Explanatory notes - parliamentarian expenditure

IPEA publishes the information for each reporting period, in comma separated value (CSV) format, on data.gov.au approximately two weeks after expenditure data is published on the IPEA website.

Travel allowance

Allowances paid to parliamentarians for each night they stay in accommodation away from their home base, within Australia. This includes expenses for cancelled official travel arrangements.

International travel

Parliamentarians’ international travel expenses and allowances for:

• ministerial visits by the Prime Minister or other ministers of the government
• official visits by presiding officers or parliamentarians representing presiding officers
• parliamentarians representing the government or Australia
• parliamentarians representing a minister
• parliamentary delegations, as approved by the presiding officers (excluding an Inter-Parliamentary Union or Commonwealth Parliamentary Association delegation)
• international travel by members of the Opposition or members of a minority party, as approved by the Leader of the Opposition or the leader of a minority party.

For parliamentarians and their accompanying spouses, expenses include commercial transport costs, accommodation, meals, official hospitality, travel and expense allowances, passports, equipment allowances, medical and other related international travel expenses.

Certain employee expenses are identified for each international trip. These expenses generally include commercial transport costs, travel and expense allowances, passports, equipment allowances and other related international travel expenses paid to, or on behalf of, the employee. Other international travel expenses relating to employees, such as accommodation, meals (other than a meal allowance if provided), unscheduled commercial transport and related expenses cannot be attributed to individual employees due to limitations with the data provided to IPEA by third party suppliers. These expenses are included with the parliamentarian's international expenses for the trip.

Scheduled commercial transport

Parliamentarians’ domestic scheduled commercial transport expenses such as an aircraft, bus, train or ferry.

Where a trip has multiple legs of travel, the cost of the whole trip may be reported against the first leg of travel.

Unscheduled commercial transport

Parliamentarians’ domestic unscheduled commercial transport expenses, such as a taxi, hire car (including fuel costs), regulated ride share, chartered transport (bus, aircraft, ferry). This includes expenses for cancelled official travel arrangements.

Expenses are reported under one of four categories of parliamentary business conducted by the parliamentarian:

• electorate duties
• official duties
• parliamentary duties
• party political duties.

Where a trip has multiple legs of travel, the cost of the whole trip may be reported against the first leg of travel.

Cabcharge taxi services incur a service fee and may incur a government levy. These fees are included in the total cost of the trip.

Other car costs

Expenses for:

• private-plated vehicles provided to parliamentarians as part of their remuneration and Canberra-based self-drive vehicles including lease, insurance, maintenance and fuel
• private vehicle allowance where parliamentarians use their private vehicles (other than a private-plated vehicle) for travel between Canberra and their home base (or part of the way) on parliamentary business
• use of COMCAR services (this excludes Parliament House shuttle service expenses, which are not attributed to individual parliamentarians)
• car parking.

Where a trip has multiple legs of travel, the cost of the whole trip may be reported against the first leg of travel.

Office facilities

Expenses for parliamentarians’ electorate, ministerial or office holder offices including:

• office furniture, equipment and storage fees
• office security
• property operating expenses including lease, power, cleaning and supplies, parking, PO Boxes (where required) and office services
• property repairs and maintenance (including fixtures)
• fixed line telephone systems and services
• reimbursable expenses relating to privately-leased satellite electorate offices for eligible members of the House of Representatives.

Office administration

Expenses for:

• office expenses under parliamentarians’ annual budgets, including:
  • office stationery and supplies (including photocopier, printer and facsimile consumables), nationhood material, software and cloud-based services
  • printing, production, distribution and communications, for both printed and electronic material
  • purchase of, or subscription for, printed and electronic publications and associated service/administrative fees
  • additional telecommunications and ICT procured via the Department of Parliamentary Services and claimed against parliamentarians’ annual budgets for office expenses
  • courier and freight services
  • mobile office signage, facilities and equipment
  • data products and data validation services
  • media monitoring services
  • virtual town hall meetings, interactive voice response phone surveys and SMS broadcasting
  • regional radio broadcasting services for eligible members of the House of Representatives.
• specified public resources, such as those determined by the responsible Minister under subsection 33(2) of the Parliamentary Business Resources Act 2017. 

Telecommunications

Expenses for:

• office telephone and facsimile usage
• internet and telephone services at parliamentarians’ private residences as part of their remuneration, including installation, maintenance, rental, transfer and call and data expenses.

Family travel

Domestic travel expenses for the parliamentarians’ spouses, nominees, dependent children or designated persons including:

• domestic scheduled and unscheduled commercial transport including travel on the Special Purpose Aircraft (SPA)
• private vehicle allowance where a private vehicle is used for family reunion purposes, for travel between Canberra and the family member’s home base (or part of the way)
• use of COMCAR services
• taxi costs
• incidental transport costs.

Where a trip has multiple legs of travel, the cost of the whole trip may be reported against the first leg of travel.

Employee travel

Domestic and international travel expenses (where the travel can be attributed to an employee).

For domestic travel this includes:

• motor vehicle allowances
• travel allowances
• domestic scheduled commercial transport including travel on the Special Purpose Aircraft (SPA)
• taxis
• regulated ride-sharing services
• hire cars
• toll and parking expenses
• other car costs.

Cabcharge taxi services incur a service fee and any applicable government levy. These fees are included in the total cost of the trip.

For international travel this generally includes:

• scheduled commercial transport
• meal and incidental allowances
• passport expenses
• international travel equipment allowances
• other related international travel expenses.

Other international travel expenses relating to employees, such as accommodation, meals (other than a meal allowance if provided), unscheduled commercial transport and related expenses cannot be attributed to individual employees due to limitations with the data provided to IPEA by third party suppliers. These expenses are included with the parliamentarian’s international expenses for the trip.

The number of employees represents the number of employees with travel expenses in the reporting period, not the total number of staff employed by the parliamentarian.