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THE DETERMINATION OF THE PARLIAMENTARY REMUNERATION

TRIBUNAL

The Determination

Pursuant to section 10(2) and 11(1) of the Parliamentary Remuneration Act, 1989 (“the Act”), the Tribunal makes the Determination appearing hereunder.

With effect on and from 1 July 2006, and pursuant to section 10(6) of the Act, all previous Determinations of the Tribunal are revoked. This Determination shall constitute the annual Determination and shall operate on and from 1 July 2006.

Definitions

“Member” or “Members” refers to a duly elected Member or Members of the Parliament of New South Wales (referred to hereinafter in this Determination as “the Parliament”).

In this Determination the expression “additional entitlements” is to be understood in the sense used in Part 3 of the Act.

“Parliamentary duties” has the meaning attributed to it by section 3 of the Act,

“Electoral groups” are the groups of electorates specified in Schedule 1.

For the purpose of the Additional Entitlements Account for Members of the Legislative Council, “Zones” shall be those areas described in Schedule 2A.

“Approved relative” is a person who meets one of the following criteria:

• Wife or husband of the member. If a member has a spouse no other person may be nominated to use this entitlement.
• De facto spouse or partner who is living with a member in a bona fide domestic relationship. If a member has a de facto spouse or partner no other person may be nominated to use this entitlement.
• Single or widowed members may nominate a member of their immediate family (parents, siblings, children who are not minors i.e. below 16 years of age) as an approved relative.

Under special circumstances a member may apply through the Presiding Officers to the Tribunal for an exception to the criteria. This will need to be based on the ability of the member to meet their parliamentary duties and individual circumstances that apply at the time.

GUIDELINES AND GENERAL CONDITIONS REGARDING ADDITIONAL ENTITLEMENTS FOR MEMBERS IN CONNECTION WITH PARLIAMENTARY DUTIES

1. Guidelines

Every class of “additional entitlements” described in this Determination is provided pursuant to section 10(1)(a) of the Act “for the purpose of facilitating the efficient performance of the Parliamentary duties of Members.” The following guidelines shall apply to the receipt, use and operation of additional entitlements.

1.	Circumstances upon which the additional entitlements may be used for Parliamentary Duties.

	1.1	Additional entitlements are provided to facilitate the efficient performance of the following particular Parliamentary duties of Members as follows:

		1.1.1	Activities undertaken in representing the interests of constituents, but excluding activities of a direct electioneering or political campaigning nature.
		1.1.2	Performing electorate work for a Member’s electorate and participation in official and community activities to which the Member is invited because of the Member’s status as a Parliamentary representative.
		1.1.3	Attending and participating in sessions of Parliament.
		1.1.4	Participation in the activities of Parliamentary committees.
		1.1.5	Attending Vice-Regal, Parliamentary and State ceremonial functions.
		1.1.6	Attending State, Commonwealth and Local Government functions.
		1.1.7	Attending official functions to which a Member is invited because of the Member’s status as a Parliamentary representative, eg., receptions and other community gatherings hosted by members of the diplomatic corps, educational and religious institutions, community and service organisations, business associations, sporting bodies or other special interest groups.
		1.1.8	Participation in the activities of recognised political parties, including participation in national, State and regional conferences, branch meetings, electorate council meetings, executive meetings, committee meetings, and meetings of the Members of the Parliamentary political party, its executive and committees.
		1.1.9	For a Member elected to the Parliament as an independent, participation in activities that are reasonable alternatives to participation in the activities of recognised political parties.
		1.1.10	A Member who is elected to the Parliament as a representative of a recognised political party and who subsequently resigns from that party membership and thereafter sits as an independent Member, howsoever described, shall continue to receive the same entitlements as they received as a Member of the party prior to resignation and not the additional entitlements provided to elected independents. The Member is also not entitled to the benefit of the rule in Clause 1.1.9 above.
		1.1.11	Participation within Australia in the activities of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association as well as activities outside Australia organised by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association provided such activities arise directly from Membership of the New South Wales Branch and officially endorsed by the Branch (exclusive of air travel).
		1.1.12	Participation in a Parliamentary Group such as the Asia Pacific Friendship Group; provided that, such group is approved in writing by the President of the Legislative Council and the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. Such written approval shall be forwarded to the Tribunal.

2.	Where any additional entitlement fixed by this Determination is to be used for the purpose of facilitating Members’ participation in the activities of recognised political parties, the Tribunal sets out the following guidelines as to the use of that additional entitlement:

	2.1	Parties registered under the Parliamentary Electorates and Elections Act 1912, and included in the register of parties maintained by the Electoral Commissioner, are to be treated as recognised political parties.

	2.2	Additional entitlements should not be used to fund:

		2.2.1	activities such as those associated with party Membership drives;
		2.2.2	mail distributions for non-electorate or non-Parliamentary activities;
		2.2.3	costs associated with election campaigning for an individual Member;
		2.2.4	fund raising for other party political Members (such as the purchase of raffle tickets, raffle prizes or tickets to attend functions, etc); and
		2.2.5	costs previously borne by political parties which are not principally related to a Member’s Parliamentary or electorate duties;
		2.2.6	costs associated with pre-selection activities.

	2.3	The electorate office provided for a Member of the Legislative Assembly is not to be used as an election campaign office.

3.	The Tribunal sets out the following additional and general guidelines:

	3.1	Some intermingling of a Member’s Parliamentary duties and private activities is, in practical terms, not always easily avoided, but the onus is always on the Member to show that any expenditure or any claim for reimbursement relates to Parliamentary duties, or to the Parliamentary duties component of costs incurred for intermingled Parliamentary duties and private purposes.
	3.2	In the case of electorate work, any activities within the electorate, and in respect of which a Member’s involvement may reasonably be regarded as deriving from the Member’s status as the Parliamentary representative for the electorate, should be treated as Parliamentary duties.
	3.3	In the case of Parliamentary work, any activities in which a Member’s involvement may reasonably be regarded as deriving from the Member’s responsibilities as a Parliamentary representative should be treated as Parliamentary duties.
	3.4	In the case of a Member’s activities within the broader community outside the Member’s electorate, activities that may reasonably be regarded as deriving from the Member’s status as a Parliamentary representative should be treated as Parliamentary duties.

2. Conditions

The following general conditions will apply to all additional entitlements determined hereunder. These conditions are in addition to any special conditions attaching to the provision of allowances or other benefits (as specified later in this Determination):

1. All procurement by Members will be in accordance with the Parliament’s purchasing policies.
2. Members must ensure that they have sufficient funds to meet the costs associated with their Parliamentary duties.
3. Each Member shall have, in addition to payments of the Electoral and Sydney Allowance, an account entitled the “Logistic Support Allocation’ which shall cover expenditure in the areas of transport (excepting for electorate to Sydney travel), communications, printing and stationery and office supplies.
4. The Logistic Support Allocation shall be established and maintained by the Clerks of the Parliament. Members should be advised by the Clerks each month as to the balance of their Logistic Support Allocation.
5. The funds in the Logistic Support Allocation shall only be used by the Member to carry out the purpose for which the allowance is established, but otherwise may, subject to these conditions, manage the funds as he/she thinks appropriate.
6. Nothing shall prevent the use of the Electoral Allowance for legitimate electorate expenses which might also fall within the categories of expenses covered by the Logistic Support Allocation.
7. All accounts and Members’ claims must be submitted to the Legislature for payment within 60 days of receipt or occurrence of the expense.
8. All Members’ additional entitlements in the nature of fixed allocations and Sydney allowance provided to Members shall be audited annually for compliance. In addition to any internal audit conducted by the Parliament, Members’ additional entitlements in the nature of fixed allocations and the Sydney allowance provided to Members shall be the subject of an external audit conducted by the Auditor-General of NSW. The cost of any audit shall be met by the Parliament. Members should ensure they maintain appropriate records of expenditure for the purpose of any audit.
9. Expenditure is only to be incurred in connection with the Parliamentary duties of Members (and in this respect the Member should refer to the guidelines in this Determination).
10. The various allowances determined here, as well as the Logistic Support Allocation are for the sole use of the Member and are not to be transferred to other persons or organisations including Members. The Member may use his/her entitlements to meet official costs of the approved relative and/or staff employed by the Parliament when that expenditure is in connection with official Parliamentary duties.
11. Benefits accrued by a Member by way of loyalty/incentive schemes such as frequent flyers, as a consequence of the Member using his or her additional entitlements, are to be used only for Parliamentary duties and not for private purposes. Any outstanding benefits of this nature, when the Member ceases to be a Member, are to be forfeited.

Additional Entitlements in the Nature of Allowances

1. Electoral Allowance

Purpose and Operation of the Provision

The allowance is based upon those factors which have historically been taken into account in assessing the quantum of the allowance (including the additional costs associated with the performance by Members of their Parliamentary duties in their electorates) and such other factors as may be determined from time to time as appropriate to be taken into account by the Tribunal under the Act.

Entitlement

The allowances shall be paid as follows:

1. Each Member of the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council shall receive an electoral allowance. The quantum of that allowance shall be fixed in accordance with the electoral grouping for the electorate of the Member.

2. The allowance payable per annum for each electorate group shall be as follows:

Electorate Group	Electoral Allowance (1 July 2006 to 23 March 2007)	Electoral Allowance (24 March 2007 to 30 June 2007)
Group 1	$36,635	$36,635
Group 2	$42,905	$42,905
Group 3	$50,565	$50,565
Group 4	$55,200	$55,200
Group 5	$58,715	$58,715
Group 6	$64,370	$64,370
Group 7	$67,585	$75,285
Group 8	$75,285	n/a

3. The electoral allowance for each Member of the Legislative Council for the period 1 July 2006 to 30 June 2007 shall be $42,905 per annum.

2. Sydney Allowance

Purpose and Operation of the Provisions

The Sydney allowance is provided to Members who reside in non-metropolitan electorates to compensate for the additional costs including commercial accommodation, meals and incidental costs associated with staying in Sydney to attend sessions of Parliament, meetings of Parliamentary committees or other Parliamentary business.

For the purpose of this allowance the non-metropolitan electorates (Electorate Groups 2-8) have been divided into two categories based on distance from Sydney. Members whose principal place of residence is in either Category 1 or Category 2 electorates, as specified in Schedule 2, are eligible to receive the Sydney allowance.

The Tribunal considers the Member’s principal place of residence to be that residence where the Member would normally return and reside when not attending Sydney on parliamentary duties.

To establish the principal place of residence each Member will be required to complete the Parliament’s checklist and certify that the residence nominated is the principal place of residence.

Entitlement

The daily rate (including the number of overnight stays) for the Sydney allowance for Categories 1 and 2 shall be in accordance with Table 1 below. Where a Member elects for a daily rate, he/she shall be entitled to the daily rate for the number of overnight stays per annum specified in that Table, except as provided in conditions 5.

TABLE 1

Office	Principal Place of Residence	Overnight Stays p.a.	Overnight in Sydney where accommodation costs are incurred	In transit to and from Sydney where no over night stay is involved
Minister, Speaker, President, Leader and Deputy Leader of the Opposition (Assembly and Council), Leader of Third Party in Assembly with not less than 10 Members.	Category 1 or 2	180	$206	Actual reasonable expenses for meals and incidentals up to a maximum of $74.35 per day
Deputy Speaker, Chairman of Committees (Assembly and Council), Whip and Deputy Whip (Assembly and Council), Parliamentary Secretary. Deputy Leader of Third Party in Assembly with not less than 10 Members.	Category 1 or 2	140	$206	As above
Chairs of Standing/Select Committees	Category 1 or 2	140	$206	As above
Legislative Council Members	Category 2	135	$206	As above
	Category 1	105	$206	As above
Legislative Assembly Members	Category 2	135	$206	As above
	Category 1	105	$206	As above

The following conditions apply to the Sydney allowance:

1. A Member can choose to receive the Sydney allowance as either an annual fixed allowance or a daily rate. The election is to be made at the commencement of each financial year.

2. If a Member chooses to receive the annual fixed allowance the Financial Controller of the Legislature will calculate the annual entitlement by multiplying the number of overnight stays for the particular Member or Recognised Office Holder by the daily rate.

3. In order to receive the Allowance each Member must certify to the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly or the Parliaments, as the case may be, their principal place of residence.

4. Where a Member chooses to receive the daily rate of allowance the Member shall receive the overnight daily rate as specified in Table 1. The Member is entitled to the number of overnight stays per annum specified in Table 1 without the need to substantiate to the Parliament expenses up to the daily rate.

5. Where a Member chooses to receive the daily rate of allowance and the Member exceeds the number of overnight stays Members will be reimbursed actual costs, up to the daily maximum upon the production of tax invoices/receipts for each such occasion.

6. Members in receipt of the Sydney Allowance when travelling to Sydney for parliamentary business or home from Sydney and where there is no overnight stay required will be entitled to reasonable actual expenses to the maximum provided in the “In transit….” Column of Table 1 above. This rate is only applied when the Member is travelling to Sydney and will be staying overnight in Sydney or travelling home from Sydney following an overnight stay.

7. When in receipt of the annual allowance Members are required to certify at the end of the financial year the number of occasions they stayed in Sydney and that on each occasion the stay was for Parliamentary business. Members who nominate to receive the annual allowance cannot claim for additional overnight stays in excess of those specified in Table 1.

8. Members will need to maintain records or other relevant evidence that clearly document the occasions they stayed in Sydney in connection with their Parliamentary duties. Members will need to sign in and out of the Parliamentary Register as proof of being in Sydney on parliamentary business when Parliament is not sitting. On those occasions where Members are in Sydney on parliamentary business but are not required to attend Parliament House eg, attending a function, then the Member must provide sufficient proof to the Clerks to substantiate each such occasion. It will be sufficient for Ministers to provide evidence from their diaries or other forms of documentary evidence acceptable to the Clerks to certify as evidence of their attendance in Sydney.

9. Members in receipt of the annual amount will be required to return to Parliament the unspent portion of the Allowance for re-credit of the Consolidated Fund.

10. Members are not to claim the Sydney Allowance if they stay in Government owned or funded accommodation including Parliament House.

3. Committee Allowances

Purpose and Operation of the Provision

Committee Allowances are paid to Chairpersons of Joint, Select and Standing Committees in recognition of the additional responsibilities of the office. Because of the statutory nature of the Public Accounts Committee and its role in Government activities, an annual rate of allowance is payable to Members of the Public Accounts Committee.

Entitlement

The allowances shall be paid as follows:

Members of the Legislative Council and the Legislative Assembly serving as Chairpersons of Joint Committees, Select Committees and Standing Committees shall be paid the sum of $160.00 for each day upon which they attend a meeting or an official visit of inspection if that day is one upon which the Legislative Council (so far as a Member of the Council is concerned) or the Legislative Assembly (so far as a Member of the Assembly is concerned) is not sitting. This allowance is not payable to Chairpersons in receipt of a salary of office as specified in Schedule 1 of the Parliamentary Remuneration Act 1989.

Members of the Public Accounts Committee, other than the Chairperson, shall each receive a committee allowance of $3,660 per annum.

Additional Entitlements In The Nature Of Fixed Allocations

1. Electorate to Sydney Travel

Purpose and Operation of the Provisions

Members of the Legislative Assembly who reside in electorate groups 2 to 8 and Members of the Legislative Council who reside in zones 2 or 3 qualify for return air travel warrants between their electorates/zones and Sydney.

These entitlements are provided for the performance of Parliamentary duties.

All eligible Members shall receive one hundred and four (104) single economy class journeys per annum between electorate/zone and Sydney.

Where eligible, each of the below mentioned recognised office holders shall be entitled to the following additional electorate to Sydney travel entitlements per annum.

Entitlement

Office holder	Electorate to Sydney travel entitlement
Minister of the Crown	32 single journey entitlements
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly	32 single journey entitlements
President of the Legislative Council	32 single journey entitlements
Leader of the Opposition Assembly and Council	32 single journey entitlements
Leader of Party (not less than 10 Members in the Legislative Assembly)	32 single journey entitlements
Chairman of Committees Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council	32 single journey entitlements.
Deputy Speaker	32 single journey entitlements
Deputy Leader of the Opposition Assembly and Council	16 single journey entitlements
Deputy Leader of Party (not less than 10 Members in the Legislative Assembly)	16 single journey entitlements

Conditions

1. All electorate to Sydney travel and return is restricted to economy class.

2. Warrants may be used to meet the cost of using a private motor vehicle or rental vehicle in lieu of electorate to Sydney air travel. The amount to be reimbursed for this purpose is not to exceed the commercial airfare for an equivalent distance flight.

3. A minimum of one warrant is required to be surrendered for each single journey; a return trip will require the surrender of at least two warrants.

4. Warrants are not transferable between Members, or approved relatives, or Members’ staff.

5. Where the Determination refers to warrants, the expression is intended to include a reference to the existing system for electorate to Sydney travel used for the Legislative Council.

6. Members may use electorate to Sydney warrants to defray part of the cost of intrastate and interstate Parliamentary travel when such travel is via Sydney.

7. Members may charter a plane in lieu of travelling on commercial flights provided that travel is for electorate and/or Parliamentary business and that sufficient warrants based on the equivalent commercial cost of each person travelling are surrendered. The cost of Member’s approved relative travelling on the charter is to be met from the Member’s Logistic Support Allocation. It is a condition of all air transport charters that the Member responsible for organising the charter obtain a passenger manifest from the charter operator and attach it to the invoice when it is sent for payment.

8. A Member’s air transport bookings for Parliamentary duties are to be made through the booking agent nominated in the NSW government travel contract, for all types of transport covered by the contract. Should the official NSW government travel booking agent not offer a booking service required by a Member for Parliamentary duties, the Member’s transport bookings for that service may be made directly with the transport provider.

9. Members will need to maintain records or other relevant evidence that clearly document the occasions they travelled to Sydney in connection with their Parliamentary duties. A copy of this documentation is to be supplied to the Parliament’s administration. When travelling by commercial air flights, copies of airline boarding passes are to be supplied to the Parliament when issued for arrival and departure from Sydney.

2. Logistic Support Allocation

Purpose and Operation of the Provision

The Clerks of the Parliament will establish a Logistic Support Allocation Account for each Member. Each Member’s Logistic Support Allocation Account may be applied for the following purposes:

• All interstate and intrastate transport for Parliamentary business (any mode) excepting electorate to Sydney travel unless that entitlement is exhausted
• Taxi travel
• Staff travel costs (training excluded)
• Airport parking
• Transport expenses for Members’ approved relative
• Home telephone, facsimile and internet call charges for official business
• Home telephone rental costs
• Internet access fees for official business
• Broadband access fees for official business
• Mobile telephone call charges and network access fees
• Mail distribution and postal delivery services
• Post Office box rental
• Fax Post, Express Post and Lettergram services
• Postage stamps
• All stationery costs
• Courier and freight charges for delivery of stationery or equipment to electorate or home office
• Costs associated with photocopying
• Printing (both Parliament House and external providers)
• Publication services at Parliament House
• Developing and hosting a web page for individual Member
• Office equipment purchases up to $2,500 (excluding GST)
• Any maintenance charges relating to minor equipment purchases
• Computer software
• Computer hardware and peripheral devices not exceeding $4,999

It is intended that the above list be used as a guide as to the types of items Members can spend against their Logistic Support Allocation. The Presiding Officers may exercise their discretion in permitting expenditure for items not on the “List”. There must be sufficient funds in the Member’s Logistic Support Allocation, the items must not duplicate services already provided to Members by the Parliament and the expenditure must be consistent with the guidelines and general conditions in this Determination.

Entitlement

Each Member and Recognised Office Holder of the Legislative Assembly who resides in one of the following electorate groups will be entitled to an annual allocation for the Logistic Support Allocation as follows:

Electorate Group	LSA (1 July 2006 to 23 March 2007)	LSA (24 March 2007 to 30 June 2007)
Group 1	$28,775	$28,775
Group 2	$32,200	$32,200
Group 3	$34,445	$34,445
Group 4	$34,445	$34,445
Group 5	$34,445	$34,445
Group 6	$34,445	$34,445
Group 7*	$36,690	$36,690
Group 8*	$36,690	n/a

Each Member and Recognised Office Holder of the Legislative Council who resides in one of the following zones will be entitled to an annual allocation for the Logistic Support Allocation as follows:

	Zone	Entitlement
	Zone 1 Electorates	$19,515
	Zone 2 Electorates	$20,100
	Zone 3 Electorates	$29,775

Recognised Office Holders are entitled to further additional entitlements as specified in Schedule 3.

General Conditions

The following general conditions shall apply to the Logistic Support Allocation Account:

1. Subject to these conditions, each Member shall determine at his/her own discretion the use of the funds within this Account for the purpose and operations specified above.

2. It is the primary responsibility of Members to ensure that they manage their Logistic Support Allocation Account to ensure that they do not over-expend their budget. No supplementation of this Allocation will be allowed by the Tribunal. However, the Logistic Support Allocation is not intended to restrict the proper use of the electoral allowance, which may be used to meet any expense referred to in the ‘purpose and operations’ section of this clause.

3. Members may not use their Logistic Support Allocation to procure goods or services to be used for direct electioneering purposes or political campaigning.

4. Any unused funds remaining in the Member’s account at the end of the financial year within the four year Parliamentary term shall be carried over to the following financial year. At the end of each 4 year Parliamentary term or the earlier dissolution of the Legislative Assembly, any balance remaining in the Member’s account is to be relinquished to the Consolidated Fund.

5. Accounts will be paid either directly by the Parliament and debited to a Member’s account or paid in the first instance by the Member who would then seek reimbursement from the Parliament.

6. Members must personally authorise expenditure from their Logistic Support Allocation. Whilst, subject to the further conditions, Members may determine at their discretion the use of the funds available for any purpose and operation specified in this clause, the following table outlines the basis upon which the Tribunal has established the quantum of the account for future assessment. The table shall be used for the future assessment of the Allocation and for particular purposes such as the calculation of additional entitlements for Recognised Office Holders.

Electorate Group or Zone	Transport	Communication –electronic	Communication –non- electronic	Printing and Stationery and Office Supplies	Total Logistic Support Allowance
Legislative Assembly
Group 1	$4,490	$3,925	$13,220	$7,140	$28,775
Group 2	$6,740	$5,100	$13,220	$7,140	$32,200
Group 3	$8,985	$5,100	$13,220	$7,140	$34,445
Group 4	$8,985	$5,100	$13,220	$7,140	$34,445
Group 5	$8,985	$5,100	$13,220	$7,140	$34,445
Group 6	$8,985	$5,100	$13,220	$7,140	$34,445
Group 7*	$11,230	$5,100	$13,220	$7,140	$36,690
Group 8*	$11,230	$5,100	$13,220	$7,140	$36,690
* With effect from 24 March 2007 Group 8 will be abolished.
Legislative Council
Zone 1 Electorates	$4,490	$4,515	$3,370	$7,140	$19,515
Zone 2 Electorates	$4,490	$5,100	$3,370	$7,140	$20,100
Zone 3 Electorates	$11,230	$8,035	$3,370	$7,140	$29,775

Particular Conditions.

Transport (Other than Electorate or Electorate to Sydney transport)

1. A Member may use any form of transport within Australia subject to the requirement that the transport was used for Parliamentary or electorate duties and that the cost was reasonable.

2. A Member may travel to any place in Australia, subject to the requirement that all such travel must be for Parliamentary duties and that there must be, at the time of the making of the relevant reservation, sufficient funds in that Member’s Account to pay for the expenses involved.

3. All transport costs associated with approved relative or Members’ staff travel (excluding travel costs associated with staff training) are to be provided from the Logistic Support Allocation Account. Staff training costs are to be met by the Legislature.

4. Members and their approved relatives, when travelling in connection with their Parliamentary duties, may claim reasonable actual accommodation and meal expenses from the Members’ Logistic Support Allocation. The reimbursement of these expenses may not exceed the travel allowance rates as determined for Group 2 in Table 2 hereunder. Staff employed by the Parliament who travel with their Member or separately for Parliamentary business purposes may be paid travel allowances in accordance with appropriate Public Service Award conditions.

5. A Member and his or her approved relative may travel together or separately in connection with attendance at a function in the course of Parliamentary duties.

6. A Member, his or her approved relative and staff employed by the Parliament may use taxis or hire cars for Parliamentary duties.

7. A Member’s air transport bookings for Parliamentary duties are to be made through the booking agent nominated in the NSW government travel contract, for all types of transport covered by the contract. Should the official NSW government travel booking agent not offer a booking service required by a Member for Parliamentary duties, the Member’s transport bookings for that service may be made directly with the transport provider.

8. Members should ensure that records are maintained that clearly document the occasions that staff employed by the Parliament stayed in Sydney or other locations when travelling in connection with the Member’s Parliamentary duties. Such documentation may include airline boarding passes for arrival and departure or other documentary evidence of having travelled and stayed in accommodation.

9. A Member may use charter transport in connection with Parliamentary duties, but only within the limits of the Member’s individual Logistic Support Allocation. No passenger, except the Member’s approved relative and staff employed by the Parliament accompanying the Member on Parliamentary duties, may be carried at the cost of the Member’s Logistic Support Allocation entitlement. Where more than one Member is travelling on the air charter, the total air charter costs should be shared equally between the Members travelling.

10. It is a condition of all air transport charters that the Member responsible for organising the charter obtain a passenger manifest from the charter operator and attach it to the invoice when it is submitted for payment to the Legislature.

11. Members together with their approved relative will need to maintain records or other relevant evidence that clearly document the occasions they travelled in connection with their Parliamentary duties. A copy of this documentation is to be supplied to the Parliament’s administration. When travelling by commercial air flights, copies of boarding passes are also to be supplied.

Communication – electronic

1. The Tribunal accepts that there will be some private usage in connection with mobile telephones supplied by the Parliament and electronic communication equipment installed at public expense in a Member’s principal place of residence. To ensure the Legislature does not pay Fringe Benefits Tax for the private usage of electronic equipment, the Financial Controller will undertake a survey over an appropriate period of time to ascertain public/private percentage use of Members’ home telecommunication services. Once established, Members will be reimbursed the Parliamentary business cost of each home telecommunication call or usage account and an adjustment shall be made to previous accounts reimbursed from the effective date of this Determination on or from the date of election, whichever is the later.

2. Members may utilise any telecommunication services or network features with the exception of overseas calls, charged information/service calls, reverse charge calls, home-link calls and telecard calls.

3. following Recognised Office Holders shall be entitled to 100 per cent reimbursement for electronic-communication costs including overseas calls for Parliamentary business.

   • Ministers
   • Presiding Officers
   • Leader of the Opposition (Assembly and Council)
   • Leader of a Party not less than 10 Members in the Legislative Assembly
   • Chairman of Committees (Assembly and Council)
   • Deputy Speaker
   • Deputy Leader of the Opposition (Assembly and Council)
   • Deputy Leader of a Party with not less than 10 Members in the Legislative Assembly
   • Parliamentary Secretaries (Assembly and Council)
   • Government and Opposition Whips (Assembly and Council)
   • Whip of a third party with not less than 10 Members (Legislative Assembly)
   • Deputy Whips (Legislative Assembly).

4. A fax line installed at Legislative Council Members’ home offices continue to be reimbursed at the rate of 100 per cent.

5. Call charges pertaining to a data line installed at Legislative Council Members’ home offices be reimbursed at the rate of 100 per cent where Members do not have a broadband service connected, subject to the line being used for Parliamentary duties.

6. Members will be required to meet the cost of all overseas calls, other charged information/service calls, reverse charge calls and home-link and Telecard calls.

7. Accounts will be paid either directly by the Parliament and debited to a Member’s account or paid in the first instance by the Member who would then seek reimbursement from the Parliament.

Communication - non-electronic

Members are permitted to purchase postage stamps or other mail distribution and delivery services and make arrangements for payment direct by the Parliament or obtain reimbursement by providing substantiation in accordance with the requirements of the Parliament’s administration.

Printing, Stationery and Office Supplies

1. Members may only use the printing, stationery and office supplies entitlement for Parliamentary duties.
2. The entitlement may be used to purchase printing, stationery and office supplies from the Parliament or other providers and in accordance with Parliamentary procurement policies and practices.
3. A Member may not use their printing, stationery and office supplies allowances to procure goods or services to be used for direct electioneering purposes or political campaigning.
4. The purchase of computer software from the Logistic Support Allocation is subject to the following conditions:

• The software will not be supported by the Parliament’s I.T. Section.
• The software is required to be removed from the computers supplied by the Parliament if there is any conflict with the Parliament’s computer network.
• The software is not to be used for political campaigning or electioneering purposes.

3. Electorate Mailout Account

Each Member of the Legislative Assembly will be provided with an amount as specified in the attached Schedule for the following specific purposes:

1. For preparing and distributing letters/newsletters to each constituent in his/her electorate. Members are provided with an annual amount based on the cost of issuing two newsletters/letters per enrolled voter per annum. Members may issue additional newsletters/letters subject to available funds in their Electorate Mail-Out Account and the Legislative Assembly’s administrative guidelines.

2. Upon the gazettal of new electoral districts following an electoral redistribution (undertaken pursuant to s 27(1)(c) of the Constitution Act 1902), Members may use their Electorate Mailout Account to communicate with prospective constituents from neighbouring electorates who at the time of the next election following the gazettal of the new electoral districts will become constituents of the Member’s electorate.

Conditions

1. The Electorate Mailout Account shall be established and maintained by the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly. Members should be advised by the Clerk each month as to the balance of their Account.

2. Members are to fund the cost of preparing, printing and distributing letters/Newsletters to each constituent in his/her electorate and for no other purpose.

3. All procurement by Members will be in accordance with the Parliament’s purchasing policies.

4. No supplementation to the allocation will be considered. Any additional costs are to be met from the Member’s Logistic Support Allocation.

5. Unused funds are to be returned to the Consolidated Fund at the end of each financial year.

6. All accounts must be submitted to the Legislature for payment within 60 days of receipt.

7. Printing and distribution of newsletters/letters from the Electorate Mail-Out Account is to be in accordance with the Parliament’s administrative guidelines.

8. Communication with prospective constituents following gazettal of electoral districts will be limited only to those electors who will transfer from adjoining electorates to the new electorate. Each Member is to receive the details of the prospective constituents from the State Electoral Office

9. Communications with constituents/prospective constituents will be limited to matters affecting the Member’s electorate.

4. Electorate Charter Transport for Members of the Legislative Assembly

Purpose and operation of the provision

Members of the largest electorates (Electoral Groups 5-8) shall be provided with an allowance from which is met charter transport costs incurred within their electorates. For the purposes of this allowance “charter transport” means charter transport used with and for the service of the Member’s electorate and includes charter aircraft, drive yourself vehicles and any other mode of charter transport that may be deemed appropriate in the circumstances by the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.

Entitlement

For the period 1 July 2006 to 23 March 2007 (inclusive) Members of the Legislative Assembly in the following Electorate Groups shall be entitled to Charter Transport Allowance up to the maximum amount shown below:

	Electorates	Entitlement
	Group 5	$6,980
	Group 6	$11,400
	Group 7	$13,980
	Group 8	$21,080

For the period 24 March 2007 to 30 June 2007 (inclusive) Members of the Legislative Assembly in the following Electorate Groups shall be entitled to Charter Transport Allowance up to the maximum amount shown below:

	Electorates	Entitlement
	Group 5	$6,980
	Group 6	$11,400
	Group 7	$21,080

Conditions

The following conditions shall apply in respect of Charter Transport Allowance:

1. This Allowance shall only be used in connection with Parliamentary duties within the Member’s electorate and shall not be used during election campaigns or for other electioneering or party political activities.

2. Only the cost of the Member’s approved relative or Member of staff accompanying the Member may be met from this Allowance.

3. It is a condition of all air transport charters that the Member responsible for organising the charter obtain a passenger manifest from the charter operator and attach it to the invoice when it is submitted for payment to the Legislature.

4. Members are to meet the cost of the air charter and seek reimbursement from the Financial Controller with appropriate certification as to the purpose of the charter.

5. The charter transport shall only be used within and for the service of the Member's electorate. Where the closest source of available charter transport to the Member’s electorate, electorate office or principal place of residence is outside the boundaries of the electorate, the reasonable additional expenses consequently incurred may be included in the reimbursement available under this Determination.

6. Members may use their Charter Transport Allowance to fly to an airfield located outside their electorate in circumstances where there is no suitable airfield located in the part of the electorate being visited by the Member. In these circumstances the Member would fly to the relevant airfield outside his/her electorate and then drive back to the electorate to conduct electorate business.

7. Members may also use the Charter Transport Allowance to attend regional or other meetings within an adjoining electorate relating to matters affecting their electorate. Members should first seek approval to use this Allowance in such a manner from the Presiding Officers. Members should be able to satisfy the Presiding Officers that the purpose of the journey relates to electorate business.

8. These additional entitlements shall be audited annually for compliance. In addition to any internal audit conducted by the Parliament, Members’ additional entitlements shall be the subject of an external audit conducted by the Auditor-General of NSW. The cost of any auditing shall be met by the Parliament. Members should ensure they maintain appropriate records of expenditure.

5. Travelling Allowances for Recognised Office Holders

Table 2 – Indicative Upper Limits for Travel Expenditure

Office Holders	Capital Cities		Other Areas	Where no overnight stay is required
	Melbourne	Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Darwin, Hobart, Perth
Group 1	$401.75	$331.75	$282.75	Actual reasonable meal expenses
Group 2	$282.75	$263.00	$185.50	Actual reasonable meal expenses

Recognised Office Holders are classified into one of the following two groups.

Group 1

Premier,
Deputy Premier,
Senior and Other Ministers,
President of the Legislative Council and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly,
Chairman of Committees (Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council),
Chairman of Select, Joint Standing, Standing and Public Accounts Committees,
Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council,
Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly,
Deputy Speaker in the Legislative Assembly.

Group 2

Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council,
Deputy Leader in the Legislative Council (other than the Leader or Deputy Leader of the Opposition) of a recognised political party not fewer than 9 members of which are members of the Legislative Council and of which no member is a Minister,
Leader and Deputy Leader of a Recognised Political Party of which not less then ten Members are Members of the Legislative Assembly,
Government and Opposition Whips,
Deputy Government and Deputy Opposition Whips,
Parliamentary Secretary,
Whip in the Legislative Assembly of a recognised political party, not fewer than 10 members of whom are members of the Legislative Assembly,
Deputy Whip in the Legislative Assembly of a recognised political party, not fewer than 40 members of which are members of the Legislative Assembly,
Members of Select, Joint Standing, Standing and Public Accounts Committees.

The following conditions shall apply in respect of this allowance:

1. Recognised Office Holders are eligible to claim reasonable actual travelling expenses for overnight absences from Sydney or their electorate/principal home residence. Where no overnight absence is involved Recognised Office Holders may claim reasonable actual meal expenses. Indicative upper limits for travel expenditure are outlined in Table 2.

2. The payment of actual travelling expenses will be paid subject to the production of tax invoices/receipts relating to accommodation, meal and other incidental expenses by the Recognised Office Holder concerned.

3. A Recognised Office Holder whose approved relative accompanies him or her to a State or other official function and who consequently incurs expenses in respect of meals and accommodation exceeding the allowance to which he or she is entitled, shall be entitled to be reimbursed the additional expenses associated with the approved relative.

4. Those Recognised Office Holders for whom non-Parliamentary funded budgets are provided are to meet travel allowance costs from those budgets and not from the Parliament.

6. Equipment, Services and Facilities

Members of the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council shall be provided by the Parliament with the equipment, services and facilities necessary to perform their Parliamentary duties as follows:

1. All Members shall receive at Parliament House, Sydney, a fitted out, equipped and maintained office, and secretarial services.

2. Each Member of the Legislative Assembly shall receive a fitted out, equipped and maintained Electorate Office to an appropriate standard. The Member for Murray-Darling is to be provided with an additional electorate office.

3. Each Member shall be supplied equipment and ancillary services in the Member’s private residence (or if the Member has more than one private residence then in the Member’s principal private residence) including a telephone and a facsimile machine, for the performance by the Member of Parliamentary duties.

4. Each Member shall receive portable equipment to supplement the provision of equipment as referred to in clauses 1, 2 and 3 above, except where such equipment is already provided by the Executive Government. This portable equipment shall include, but is not limited to, a mobile telephone and a notebook computer.

5. Each Member of the Legislative Council shall have a separate facsimile line installed in their home. A separate data line shall also be installed to provide access to the Parliament’s secure computer network unless Members elect to connect to a broadband service.

6. The Presiding Officers are to provide administrative support to each Member in accordance with the following:

1. Subject to (ii), each Member of the Legislative Assembly shall have two staff Members employed at each electoral office.

2. Each Member of the Legislative Assembly elected as an Independent shall have an additional staff Member employed at his/her electoral office.

3. Each Member of the Legislative Assembly, not elected as an Independent, shall be provided with a budget specific for the recruitment of temporary staff. The budget is to provide for additional staffing in the electorate office when the Member brings one of his or her electorate staff to Parliament House on sitting days only. The budget is to be the equivalent of the salary of an electorate officer grade 2 for a period of 61 days per annum. Funds from this budget are not to be used for any other purpose.

4. Each Member of the Legislative Council, who is not a Minister, shall be entitled to one staff Member. When the staff Member is on annual recreation leave or other extended period of leave, a relief staff member may be employed for the period of absence.

5. Each Member of the Legislative Council, who is not a Minister, and who is elected as a cross bench Member shall be entitled to two staff members.

6. Ministers shall receive a reasonable allocation of staff members.

7. The Government and Opposition Whips, and the Whip of each recognised political party of not less than 10 members to each be provided with one member of staff.

8. This provision specifies the minimum staffing required in electorate offices. Nothing in this Determination removes from the employer of staff the obligations arising under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2000.

Dated this 13th day of July 2006

The Honourable Justice R Boland

THE PARLIAMENTARY REMUNERATION TRIBUNAL

SCHEDULES 1, 2, 2A, 3 AND 4 WILL APPLY ON AND FROM 1 JULY 2006 UNTIL 23 MARCH 2007 (inclusive).

SCHEDULES 1A, 2AA, 2AAA, 3 AND 4A WILL APPLY ON AND FROM 24 MARCH 2007 UNTIL 30 JUNE 2007 (inclusive).

ELECTORAL GROUPS	SCHEDULE 1

Group 1 Electorates
10. Auburn 11. Bankstown 12. Baulkham Hills 13. Blacktown 14. Bligh 15. Cabramatta 16. Campbelltown 17. Canterbury 18. Coogee 19. Cronulla 20. Davidson 21. Drummoyne 22. East Hills 23. Epping 24. Fairfield 25. Georges River	26. Granville 27. Heffron 28. Hornsby 29. Kogarah 30. Ku-ring- gai 31. Lakemba 32. Lane Cove 33. Liverpool 34. Macquarie Fields 35. Manly 36. Maroubra 37. Marrickville 38. Menai 39. Miranda 40. Mount Druitt 41. Mulgoa	42. North Shore 43. Parramatta 44. Penrith 45. Pittwater 46. Port Jackson 47. Riverstone 48. Rockdale 49. Ryde 50. Smithfield 51. Strathfield 52. The Hills 53. Vaucluse 54. Wakehurst 55. Wentworthville 56. Willoughby
Group 2 Electorates
9. Blue Mountains 10. Camden 11. Charlestown 12. Gosford 13. Hawkesbury 14. Heathcote	15. Illawarra 16. Keira 17. Kiama 18. Lake Macquarie 19. Londonderry 20. Newcastle	21. Peats 22. Swansea 23. The Entrance 24. Wallsend 25. Wollongong 26. Wyong

SCHEDULE 1

Group 3 Electorates
2. Ballina 3. Cessnock 4. Coffs Harbour 5. Maitland	6. Myall Lakes 7. Port Macquarie 8. Port Stephens	9. South Coast 10. Southern Highlands 11. Tweed
Group 4 Electorates
2. Albury 3. Bathurst 4. Bega	5. Dubbo 6. Lismore 7. Orange	8. Oxley 9. Tamworth 10. Wagga Wagga
Group 5 Electorates
25. Burrinjuck 26. Clarence 27. Monaro 28. Northern Tablelands
Group 6 Electorates
6. Lachlan 7. Murrumbidgee 8. Upper Hunter
Group 7 Electorates
Barwon
Group 8 Electorates
Murray-Darling

SYDNEY ALLOWANCE GROUPINGS	SCHEDULE 2

Category 1
11. Blue Mountains 12. Camden 13. Campbelltown 14. Charlestown 15. Gosford 16. Hawkesbury	17. Heathcote 18. Illawarra 19. Keira 20. Kiama 21. Lake Macquarie 22. Londonderry	23. Newcastle 24. Peats 25. Swansea 26. The Entrance 27. Wallsend 28. Wollongong 29. Wyong

Category 2
2. Albury 3. Ballina 4. Barwon 5. Bathurst 6. Burrinjuck 7. Bega 8. Cessnock 9. Clarence 10. Coffs Harbour 11. Dubbo	12. Lachlan 13. Lismore 14. Maitland 15. Monaro 16. Murray-Darling 17. Murrumbidgee 18. Myall Lakes 19. Northern Tablelands 20. Orange	21. Oxley 22. Port Macquarie 23. Port Stephens 24. South Coast 25. Southern Highlands 26. Tamworth 27. Tweed 28. Upper Hunter 29. Wagga Wagga

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ZONES	SCHEDULE 2A

Zone 1 Electorates
1. Auburn 2. Bankstown 3. Baulkham Hills 4. Blacktown 5. Bligh 6. Cabramatta 7. Campbelltown 8. Canterbury 9. Coogee 10. Cronulla 11. Davidson 12. Drummoyne 13. East Hills 14. Epping 15. Fairfield 16. Georges River	17. Granville 18. Heffron 19. Hornsby 20. Kogarah 21. Ku-ring- gai 22. Lakemba 23. Lane Cove 24. Liverpool 25. Macquarie Fields 26. Manly 27. Maroubra 28. Marrickville 29. Menai 30. Miranda 31. Mount Druitt 32. Mulgoa	33. North Shore 34. Parramatta 35. Penrith 36. Pittwater 37. Port Jackson 38. Riverstone 39. Rockdale 40. Ryde 41. Smithfield 42. Strathfield 43. The Hills 44. Vaucluse 45. Wakehurst 46. Wentworthville 47. Willoughby
Zone 2 Electorates
5. Blue Mountains 6. Camden 7. Charlestown 8. Gosford 9. Hawkesbury 10. Heathcote	11. Illawarra 12. Keira 13. Kiama 14. Lake Macquarie 15. Londonderry 16. Newcastle	17. Peats 18. Swansea 19. The Entrance 20. Wallsend 21. Wollongong 22. Wyong

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ZONES	SCHEDULE 2A

Zone 3 Electorates
1. Albury	11. Lachlan	21. Port Macquarie
2. Ballina	12. Lismore	22. Port Stephens
3. Barwon	13. Maitland	23. South Coast
4. Bathurst	14. Monaro	24. Southern Highlands
5. Bega	15. Murrumbidgee	25. Tamworth
6. Burrinjuck	16. Murray-Darling	26. Tweed
7. Cessnock	17. Myall Lakes	27. Upper Hunter
8. Clarence	18. Northern Tablelands	28. Wagga Wagga
9. Coffs Harbour	19. Orange
10. Dubbo	20. Oxley

RECOGNISED OFFICE HOLDER AND	SCHEDULE 3
OTHER MEMBER ENTITLEMENTS

Recognised Office Holder	Transport	Communication (electronic)	Communication ( non- electronic)	Printing And Stationery
Presiding Officer	30%		55%(A) 175%(C)	40%
Minister				40%
Deputy Speaker, Chair of Committees				40%
Leader of the Opposition	20%(A)		140%(A) 175%(C)	40%
Deputy Leader of the Opposition	10%		15%(C)	40%
Whips			15%(C)	40%
Party Leader (not less than 10 Members)	15%			40%
Deputy Party Leader (not less than 10 Members LA or 9 Members LC)	10%			40%
Leader of the National Party (in Opposition with not less than 10 Members in LA)	15%		15%	40%
Other Recognised Office Holders				40%
Independent Members				20%

Recognised Office Holders and Members referred to in schedule 3 may only receive additional entitlements for one office; that office being the office which attracts the greater level of entitlement.

Where entitlements formerly provided for the recognised office holder’s approved relative these have been included in the allocation.

Where an entitlement is followed by (A) or (C) it applied only to the office holder in either the Assembly or the Council.

ELECTORATE MAILOUT ACCOUNT	SCHEDULE 4

le electorate office staff are exclusively employed to assist 8 May

ELECTORAL DISTRICT	NUMBER OF ELECTORS (as of 8 May 2006 as provided by the State Electoral Office)	ANNUAL ENTITLEMENT
1. ALBURY	42,982	$55,877
2. AUBURN	46,295	$60,184
3. BALLINA	45,810	$59,553
4. BANKSTOWN	44,852	$58,308
5. BARWON	42,304	$54,995
6. BATHURST	44,370	$57,681
7. BAULKHAM HILLS	45,617	$59,302
8. BEGA	48,218	$62,683
9. BLACKTOWN	46,884	$60,949
10. BLIGH	48,306	$62,798
11. BLUE MOUNTAINS	46,263	$60,142
12. BURRINJUCK	44,268	$57,548
13. CABRAMATTA	42,839	$55,691
14. CAMDEN	54,737	$71,158
15. CAMPBELLTOWN	43,496	$56,545
16. CANTERBURY	44,472	$57,814
17. CESSNOCK	44,689	$58,096
18. CHARLESTOWN	44,414	$57,738
19. CLARENCE	43,867	$57,027
20. COFFS HARBOUR	45,714	$59,428
21. COOGEE	42,764	$55,593
22. CRONULLA	44,826	$58,274
23. DAVIDSON	45,249	$58,824
24. DRUMMOYNE	48,737	$63,358
25. DUBBO	43,707	$56,819
26. EAST HILLS	44,563	$57,932
27. EPPING	45,088	$58,614
28. FAIRFIELD	44,137	$57,378
29. GEORGES RIVER	46,069	$59,890
30. GOSFORD	48,924	$63,601
31. GRANVILLE	43,029	$55,938
32. HAWKESBURY	49,273	$64,055
33. HEATHCOTE	45,304	$58,895
34. HEFFRON	43,910	$57,083
35. HORNSBY	46,592	$60,570
36. ILLAWARRA	46,160	$60,008
37. KEIRA	43,775	$56,908
38. KIAMA	48,601	$63,181
39. KOGARAH	44,895	$58,364
40. KU-RING-GAI	44,979	$58,473
41. LACHLAN	44,394	$57,712
42. LAKE MACQUARIE	47,014	$61,118
43. LAKEMBA	42,897	$55,766
44. LANE COVE	44,542	$57,905
45. LISMORE	42,633	$55,423
46. LIVERPOOL	47,675	$61,978
47. LONDONDERRY	44,430	$57,759
48. MACQUARIE FIELDS	54,261	$70,539
49. MAITLAND	49,920	$64,896
50. MANLY	43,876	$57,039
51. MAROUBRA	44,067	$57,287
52. MARRICKVILLE	45,552	$59,218
53. MENAI	48,441	$62,973
54. MIRANDA	43,387	$56,403
55. MONARO	46,985	$61,081
56. MOUNT DRUITT	45,408	$59,030
57. MULGOA	48,608	$63,190
58. MURRAY-DARLING	41,187	$53,543
59. MURRUMBIDGEE	44,065	$57,285
60. MYALL LAKES	47,352	$61,558
61. NEWCASTLE	45,190	$58,747
62. NORTH SHORE	46,160	$60,008
63. NORTHERN TABLELANDS	42,886	$55,752
64. ORANGE	44,331	$57,630
65. OXLEY	44,491	$57,838
66. PARRAMATTA	45,137	$58,678
67. PEATS	45,459	$59,097
68. PENRITH	44,608	$57,990
69. PITTWATER	45,648	$59,342
70. PORT JACKSON	52,713	$68,527
71. PORT MACQUARIE	47,326	$61,524
72. PORT STEPHENS	47,471	$61,712
73. RIVERSTONE	53,120	$69,056
74. ROCKDALE	43,982	$57,177
75. RYDE	45,520	$59,176
76. SMITHFIELD	45,858	$59,615
77. SOUTH COAST	49,013	$63,717
78. SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS	47,345	$61,549
79. STRATHFIELD	46,569	$60,540
80. SWANSEA	47,355	$61,562
81. TAMWORTH	44,735	$58,156
82. THE ENTRANCE	46,253	$60,129
83. THE HILLS	56,119	$72,955
84. TWEED	49,881	$64,845
85. UPPER HUNTER	42,173	$54,825
86. VAUCLUSE	43,390	$56,407
87. WAGGA WAGGA	44,225	$57,493
88. WAKEHURST	44,718	$58,133
89. WALLSEND	48,083	$62,508
90. WENTWORTHVILLE	44,051	$57,266
91. WILLOUGHBY	46,996	$61,095
92. WOLLONGONG	43,338	$56,339
93. WYONG	50,287	$65,373

THE FOLLOWING SCHEDULES WILL APPLY ON AND FROM 24 MARCH 2007

ELECTORAL GROUPS	SCHEDULE 1A

Group 1 Electorates
1. Auburn 2. Balmain 3. Bankstown 4. Baulkham Hills 5. Blacktown 6. Cabramatta 7. Camden 8. Campbelltown 9. Canterbury 10. Castle Hill 11. Coogee 12. Cronulla 13. Davidson 14. Drummoyne 15. East Hills 16. Epping 17. Fairfield 18. Granville	19. Heffron 20. Hornsby 21. Kogarah 22. Ku-ring-gai 23. Lakemba 24. Lane Cove 25. Liverpool 26. Londonderry 27. Macquarie Fields 28. Manly 29. Maroubra 30. Marrickville 31. Menai 32. Miranda 33. Mount Druitt 34. Mulgoa 35. North Shore 36. Oatley	37. Parramatta 38. Penrith 39. Pittwater 40. Riverstone 41. Rockdale 42. Ryde 43. Smithfield 44. Strathfield 45. Sydney 46. Toongabbie 47. Vaucluse 48. Wakehurst 49. Willoughby
Group 2 Electorates
1. Blue Mountains 2. Charlestown 3. Gosford 4. Hawkesbury 5. Heathcote 6. Keira 7. Kiama	8. Lake Macquarie 9. Newcastle 10. Shellharbour 11. Swansea 12. Terrigal 13. The Entrance	14. Wallsend 15. Wollondilly 16. Wollongong 17. Wyong

SCHEDULE 1A

Group 3 Electorates
1. Ballina 2. Cessnock 3. Coffs Harbour 4. Goulburn	5. Maitland 6. Myall Lakes 7. Port Macquarie 8. Port Stephens	9. South Coast 10. Tweed
Group 4 Electorates
1. Albury 2. Bathurst 3. Bega	4. Dubbo 5. Lismore 6. Orange	7. Oxley 8. Tamworth 9. Wagga Wagga
Group 5 Electorates
1. Burrinjuck 2. Clarence 3. Monaro 4. Northern Tablelands
Group 6 Electorates
1. Murrumbidgee 2. Upper Hunter
Group 7 Electorates
1. Barwon 2. Murray Darling

SYDNEY ALLOWANCE GROUPINGS	SCHEDULE 2AA

Category 1
1. Blue Mountains 2. Charlestown 3. Gosford 4. Hawkesbury 5. Heathcote 6. Keira 7. Kiama 8. Lake Macquarie	9. Newcastle 10. Shellharbour 11. Swansea 12. Terrigal 13. The Entrance 14. Wallsend 15. Wollondilly	16. Wollongong 17. Wyong

Category 2
12. Albury 13. Ballina 14. Barwon 15. Bathurst 16. Burrinjuck 17. Bega 18. Cessnock 19. Clarence 20. Coffs Harbour 21. Dubbo 22. Goulburn	23. Lismore 24. Maitland 25. Monaro 26. Murray-Darling 27. Murrumbidgee 28. Myall Lakes 29. Northern Tablelands 30. Orange 31. Oxley	32. Port Macquarie 33. Port Stephens 34. South Coast 35. Tamworth 36. Tweed 37. Upper Hunter 38. Wagga Wagga

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ZONES	SCHEDULE 2AAA

Zone 1 Electorates
1. Auburn 2. Balmain 3. Bankstown 4. Baulkham Hills 5. Blacktown 6. Cabramatta 7. Camden 8. Campbelltown 9. Canterbury 10. Castle Hill 11. Coogee 12. Cronulla 13. Davidson 14. Drummoyne 15. East Hills 16. Epping 17. Fairfield 18. Granville	19. Heffron 20. Hornsby 21. Kogarah 22. Ku-ring-gai 23. Lakemba 24. Lane Cove 25. Liverpool 26. Londonderry 27. Macquarie Fields 28. Manly 29. Maroubra 30. Marrickville 31. Menai 32. Miranda 33. Mount Druitt 34. Mulgoa 35. North Shore 36. Oatley	37. Parramatta 38. Penrith 39. Pittwater 40. Riverstone 41. Rockdale 42. Ryde 43. Smithfield 44. Strathfield 45. Sydney 46. Toongabbie 47. Vaucluse 48. Wakehurst 49. Willoughby
Zone 2 Electorates
1. Blue Mountains 2. Charlestown 3. Gosford 4. Hawkesbury 5. Heathcote 6. Keira 7. Kiama	8. Lake Macquarie 9. Newcastle 10. Shellharbour 11. Swansea 12. Terrigal 13. The Entrance	14. Wallsend 15. Wollondilly 16. Wollongong 17. Wyong

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ZONES	SCHEDULE 2AAA

Zone 3 Electorates
1. Albury	11. Goulburn	21. Port Macquarie
2. Ballina	12. Lismore	22. Port Stephens
3. Barwon	13. Maitland	23. South Coast
4. Bathurst	14. Monaro	24. Tamworth
5. Bega	15. Murrumbidgee	25. Tweed
6. Burrinjuck	16. Murray-Darling	26. Upper Hunter
7. Cessnock	17. Myall Lakes	27. Wagga Wagga
8. Clarence	18. Northern Tablelands
9. Coffs Harbour	19. Orange
10. Dubbo	20. Oxley

SCHEDULE 4A

ELECTORATE MAILOUT ACCOUNT Effective on and from Declaration of the Polls
ELECTORAL DISTRICT	NUMBER OF ELECTORS *	ANNUAL ENTITLEMENT
1. ALBURY	48,988	$63,684
2. AUBURN	47,765	$62,095
3. BALLINA	47,246	$61,420
4. BALMAIN (Port Jackson)	49,240	$64,012
5. BANKSTOWN	47,409	$61,632
6. BARWON	48,049	$62,464
7. BATHURST	48,850	$63,505
8. BAULKHAM HILLS	49,207	$63,969
9. BEGA	48,977	$63,670
10. BLACKTOWN	48,087	$62,513
11. BLUE MOUNTAINS	49,007	$63,709
12. BURRINJUCK	48,158	$62,605
13. CABRAMATTA	48,611	$63,194
14. CAMDEN	48,535	$63,096
15. CAMPBELLTOWN	48,169	$62,620
16. CANTERBURY	48,581	$63,155
17. CASTLE HILL (The Hills)	47,185	$61,341
18. CESSNOCK	48,960	$63,648
19. CHARLESTOWN	48,175	$62,628
20. CLARENCE	48,074	$62,496
21. COFFS HARBOUR	48,330	$62,829
22. COOGEE	48,774	$63,406
23. CRONULLA	48,069	$62,490
24. DAVIDSON	48,019	$62,425
25. DRUMMOYNE	47,966	$62,356
26. DUBBO	49,272	$64,054
27. EAST HILLS	47,038	$61,149
28. EPPING	48,245	$62,719
29. FAIRFIED	48,807	$63,449
30. GOSFORD	49,544	$64,407
31. GOULBURN	48,449	$62,984
32. GRANVILLE	48,889	$63,556
33. HAWKESBURY	47,253	$61,429
34. HEATHCOTE	48,368	$62,878
35. HEFFRON	48,675	$63,278
36. HORNSBY	49,250	$64,025
37. KEIRA	47,831	$62,180
38. KIAMA	48,620	$63,206
39. KOGARAH	48,753	$63,379
40. KU-RING-GAI	48,652	$63,248
41. LAKE MACQUARIE	48,202	$62,663
42. LAKEMBA	49,174	$63,926
43. LANE COVE	48,035	$62,446
44. LISMORE	47,410	$61,633
45. LIVERPOOL	47,241	$61,413
46. LONDONDERRY	48,678	$63,281
47. MACQUARIE FIELDS	48,371	$62,882
48. MAITLAND	48,357	$62,864
49. MANLY	47,711	$62,024
50. MAROUBRA	49,154	$63,900
51. MARRICKVILLE	49,139	$63,881
52. MENAI	48,152	$62,598
53. MIRANDA	47,842	$62,195
54. MONARO	46,979	$61,073
55. MOUNT DRUITT	47,041	$61,153
56. MULGOA	48,403	$62,924
57. MURRAY - DARLING	47,483	$61,728
58. MURRUMBIDGEE	49,117	$63,852
59. MYALL LAKES	49,063	$63,782
60. NEWCASTLE	48,120	$62,556
61. NORTH SHORE	48,914	$63,588
62. NORTHERN TABLELANDS	48,890	$63,557
63. OATLEY (Georges River)	48,425	$62,953
64. ORANGE	49,199	$63,959
65. OXLEY	47,116	$61,251
66. PARRAMATTA	48,483	$63,028
67. PENRITH	48,442	$62,975
68. PITTWATER	48,123	$62,560
69. PORT MACQUARIE	47,545	$61,809
70. PORT STEPHENS	48,371	$62,882
71. RIVERSTONE	48,216	$62,681
72. ROCKDALE	48,397	$62,916
73. RYDE	48,379	$62,893
74. SHELLHARBOUR (Illawarra)	48,360	$62,868
75. SMITHFIELD	48,407	$62,929
76. SOUTH COAST	48,874	$63,536
77. STRATHFIELD	47,772	$62,104
78. SWANSEA	49,247	$64,021
79. SYDNEY (Bligh)	48,999	$63,699
80. TAMWORTH	48,457	$62,994
81. TERRIGAL (Gosford)	48,326	$62,824
82. THE ENTRANCE	47,407	$61,629
83. TOONGABBIE (Wentworthville)	49,147	$63,891
84. TWEED	47,416	$61,641
85. UPPER HUNTER	48,369	$62,880
86. VAUCLUSE	49,054	$63,770
87. WAGGA WAGGA	48,460	$62,998
88. WAKEHURST	49,071	$63,792
89. WALLSEND	47,350	$61,555
90. WILLOUGHBY	48,508	$63,060
91. WOLLONDILLY (Camden)	47,409	$61,632
92. WOLLONGONG	49,202	$63,963
93. WYONG	47,934	$62,314

Based on predicted electors as noted in the 2004 Electoral Districts Commissioners Report, pp. XIV-XV.

NB: name in bracket refers to replaced former electorate district

Advice of the Secretary of Treasury Pursuant to Section 12A of the Parliamentary Remuneration Act, 1989

The following comments on the Parliamentary Remuneration Tribunal’s 2006 annual determination are made pursuant to Section 12A of the Parliamentary Remuneration Act, 1989 by the Acting Secretary of the Treasury.

Financial Implications

The table below shows the financial costs of Part 1 of the Tribunal’s Draft Determination. For the purpose of calculating the costs, the estimates are based on the 2006 composition of the Legislative Assembly and the Council membership. Estimates have not been provided where the maximum remuneration limits for the particular allowances are not defined. The Sydney Allowance is calculated on the annual amount allocated to Members.

ENTITLEMENT	2005 DET.	2006 DET.(1)	CHANGE
Electoral Allowance	$ 5,698,510	$ 5,869,435	$ 170,925 +3%
Sydney allowance	$ 1,887,000	$ 1,943,610	$ 56,610 +3%
Logistic Support Allocation	$ 3,725,510	$ 3,837,560	$ 126,047 +3%
Electorate Mail-out Account (2)	$ 5,671,117	$ 5,553,735	-$ 117,382 - 2%
Committee Allowance (3)	$ 16,475	$ 18,287	$ 1,812 +11%
Electorate Charter Transport Allowance - LA Members	$ 97,180	$ 97,180	NIL
Travelling Allowance for Recognised Office Holders	Not Estimated	Not Estimated	Increased (4)
TOTAL MINIMUM EXPENDITURE	$17,095,792	$17,319,807	$ 224,015 (1.3%)

1. Minor variations between Pre March and Post March Election figures in relation to Electoral Allowance, LSA and Travelling Allowance.
   
2. Based on data provided by the State Electoral Office.
   
3. Includes members of Public Accounts Committee only.
   
4. Adjusted in line with movements in public sector rates which vary depending on the travel destination. The cost of allowances is likely to increase by approximately 2.5 percent.
   

Part 2 of the Tribunal’s Draft Determination deals with the issue of staffing levels for Members of Parliament. Treasury estimates that the Tribunal’s proposed determination that Members who are currently allocated two electorate officers be allowed to employ casual relief staff for a period of 61 days per year would cost an additional $1.154 million per annum.

In relation to the Tribunal’s recommendation that Shadow Ministers be allocated an additional staff member, the cost of this is estimated at $1.686 million per annum.

Comment

The State is currently budgeting for a deficit of $696 million in 2006-07. Given this, and the need to direct expenditures into high priority areas, it is important that all other costs are minimised wherever practical.

I am advised that the current entitlement for electorate office staff is comparable to Victoria. While it is true that staff entitlements for Federal Members of Parliament may be larger, their electorates are also much larger. An increase in electorate office staff entitlements will worsen the Budget position by $1.154 million per annum. The Tribunal may wish to consider its Draft Determination in this light.

I also note that the Draft Determination is based on a CPI increase of 3 percent in the coming year. I wish to advise that Treasury’s current CPI forecast for 2006-07 (as detailed in the 2006-07 Budget) is 2¾ percent.

The Draft Determination also proposes the Committee Allowance be adjusted by 11 percent (a 4.12 percent increase in respect of increases in Members’ salaries from 1 July 2005 and a 7 percent increase in respect of salary increases from 1 July 2006). Under the normal timing of PRT determinations, only one annual CPI adjustment is granted in each determination. If this practice is followed, a 4.12 percent increase in the Committee Allowance would be appropriate in the 2006 Determination.

Mark Ronsisvalle

Acting Secretary

10 July 2006