{"id":"F2024L00799","name":"Remuneration Tribunal (Members of Parliament) Determination 2024","slug":"remuneration-tribunal-members-of-parliament-determination-2024","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":105288,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2024L00799-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-03","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"PART 1","sectionType":"part","heading":"LEGAL MATTERS AND EXPLANATION OF TERMS","content":"# PART 1 – LEGAL MATTERS AND EXPLANATION OF TERMS\n\n1.1 Authority: This Determination is made under sections 45, 46 and 46A of the PBR Act.\n\n1.3 Definitions: The following definitions apply in this Determination:\n\na. ‘home base’ has the same meaning as in the PBR Regulations;\n\nb. ‘luxury car’ means a car the value of which exceeds the luxury car tax threshold (for non‑fuel‑efficient cars) mentioned in subsection 25‑1(3A) of the A New Tax System (Luxury Car Tax) Act 1999;\n\nc. ‘PBR Act’ means the Parliamentary Business Resources Act 2017;\n\nd. ‘PBR Regulations’ means the Parliamentary Business Resources Regulations 2017.\n\nNote: Some other terms are defined in the PBR Act, including the following:\n\n‘former member’ means a person who was, but is no longer, a member;\n\n‘member’ means:\n\n(a) a senator; or\n\n(b) a member of the House of Representatives; or\n\n(c) a Minister of State who is not a senator or member of the House of Representatives; or\n\n(d) a person who is taken to be the President of the Senate under the Parliamentary Presiding Officers Act 1965 and who is not a senator or member of the House of Representatives; or\n\n(e) a person who is taken to be the Speaker of the House of Representatives under the Parliamentary Presiding Officers Act 1965 and who is not a senator or member of the House of Representatives.","sortOrder":0},{"sectionNumber":"PART 2","sectionType":"part","heading":"REMUNERATION OF MEMBERS: SALARIES AND ELECTORATE ALLOWANCE","content":"# PART 2 – REMUNERATION OF MEMBERS: SALARIES AND ELECTORATE ALLOWANCE\n\nBase salary\n\n2.1 For subsection 14(2) of the PBR Act, the annual allowance payable to a senator or member of the House of Representatives for the purposes of section 48 of the Constitution (known as ‘base salary’) is $239,270.\n\n2.2 For paragraph 45(3)(a) of the PBR Act, the portion of base salary that is not parliamentary allowance for the purposes of the Parliamentary Contributory Superannuation Act 1948 is $49,970.\n\nOffice holder’s salary\n\nDetermination of office holder’s salary\n\n2.3 For paragraph 14(3)(b) of the PBR Act, the amounts in Column 2 of the Table in Schedule A (‘office holder’s salary’) are determined for the corresponding office holders in Column 1 of that Table.\n\nNote: The amounts in Schedule A are expressed as specified percentages of the base salary. For example, the office holder’s salary for the Speaker of the House of Representatives is $179,460 per annum, being 75% of the base salary of $239,270, rounded up to the nearest $10.\n\n2.4 For Shadow Ministers, the following rules apply:\n\n2.4.1 An amount is determined for paragraph 14(3)(b) of the PBR Act for a Shadow Minister only if:\n\na. the Shadow Minister is a person specified in a notice given to the paying authority by the Leader of the Opposition as a person to whom\n\nclause 2.4.2 applies or a person to whom clause 2.4.3 applies; and\n\nb. the Shadow Minister does not hold another office for which the office holder’s salary is more than 25% of the base salary.\n\n2.4.2 For the following persons, and in the following circumstances, the amount is 25% of the base salary:\n\na. the person is specified in the notice as a person to whom this clause applies;\n\nb. the number of persons specified in the notice as persons to whom this clause applies does not exceed:\n\nA – B\n\nwhere\n\nA = the number of Ministerial positions determined by the Government at the relevant time to be Ministerial positions of Cabinet rank\n\nB = the number of parliamentarians who are members of the Opposition and hold an office other than Shadow Minister for which the office holder’s salary is more than 25% of the base salary.\n\n2.4.3 For the following persons, and in the following circumstances, the amount is 20% of the base salary:\n\na. the person is specified in the notice as a person to whom this clause applies;\n\nb. the number of persons specified in the notice as persons to whom this clause applies does not exceed:\n\nA – B – C\n\nwhere\n\nA = the number of Ministers specified in paragraph 4(b) of the Ministers of State Act 1952\n\nB = the number of Shadow Ministers to whom clause 2.4.2 applies C = the number of parliamentarians who are members of the\n\nOpposition and hold an office other than Shadow Minister for which the office holder’s salary is more than 25% of the base salary.\n\n2.4.4 If a Shadow Minister is a person for whom an amount is determined under clause 2.4.1, clause 2.3 does not apply in relation to any other office the person holds.\n\n Note: A Shadow Minister who also holds another office will not receive the salary for both.\n\n2.5 For each office holder the annual amount of office holder’s salary is to be rounded up to the nearest $10.\n\nPortion of salary to be disregarded for certain superannuation purposes\n\n2.6 For paragraph 45(3)(b) of the PBR Act, the portion of office holder’s salary that is not allowance by way of salary for the purposes of the Parliamentary Contributory Superannuation Act 1948 is 20%.\n\nMinisterial salary: superannuation\n\n2.7 For subsection 45(5) of the PBR Act, the portion of Ministerial salary that is not salary for the purposes of the Parliamentary Contributory Superannuation Act 1948 is 20%.\n\nNote: The Remuneration Tribunal does not determine Ministerial salary.\n\nElectorate allowance\n\n2.8 For paragraph 14(3)(a) of the PBR Act, the following amounts are determined as\n\n‘electorate allowance’:\n\n2.8.1 For all senators and members of the House of Representatives – $39,700 per annum.\n\n2.8.2 For a member of the House of Representatives for an electoral division the area of which is at least 2,000km2 and less than 5,000km2 – an additional $7,500 per annum.\n\n2.8.3 For a member of the House of Representatives for an electoral division the area of which is 5,000km2 or more – an additional $17,400 per annum.","sortOrder":1},{"sectionNumber":"PART 3","sectionType":"part","heading":"REMUNERATION OF MEMBERS: OTHER REMUNERATION","content":"# PART 3 – REMUNERATION OF MEMBERS: OTHER REMUNERATION\n\nProvision of private plated vehicles: PBR Act, paragraph 14(4)(a)\n\n3.1 A senator or member of the House of Representatives is, upon request, to be provided with a private plated standard vehicle that is generally made available by the Commonwealth for the purpose and is not a luxury car.\n\n3.2 A senator or member of the House of Representatives for an electoral division the area of which is less than 300,000km2 is, upon request, to be provided with a private plated vehicle that is not generally made available by the Commonwealth for the purposes of clause 3.1 but which is made available by the Commonwealth for the purposes of this clause. Despite anything else in this Determination, the following amount (the ‘excess lease cost’) is to be applied in accordance with clause 3.3:\n\nA – B\n\nwhere\n\nA = the cost, per annum, of the lease of the vehicle\n\nB = the cost, per annum, of the lease of the most expensive vehicle made available by the Commonwealth for the purposes of clause 3.1.\n\n3.3 The excess lease cost is to be applied in accordance with the following method:\n\na. first, to reduce one of the following amounts:\n\ni. the amount applicable in subsection 14(1) of the PBR Regulations for the senator or member;\n\nii. the electorate allowance determined in clause 2.8 for the senator or member; and\n\nb. if that amount is reduced to zero—to reduce the other amount.\n\n3.4 A vehicle provided in accordance with clause 3.2 is provided instead of a vehicle provided in accordance with clause 3.1.\n\n3.5 A member of the House of Representatives for an electoral division the area of which is 300,000km2 or more is, upon request, to be provided with a private plated four‑wheel‑drive vehicle made available by the Commonwealth for the purposes of this clause instead of a vehicle provided in accordance with clause 3.1 or 3.2.\n\n3.6 A senator for the Northern Territory or a member of the House of Representatives for an electoral division the area of which is 300,000km2 or more is, upon request, to be provided with up to two private plated four‑wheel‑drive vehicles made available by the Commonwealth for the purposes of this clause in addition to any other vehicle provided in accordance with clause 3.1, 3.2 or 3.5.\n\n3.7 If one or more additional vehicles are provided then, despite anything else in this Determination, the cost of the lease, per annum, of the additional vehicle is to be applied in accordance with the following method:\n\na. first, to reduce one of the following amounts:\n\ni. the amount applicable in subsection 14(1) of the PBR Regulations for the senator or member;\n\nii. the electorate allowance determined in clause 2.8 for the senator or member; and\n\nb. if that amount is reduced to zero—to reduce the other amount.\n\n3.8 Where clause 3.3 or 3.7 applies, the senator or member may request that one of the methods in that clause be applied before the other method.\n\n3.9 The provision of a private plated vehicle includes the provision (by the Commonwealth) of the costs of operating and maintaining the vehicle.\n\n3.10 A private plated vehicle is provided for non‑commercial purposes only.\n\nNote: Paragraph 47(2)(a) of the PBR Act provides for the Remuneration Tribunal to impose limits and other conditions on remuneration including the provision of private plated vehicles.\n\nAllowance instead of the provision of a private plated vehicle: PBR Act, paragraph 14(4)(b)\n\n3.11 If a senator or member of the House of Representatives, by notice to the relevant Department, elects not to be provided with a private plated vehicle pursuant to clause 3.1, 3.2 or 3.5, an allowance of $19,500 per annum (known as ‘additional electorate allowance’) is payable to the senator or member.\n\n3.12 If a senator or member makes an election under clause 3.11, the senator or member is not to be provided with a private plated vehicle under clause 3.1, 3.2 or 3.5 until at least 12 months after making the election. Upon the provision of the vehicle, the additional electorate allowance ceases to be payable.\n\n3.13 An election has no effect if:\n\na. the senator or member has been provided with a particular vehicle under clause 3.1, 3.2 or 3.5 for less than 12 months; or\n\nb. the Commonwealth would incur administrative or other expenses (for example, lease cancellation fees) as a result of ceasing to provide a private plated vehicle and the senator or member has not reimbursed the Commonwealth for those expenses.\n\n3.14 Upon making an election, the senator or member is no longer to be provided with a vehicle under clause 3.1, 3.2 or 3.5.\n\nInternet and telephone services at private residences: PBR Act, paragraph 14(4)(c)\n\n3.15 The following expenses are payable to a senator or member of the House of Representatives in relation to his or her private residence or residences:\n\na. the cost of up to two services; and\n\nb. if the senator or member is a Minister, the Leader or Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the House of Representatives or the Senate, a presiding officer, or the leader of a minority party within the meaning of the PBR Regulations— the cost of an additional fixed internet and telephone service for a private residence of the person in Canberra; and\n\nc. if the senator or member is a Chief Government Whip or Chief Opposition Whip in the House of Representatives or the Senate—the cost of an additional telephone service for a private residence of the person not in Canberra and the cost of an additional telephone service for a private residence of the person in Canberra.\n\n3.16 In clause 3.15, the cost of a service includes installation, maintenance, rental, transfer and call and data costs.\n\n3.17 In clauses 3.15 and 3.16, “service” means a telephone service (including VoIP), an internet service, or a service under which a telephone service and an internet service are provided under the one contract, and does not include a streaming or similar service.","sortOrder":2},{"sectionNumber":"PART 4","sectionType":"part","heading":"ALLOWANCES AND EXPENSES OF FORMER MEMBERS","content":"# PART 4 – ALLOWANCES AND EXPENSES OF FORMER MEMBERS\n\nPost‑retirement travel expenses\n\n4.1 For section 15(1) of the PBR Act, the expenses in clause 4.2 or 4.2A, whichever applies, are determined for persons who become former members after the commencement of this Determination and are not persons to whom item 1 of the table in subsection 10(1) of the Parliamentary Retirement Travel Act 2002 applies (certain former Prime Ministers).\n\n4.2 Subject to clause 4.2A:\n\n4.2.1 The expenses are the fares for up to three return trips on scheduled commercial transport that are taken within three months after the person becomes a former member and are:\n\na. trips between the person’s home base and Canberra; or\n\nb. trips between the person’s home base and the place of any office provided to the person as a senator, a member of the House of Representatives, a Minister or an office holder.\n\n4.2.2 A person may exchange one or more of the three fares that would otherwise be paid under clause 4.2.1 for a private vehicle allowance, if they make the same return trip in a private vehicle. If a person exchanges a fare for a private vehicle allowance, the expenses are either:\n\na. a private vehicle allowance for the return trip, calculated at the rate prescribed in clause 6.1, or\n\nb. the amount of the fare that is being exchanged,\n\nwhichever is lower.\n\n4.2A Where, immediately before the person became a former member, the Commonwealth provided the person with three or more electorate offices of a kind mentioned in subsection 72(1) of the Parliamentary Business Resources Regulations 2017:\n\n4.2A.1 The expenses are the fares for up to four return trips on scheduled commercial transport that are taken within three months after the person becomes a former member and are:\n\na. trips between the person’s home base and Canberra; or\n\nb. trips between the person’s home base and the place of any office provided to the person as a member of the House of Representatives.\n\n4.2A.2 A person may exchange one or more of the four fares that would otherwise be paid under clause 4.2A.1 for a private vehicle allowance, if they make the same return trip in a private vehicle. If a person exchanges a fare for a private vehicle allowance, the expenses are either:\n\na. a private vehicle allowance for the return trip, calculated at the rate prescribed in clause 6.1, or\n\nb. the amount of the fare that is being exchanged,\n\nwhichever is lower.\n\n4.3 Where a trip is on a service that provides for more than one class of passenger travel, expenses are determined only for a trip in economy class.\n\n4.4 Expenses are not payable for trips taken by a person other than the former member.\n\n4.5 Terms in clauses 4.1 to 4.4 that are defined in the PBR Regulations have the same meaning as in those Regulations.\n\nMultiple entitlements\n\n4.6 To avoid doubt, expenses to which clause 4.2 and 4.2A refer are determined in relation to each occasion on which a person becomes a former member.\n\nResettlement allowance\n\n4.7 For section 15(1) of the PBR Act, the allowances mentioned in Table 4.7 are determined for a person who is a former member and:\n\na the person is a former member by reason of any of the following circumstances:\n\ni. if the person was a member of a political party in the most recent Parliament – the person decided not to nominate for re‑election having sought, and failed (for reasons other than misconduct) to receive, the endorsement of that party;\n\nii. the person nominated for re‑election and was not declared elected (for this purpose, it does not matter whether the person sought re‑election to the same, or a different, House of Parliament, or for the same, or a different electoral division or State);\n\niii. the person was a member of the House of Representatives for an electoral division that ceased to exist because of an electoral redistribution; and\n\nb either:\n\ni. the person was first elected before 9 October 2004, and is not entitled to a retiring allowance under the Parliamentary Contributory Superannuation Act 1948 upon ceasing to be entitled to a parliamentary allowance by reason only of section 22DC of that Act (deferral of retiring allowance); or\n\nii. the person was first elected on or after 9 October 2004 and declares in writing to the Clerk of the relevant House of Parliament that it is his or her intention to seek employment; and\n\nc if the person is a former member because of the circumstance mentioned in subparagraph (a)(iii) of this section, the person did not contest the election immediately following the relevant redistribution.\n\nTABLE 4.7\n\n| For the following persons… | The following allowance is determined… |\n| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------- |\n| A senator for a State who, upon ceasing to be a senator, has served as a senator for a continuous period of more than three years | Six months of the base salary |\n| Any other senator for a State | Three months of the base salary |\n| A member of the House of Representatives or senator for a Territory who, upon ceasing to be a member or a senator, has served as a member or a senator for a continuous period of more than one term | Six months of the base salary |\n| Any other member of the House of Representatives or senator for a Territory | Three months of the base salary |\n\n4.8 The allowances determined in clause 4.7 are calculated by reference to the base salary applicable at the time that the Parliament was prorogued for the purpose of the election in relation to which the relevant person became a former member.","sortOrder":3},{"sectionNumber":"Part 4A","sectionType":"part","heading":"Deceased member allowance","content":"# Part 4A—Deceased member allowance\n\nDeceased member allowance\n\n 4A.1 The allowance specified in section 4A.2 is determined for the purposes of subsection 15(2) of the PBR Act.\n 4A.2 If a person dies while a member, the estate of the person is entitled to be paid an allowance calculated in accordance with the following formula:\n (A x B) / 26\n where:\n\n> A is the base salary applicable under section 2.1 on the day on which the person died.\n\n> B is the lesser of:\n\n (a) 13; and\n (b) the number of years, rounded down to the nearest whole year, in the period between the most recent day on which the person became a member of a relevant Parliament for the person and the day on which the person died.\n A Parliament is a relevant Parliament for a person if the person:\n (a) is a member of the Parliament; and\n (b) was not a member of the previous Parliament.\n 4A.3 If, on the day that a person dies, the person is not a member but is entitled to be paid remuneration under section 49 of the PBR Act, the person is taken to be a member for the purposes of section 4A.2.","sortOrder":4},{"sectionNumber":"PART 5","sectionType":"part","heading":"RATES OF AUSTRALIAN TRAVEL ALLOWANCE FOR TRAVEL WITHIN AUSTRALIA","content":"# PART 5 – RATES OF AUSTRALIAN TRAVEL ALLOWANCE FOR TRAVEL WITHIN AUSTRALIA\n\nRates\n\n5.1 For the purposes of subsection 31(2) of the PBR Act, this Part determines the rates of Australian travel allowance payable in accordance with section 10 of the PBR Regulations.\n\n5.2 The rate for a member who stays in commercial accommodation for a night is:\n\na. if the member is the Prime Minister or Acting Prime Minister—$641; or\n\nb. if the member is a Minister or the holder of an office specified in section 5.4—the amount, in the table in Schedule B, in column 2 of the row containing the location in column 1 where the stay takes place; or\n\nc. if the member is not a member mentioned in paragraph (a) or (b)—the amount, in the table in Schedule B, in column 3 of the row containing the location in column 1 where the stay takes place.\n\n5.3 The rate for a member who stays in non‑commercial accommodation for a night is:\n\na. if the location of the stay is Canberra—the rate that would apply to the member is they were staying in commercial accommodation (disregarding the effect of section 5.5A); or\n\nb. for all other locations—one‑third of the rate that would apply to the member if they were staying in commercial accommodation (disregarding the effect of section 5.5A).\n\n5.4 The following offices are specified for the purposes of paragraph 5.2(b):\n\na. Leader or Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the House of Representatives or the Senate;\n\nb. Speaker or Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives\n\nc. President, or Deputy President and Chair of Committees, of the Senate;\n\nd. Chief Government Whip or Chief Opposition Whip in the House of Representatives or the Senate;\n\ne. Leader of a minority party.\n\nAccommodation paid for by Commonwealth\n\n5.5 Despite section 5.2, the rate for a Minister who stays in commercial accommodation for a night, where the accommodation is paid for by the Commonwealth, is the lesser of:\n\na. $223; and\n\nb. the cost of the Minister’s meals and incidental expenses for the stay.\n\nAccessible accommodation\n\n5.5A Despite section 5.2, if:\n\na. a member self‑identifies as having a physical limitation or impairment that requires the provision of accessible accommodation arrangements; and\n\nb. while the member so self‑identifies, the member stays in commercial accommodation for a night; and\n\nc. the cost of the accommodation is greater than the base accommodation rate for the member;\n\nthe rate for the member is the sum of:\n\nd. the rate that would, apart from this section, apply to the member under section 5.2; and\n\ne. the difference between the cost of the accommodation and the base accommodation rate for the member.\n\nThe base accommodation rate for the member is the rate that would, apart from this section, apply to the member under section 5.2 minus:\n\na. if the member is mentioned in paragraph 5.2(a) or (b)—$223; or\n\nb. otherwise—$203.\n\nDefinitions\n\n5.6 Terms in this Part that are defined in the PBR Regulations have the same meaning as in those Regulations.\n\n5.7 ‘Commercial accommodation’ means accommodation in a commercial establishment such as a hotel, motel or serviced apartment. However, if the member does not produce to the Administrator a receipt for accommodation given to the member by the accommodation provider, or provide certification to the Administrator that such a receipt can be produced upon request and does not subsequently provide such a receipt when requested, the accommodation is taken to be non‑commercial accommodation.\n\n5.8 In Schedule B:\n\na. references to ‘Adelaide’, ‘Brisbane’, ‘Melbourne’, ‘Perth’ and ‘Sydney’ are references to locations within a ten kilometre radius of the General Post Office of the city or within a five kilometre radius of the city’s principal airport; and\n\nb. references to ‘Darwin’ and ‘Hobart’ are references to locations within a five kilometre radius of the General Post Office of the city or within a five kilometre radius of the city’s principal airport.\n\nNote: The PBR Regulations, which apply through clause 5.6, define ‘Canberra’ to mean locations within a 30 kilometre radius of Parliament House.","sortOrder":5},{"sectionNumber":"PART 6","sectionType":"part","heading":"PRIVATE VEHICLE ALLOWANCE","content":"# PART 6 – PRIVATE VEHICLE ALLOWANCE\n\n6.1 For subsection 31(2) of the PBR Act, the rate of the allowances prescribed in sections 12, 27 and 28 of the PBR Regulations is 88 cents per kilometre.\n\nNote: Section 12 of the PBR Regulations prescribes a private vehicle allowance for travel between a member’s home base and Canberra. Section 27 prescribes a private vehicle allowance for family member travel to or from Canberra. Section 28 prescribes a private vehicle allowance for the spouse of a senior office holder to travel to or from Canberra.","sortOrder":6},{"sectionNumber":"PART 7","sectionType":"part","heading":"TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS","content":"# PART 7 – TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS\n\nPrivate plated vehicles\n\n7.1 Despite the repeal of Remuneration Tribunal (Members of Parliament) Determination (No.2) 2023 by this Determination, a thing that was taken to have been done under or for the purposes of a provision of that Determination by Part 7 of that Determination, and that was still in effect immediately before the commencement of this Determination, is taken to have been done under or for the purposes of the same provision of this Determination.","sortOrder":7},{"sectionNumber":"SCHEDULE A — OFFICE HOLDER’S SALARY","sectionType":"part","heading":"SCHEDULE A — OFFICE HOLDER’S SALARY","content":"# SCHEDULE A – OFFICE HOLDER’S SALARY\n\n| OFFICE HOLDER(Column 1) | OFFICE HOLDER’S SALARY,being the specified percentage of the base salary(Column 2) |\n| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |\n| Leader of the Opposition | 85% |\n| President of the Senate | 75% |\n| Speaker of the House of Representatives | 75% |\n| Deputy Leader of the Opposition | 57.5% |\n| Leader of the Opposition in the Senate | 57.5% |\n| Leader of a minority party with more than 10 members in the Parliament | 45% |\n| Leader of a minority party with up to 10 members in the Parliament | 42.5% |\n| Manager of Opposition Business in the House of Representatives | 27.5% |\n| Chief Government Whip in the House of Representatives | 26% |\n| Shadow Minister (see clause 2.4.2) | 25% |\n| Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate | 25% |\n| Chief Opposition Whip in the House of Representatives | 23% |\n| Shadow Minister (see clause 2.4.3) | 20% |\n| Deputy President and Chair of Committees in the Senate | 20% |\n| Deputy Speaker in the House of Representatives | 20% |\n| Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate | 20% |\n| Chief Government Whip in the Senate | 20% |\n| Chief Opposition Whip in the Senate | 18% |\n| Second Deputy Speaker in the House of Representatives | 13% |\n| Whip in the House of Representatives of a Government party with more than 10 Members in the House | 13% |\n| Whip in the House of Representatives of an Opposition party with more than 10 Members in the House | 12% |\n| Whip in the House of Representatives of a minority party with at least 5 members in the House | 9% |\n| Whip in the Senate of a minority party with at least 5senators | 9% |\n| Government Deputy Whip in the Senate | 5% |\n| Opposition Deputy Whip in the Senate | 5% |\n| Deputy Whip in the House of Representatives of a Government party with more than 10 Members in the House | 3% |\n| Deputy Whip in the House of Representatives of an Opposition party with more than 10 Members in the House | 3% |\n| Member of the Speaker's Panel in the House of Representatives | 3% |\n| Temporary Chairman of Committees in the Senate | 3% |\n| Deputy Whip in the House of Representatives of a minority party with at least 5members in the House | 2% |\n| Chair of the Joint Statutory Committee of Public Accounts and Audit | 16% |\n| Chair of the Joint Statutory Committee on Public Works | 16% |\n| Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade | 16% |\n| Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties | 16% |\n| Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters | 16% |\n| Chair of a Joint Statutory Committee or Joint Standing Committee, not otherwise specified (except the Joint Standing Committee on the Parliamentary Library) | 11% |\n| Chair of a Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing Committee | 11% |\n| Chair of a House of Representatives General Purpose Standing Committee | 11% |\n| Chair of a Joint Select Committee or Select Committee in the Senate or the House of Representatives | 11% |\n| Chair of an Investigating Standing Committee established by resolution of either House | 11% |\n| Chair of the Senate Standing Committee of Privileges | 11% |\n| Chair of the House of Representatives Standing Committee of Privileges and Members’ Interests | 11% |\n| Chair of the Senate Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Delegated Legislation | 11% |\n| Chair of the Senate Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Bills | 11% |\n| Chair of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Procedure | 11% |\n| Deputy Chair of the Joint Statutory Committee on Public Accounts and Audit | 8% |\n| Deputy Chair of the Joint Statutory Committee on Public Works | 8% |\n| Deputy Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade | 8% |\n| Deputy Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties | 8% |\n| Deputy Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters | 8% |\n| Deputy Chair of a Joint Statutory Committee or Joint Standing Committee, not otherwise specified (except the Joint Standing Committee on the Parliamentary Library) | 5.5% |\n| Deputy Chair of a House of Representatives General Purpose Standing Committee | 5.5% |\n| Deputy Chair of a Joint Select Committee or Select Committee in the Senate or the House of Representatives | 5.5% |\n| Deputy Chair of an Investigating Standing Committee established by resolution of either House | 5.5% |\n| Deputy Chair of the Senate Standing Committee of Privileges | 5.5% |\n| Deputy Chair of the House of Representatives Standing Committee of Privileges and Members’ Interests | 5.5% |\n| Deputy Chair of the Senate Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Delegated Legislation | 5.5% |\n| Deputy Chair of the Senate Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Bills | 5.5% |\n| Deputy Chair of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Procedure | 5.5% |\n| Chair of the Senate Standing Committee of Senators’ Interests | 3% |\n| Chair of a Parliamentary Committee concerned with public affairs rather than the domestic affairs of Parliament not otherwise specified | 3% |","sortOrder":8},{"sectionNumber":"SCHEDULE B — TRAVEL ALLOWANCE RATES","sectionType":"part","heading":"SCHEDULE B — TRAVEL ALLOWANCE RATES","content":"# SCHEDULE B – TRAVEL ALLOWANCE RATES\n\n```html\n

Column 1

Column 2

Column 3

Locality

Members mentioned in Clause 5.2(b)

Other members

Capital cities

Canberra

$322

$322

Adelaide

$432

$413

Brisbane

$478

$459

Darwin

$514

$495

Hobart

$456

$437

Melbourne

$486

$433

Perth

$486

$447

Sydney

$518

$499

Unspecified locations

Locations not specified in this Table

$428

$363

New South Wales

Albury

$428

$409

Armidale

$428

$368

Bathurst

$428

$409

Bega

$428

$409

Bourke

$428

$386

Broken Hill

$428

$364

Cobar

$428

$409

Coffs Harbour

$428

$409

Cooma

$428

$409

Cowra

$428

$409

Dubbo

$428

$372

Goulburn

$428

$367

Gosford

$428

$363

Grafton

$428

$374

Griffith

$428

$362

Gunnedah

$428

$382

Inverell

$428

$409

Lismore

$428

$385

Maitland

$428

$389

Mudgee

$428

$408

Muswellbrook

$428

$362

Narrabri

$428

$409

Newcastle

$428

$397

Nowra

$428

$370

Orange

$428

$417

Port Macquarie

$428

$392

Tamworth

$428

$409

Taree

$428

$409

Tumut

$428

$409

Wagga Wagga

$428

$379

Wollongong

$428

$384

Northern Territory

Alice Springs

$428

$408

Jabiru

$437

$418

Katherine

$449

$430

Nhulunbuy

$485

$466

Tennant Creek

$428

$409

Yulara

$791

$772

Queensland

Ayr

$428

$409

Bundaberg

$428

$386

Cairns

$428

$377

Charters Towers

$428

$370

Chinchilla

$428

$409

Dalby

$428

$403

Emerald

$428

$381

Gladstone

$428

$373

Gold Coast

$446

$427

Hervey Bay

$428

$377

Horn Island

$566

$547

Innisfail

$428

$409

Kingaroy

$428

$382

Mackay

$428

$368

Maryborough

$428

$409

Mount Isa

$428

$387

Nambour

$428

$365

Rockhampton

$428

$376

Roma

$428

$384

Thursday Island

$544

$525

Toowoomba

$428

$363

Townsville

$428

$376

Weipa

$459

$440

South Australia

Bordertown

$428

$366

Ceduna

$428

$358

Kadina

$428

$409

Mount Gambier

$428

$366

Naracoorte

$428

$409

Port Augusta

$428

$409

Port Lincoln

$428

$372

Port Pirie

$428

$409

Renmark

$428

$409

Whyalla

$428

$369

Wilpena Pound

$493

$474

Tasmania

Burnie

$428

$380

Devonport

$428

$364

Launceston

$428

$376

Queenstown

$428

$409

Victoria

Ararat

$428

$361

Bairnsdale

$428

$378

Ballarat

$428

$389

Benalla

$428

$370

Bendigo

$428

$372

Bright

$428

$382

Castlemaine

$428

$364

Colac

$428

$409

Echuca

$428

$409

Geelong

$428

$377

Hamilton

$428

$372

Horsham

$428

$368

Mildura

$428

$372

Portland

$428

$365

Sale

$428

$409

Seymour

$428

$366

Shepparton

$428

$369

Swan Hill

$428

$383

Wangaratta

$428

$388

Warrnambool

$428

$377

Wodonga

$428

$409

Wonthaggi

$428

$390

Western Australia

Albany

$428

$395

Broome

$446

$427

Bunbury

$428

$380

Carnarvon

$428

$376

Dampier

$428

$401

Derby

$428

$394

Esperance

$428

$382

Exmouth

$456

$437

Geraldton

$428

$392

Halls Creek

$428

$406

Kalgoorlie

$428

$395

Karratha

$509

$490

Kununurra

$443

$424

Newman

$492

$473

Northam

$441

$422

Port Hedland

$487

$468

External Territories

Christmas Island

$439

$420

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

$552

$533

Norfolk Island

$477

$458

\n```","sortOrder":9}],"analysis":{"kimi_summary":{"_metrics":{"completionTokens":852},"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":7,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The Determination remains focused on its core purpose of setting remuneration and benefits for federal parliamentarians. While detailed, it does not appear to have expanded beyond the traditional scope of parliamentary entitlements."},"complexity_factors":["Extensive cross-referencing to the Parliamentary Business Resources Act 2017 and Regulations","Mathematical formulas with multiple variables for Shadow Minister entitlements (clauses 2.4.2–2.4.3)","Nested conditional logic for vehicle provision (clauses 3.1–3.8 with multiple tiers based on electorate size)","Detailed location-based tables with 100+ entries for travel allowance rates (Schedule B)","Superannuation carve-outs requiring calculation of portions of salary (clauses 2.2, 2.6, 2.7)","Complex eligibility criteria for resettlement allowance with multiple qualifying conditions (clause 4.7)","Formula-based deceased member allowance with rounding and Parliament-specific definitions (Part 4A)","Accessibility accommodation adjustments with tiered calculations (clause 5.5A)"],"plain_english_summary":"This Determination sets official pay, allowances, benefits and post‑service support for Australian federal parliamentarians — senators, MPs, ministers and specified office‑holders. It fixes base salary and additional pay for office‑holders, and governs vehicle, travel, communications, resettlement and death‑in‑office entitlements, so it determines politicians’ remuneration and the public cost of parliamentary service."},"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"},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":6,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This Determination updates and fixes numeric rates, percentages and administrative rules for member remuneration, allowances, travel and vehicle entitlements. That is consistent with the Determination’s longstanding purpose — to operationalise the Remuneration Tribunal’s powers under the PBR Act by setting concrete amounts and conditions. It does not materially expand the subject‑matter or introduce entirely new categories of entitlement beyond the established remit (salaries, electorate allowances, vehicles, travel, former-member entitlements, and a deceased member allowance). The changes are therefore rate-and-rule updates rather than a change of scope."},"complexity_factors":["Multiple schedules (Schedule A: long list of office-holder percentages; Schedule B: extensive location-by-location travel rates)","Numerous cross-references to the PBR Act and PBR Regulations (clauses 1.1, 1.3, 5.6 and multiple notes)","Layered conditional rules for Shadow Ministers with arithmetic limits and dependence on external counts (clause 2.4 with A–B–C calculations)","Nested offset rules for excess vehicle lease costs that apply in sequence to two separate allowances (clauses 3.2–3.3 and 3.7)","Multiple special-case provisions (large electorates, remote electorates, NT-specific additional vehicles, deceased member formula in Part 4A)","Detailed receipt/certification requirements and treatment of commercial vs non‑commercial accommodation (clause 5.7)","Special accessibility top-up with its own calculation and base rate subtraction (clause 5.5A)","Rounding and percentage-to-dollar conversion rules (clause 2.5 and Note to clause 2.3)","Transitional saving provision preserving prior Determination actions (clause 7.1)"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this Determination does (mechanical changes first)**\n\n- Sets the annual base salary for senators and members of the House of Representatives at $239,270 (clause 2.1). It also specifies the portion of that base salary that is not treated as a parliamentary allowance for superannuation purposes ($49,970) (clause 2.2).\n- Converts many office-holder salaries into fixed percentages of the base salary and lists those percentages in Schedule A (clauses 2.3, Schedule A). Office-holder salaries are rounded up to the nearest $10 (clause 2.5).\n- Determines electorate allowances (money to cover electorate costs) for all senators and members at $39,700 pa, with extra amounts for very large divisions (clauses 2.8.1–2.8.3).\n- Specifies rules for Shadow Ministers’ entitlements and how many Shadow Ministers can receive specified percentage amounts, using a notice from the Leader of the Opposition and a calculation that depends on the number of government Cabinet positions and other factors (clause 2.4).\n- Identifies portions of office-holder and ministerial salary that are to be disregarded for certain superannuation calculations (20%) (clauses 2.6, 2.7).\n- Describes vehicle entitlements: members may, on request, be provided a Commonwealth private-plated standard vehicle (not a luxury car) and details higher or additional vehicle entitlements for members representing very large or remote electorates (clauses 3.1–3.6). If a more expensive vehicle is provided, the additional lease cost is offset against certain allowances by a specified order of reduction (clauses 3.2–3.3, 3.7).\n- Offers an alternative cash allowance of $19,500 pa (called the additional electorate allowance) if a member elects not to accept a Commonwealth vehicle (clauses 3.11–3.13).\n- Covers home internet/telephone costs at private residences: up to two services for each member, with additional services for certain office-holders and Whips; includes installation, maintenance, rental, call and data costs (clauses 3.15–3.17).\n- Sets post‑retirement travel and resettlement entitlements for former members (Part 4): up to three (or four in specific cases) return trips on scheduled commercial transport shortly after leaving office (clauses 4.1–4.4), and a resettlement allowance calculated in Table 4.7 for specified departure circumstances (clause 4.7 and Table 4.7).\n- Provides an allowance payable to the estate of a member who dies in office, calculated by a formula linked to base salary and years of service (Part 4A, clauses 4A.1–4A.3).\n- Sets domestic travel accommodation and incidental rates by location in Schedule B (Part 5). It: \n - Differentiate rates for some senior office‑holders and Ministers (clauses 5.2–5.4). \n - Caps the rate for a Minister where the Commonwealth pays accommodation (clause 5.5). \n - Allows a top-up where a member self-identifies as needing accessible accommodation (clause 5.5A). \n - Treats accommodation without a supplier receipt as non‑commercial for rate purposes (clause 5.7).\n- Fixes the private vehicle allowance at 88 cents per kilometre for specified travel types (clause 6.1).\n- Includes transitional wording preserving certain arrangements made under the prior Determination (clause 7.1).\n\n**Who is affected**\n\n- All current and future members of the Federal Parliament (senators and members of the House of Representatives), office-holders (e.g. Speaker, President), Ministers, Shadow Ministers, Whips and certain former members and their estates are affected by these rates and rules (definitions and Parts 2–4A). See the PBR Act definitions referred to at clauses 1.1 and 1.3 and the note under 1.3.\n- The Commonwealth (the paying authority/Administrator) is the payer and administrator of these entitlements (see clause 3.9 on vehicle operating costs and Part 5’s references to receipts and Administrator obligations).\n\n**Why it matters (stated purpose and practical effects)**\n\n- Stated purpose (implicit in the instrument): to fix concrete remuneration, allowance and expense rates and the conditions under which they are paid, under the Remuneration Tribunal’s powers derived from the Parliamentary Business Resources Act (clause 1.1).\n\n- Practical effects and how they operate: \n - Salaries and most allowances are now numerically fixed (base salary, office-holder percentages, electorate allowance). That reduces ambiguity about current pay levels (clauses 2.1–2.8, Schedule A). \n - Members representing large or remote electorates receive additional electorate allowances or more generous vehicle entitlements (clauses 2.8.2–2.8.3; clauses 3.5–3.6). \n - Where the Commonwealth provides a vehicle that is more expensive than the standard fleet, the excess lease cost is deducted from the member’s travel/electorate allowances in a specified order — producing a direct substitution between in‑kind vehicle provision and cash allowances (clauses 3.2–3.3, 3.7–3.8). \n - Members may choose (by notice) to take a cash allowance instead of a Commonwealth vehicle ($19,500 pa) but that choice is locked in for 12 months and can be blocked where the Commonwealth would incur cancellation costs unless reimbursed (clauses 3.11–3.14). \n - Travel and accommodation rules require receipts or certifications for commercial accommodation claims and set detailed location-based per‑night rates (Part 5 and Schedule B), increasing recordkeeping and compliance requirements for members and the Administrator (clause 5.7). \n - Some entitlements vary by office-holder status, meaning benefits concentrate on a relatively small set of named positions listed in Schedule A and clauses 5.2–5.4.\n\n**Costs, incentives and trade-offs**\n\n- Who pays: the Commonwealth budget (the paying authority) funds salaries, allowances, vehicles and travel expenses (e.g. clause 3.9, Part 5). Costs are therefore spread across taxpayers; the benefits are concentrated in office-holders and members, particularly those in large or remote electorates (clauses 2.8, 3.5–3.6, Schedule A).\n\n- Incentives created: \n - Members can substitute an in‑kind vehicle for cash (clauses 3.1–3.3), creating an incentive to choose whichever is more convenient financially, subject to the method that applies to offset excess lease costs; that method directly reduces other allowances. \n - The $19,500 cash alternative creates a clear decision point for members whose private arrangements make a Commonwealth vehicle unnecessary (clauses 3.11–3.14). \n - Senior office-holders and specified roles receive higher travel/accommodation rates, which creates an ordinal pay differentiation for taking on these roles (clauses 5.2–5.4, Schedule A).\n\n- Trade-offs and opportunity costs: \n - Providing higher in‑kind entitlements (vehicles and additional meals/accommodation rates) concentrates benefits and increases administrative overhead (fleet management, lease accounting, receipts verification) rather than increasing base pay for all members (clauses 3.1–3.9, 5.7). \n - The mechanism to offset excess vehicle lease costs against allowances reduces net cash paid but replaces it with asset management obligations and potential lease cancellation liabilities (clauses 3.2–3.3, 3.7).\n\n**Implementation and compliance issues (practical risks)**\n\n- Administrative burden: \n - The Administrator must track vehicle leases, excess lease calculations, members’ election notices, receipt certification for accommodation, and multiple travel entitlements for former members (clauses 3.2–3.3, 3.11–3.17, 4.2–4.6). \n - Members must maintain receipts or provide certification for accommodation claims (clause 5.7). Failure to provide receipts converts a claim to the lower non-commercial rate.\n\n- Discretion and rules: \n - The Remuneration Tribunal retains power to impose limits/conditions (note after clause 3.10 referencing paragraph 47(2)(a) of the PBR Act), which leaves room for further administrative rules. \n - The Shadow Minister allocation formula is mechanistic but somewhat complex and requires timely notices from the Leader of the Opposition (clause 2.4).\n\n- Potential friction points: lease cancellation costs when a member elects to switch from vehicle to cash (clause 3.13(b)); calculating and applying the excess lease cost reductions in the specified order (clauses 3.3 and 3.7); and applying the accessible accommodation top-up while avoiding double payment or cap conflicts (clause 5.5A).\n\n**Concrete behavioural consequences**\n\n- Members with large or remote electorates will either receive more vehicles or larger electorate allowances (clauses 2.8, 3.5–3.6). \n- Some members will elect the $19,500 cash alternative if they prefer cash to a Commonwealth vehicle; that election is administratively constrained (clauses 3.11–3.14). \n- Office-holders and chairs of committees gain fixed percentage uplifts to their pay (Schedule A), incentivising competition for those roles and concentrating remuneration increases on a subset of parliamentarians.\n\n**Key cross-references to the enabling law**\n\n- This Determination is made under the Parliamentary Business Resources Act 2017 (PBR Act) and relies on defined terms and regulatory cross-references in the PBR Regulations (clauses 1.1, 1.3, and notes throughout)."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/remuneration-tribunal-members-of-parliament-determination-2024","history":"/api/acts/remuneration-tribunal-members-of-parliament-determination-2024/history","analysis":"/api/acts/remuneration-tribunal-members-of-parliament-determination-2024/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/remuneration-tribunal-members-of-parliament-determination-2024/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/remuneration-tribunal-members-of-parliament-determination-2024/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/remuneration-tribunal-members-of-parliament-determination-2024/documents"}}