class) | Party political duties |\n| 1 | All members who are a senator or member of the House of Representatives | Participating in any of the following in their capacity as an elected Senator or member of the House of Representatives:
(a) A formal meeting of a political party (including a meeting of the party executive, a committee or a subcommittee);
(b) A national, state or territory conference of a political party. |\n| 2 | All members who are a senator or member of the House of Representatives | Participating in any of the following in their capacity as an elected Senator or member of the House of Representatives as a member of a political party or in collaboration with another group of members:
(a) Developing policies, proposals and plans, and engaging in related activities including when the policies, proposals and plans may be used by the member or a member’s political party or group in the context of a federal election;
(b) Engaging or working with an administrative support function or headquarters used by a political party or by a group of members, including in the context of a federal election;
(c) Participating in an event, activity or function concerning matters identified in paragraphs (a) and (b) above. |\n| 3 | A member of the House of Representatives whose electoral division will be abolished or changed because of a redistribution | Communicating with persons provided that:
(a) those persons would be constituents in a new or altered electoral division created or changed because of that redistribution; and
(b) the communication does not occur until the day after the date on which the final determination of the name and boundaries of the new electoral division is made in accordance with section 73 of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918. |\n\n\n \n\nNote: Schedule 3 determines the meaning of party political duties in paragraph 6(4)(c) of the Act.\n\n\n\n\nSchedule 4—Official duties\n\n \n\n| | Column 1 | Column 2 |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Item | Member (or class) | Official duties |\n| 1 | All office holders and Ministers of State | In the member’s official capacity (being their capacity as a Minister or office holder, as the case may be):
(a) Exercising the powers or functions, or performing the duties, of the member’s office, or activities engaged in for the purposes of doing so;
(b) Attending an event to which the member has been invited in their official capacity;
(c) Other activities directly related to, and engaged in for the purposes of, performing the member’s official role. |\n\n\n \n\nNote: Schedule 4 determines the meaning of official duties in paragraph 6(4)(d) of the Act.\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":5,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The instrument repeals the 2017 Determination (clause 4) and restates the categories required by paragraph 6(4) of the Act, largely maintaining the same scope while clarifying mechanics: it expressly covers activities overseas (clause 5(1)); permits claims in the context of federal elections where the member’s dominant purpose is parliamentary business (clause 6(5) with reference to section 26 of the Act); and adds a specific redistribution communication rule tied to Commonwealth Electoral Act s73 (Schedule 3, Item 3). Based on the text provided, these are clarifications rather than a clear substantive expansion of scope."},"complexity_factors":["Cross‑reference dependence on the Parliamentary Business Resources Act 2017 for key definitions and the dominant purpose test (clause 5(1); notes to clause 6 and clause 6(5)).","Multiple, potentially overlapping categories of duties (Schedules 1–4) requiring classification of activity to determine entitlement.","Election‑time carve‑out that allows claims only where 'dominant purpose' is parliamentary business, invoking evidentiary and judgement costs (clause 6(5); note re section 26).","Discretionary approvals required for some representations (Parliament or House approval; Prime Minister approval referenced in Schedule 1 items (g) and (i)).","Interaction with external statute timing (reference to Commonwealth Electoral Act s73 in Schedule 3 Item 3) creates sequencing constraints.","Repeal and replacement of the 2017 Determination (clause 4) raises transitional and compliance considerations for existing resource arrangements.","Explicit overseas coverage (clause 5(1)) increases jurisdictional scope and possible cost/review implications.","Broad application to all senators, members and office‑holders increases the population affected and the administrative burden of consistent application."],"plain_english_summary":"This instrument repeals the 2017 Determination and mechanically defines which activities count as parliamentary, electorate, party‑political and official duties for senators, members and office‑holders so they may claim public resources under the Parliamentary Business Resources Act 2017. It applies to activities in Australia and overseas, permits resource claims during federal elections where the member’s dominant purpose is parliamentary business (clause 6(5)), and makes some representations subject to parliamentary or Prime Ministerial approval (Schedule 1; Schedule 4)."},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"A positive credit balance is required for all requests, including BYOK, so fallback providers remain available. Add credits at https://vercel.com/d?to=%2F%5Bteam%5D%2F%7E%2Fai%3Fmodal%3Dtop-up to continue.","source":"analysis-cron"},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The determination appears to maintain the same four-category structure as its 2017 predecessor. While the specific activities listed in each schedule have been updated (particularly expanding party political duties to more explicitly cover election-related activities and policy development), the overall scope remains consistent with the original Parliamentary Business Resources Act 2017 framework. The instrument does not appear to have expanded beyond its original purpose of defining claimable parliamentary business activities."},"complexity_factors":["Short instrument (approximately 6 pages of substantive content)","Only 1 defined term in the instrument itself ('Act'), though it references definitions in the parent Act","Simple tabular structure in Schedules 1-4 with clear item/member/duties columns","Minimal cross-referencing—primarily references to section 6(4) of the parent Act and occasional notes","No nested exceptions or conditional logic beyond basic eligibility criteria (e.g., Item 3 of Schedule 3 applies only to MPs facing redistribution)","Straightforward 'dominant purpose' test imported from parent Act without additional qualification layers"],"plain_english_summary":"This law redraws the rules for what Australian federal MPs and Senators can charge to the public purse by defining which kinds of parliamentary, electorate, party and official activities count as legitimate “parliamentary business.” It replaces the 2017 guidance and governs use of travel, offices, staff and other public resources.\n\nIts key constraint is a “dominant purpose” test for claims, applies to work in Australia or overseas, and explicitly allows some party-related activity in the context of a federal election."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/parliamentary-business-resources-parliamentary-business-determination-2025","history":"/api/acts/parliamentary-business-resources-parliamentary-business-determination-2025/history","analysis":"/api/acts/parliamentary-business-resources-parliamentary-business-determination-2025/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/parliamentary-business-resources-parliamentary-business-determination-2025/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/parliamentary-business-resources-parliamentary-business-determination-2025/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/parliamentary-business-resources-parliamentary-business-determination-2025/documents"}}