Media
IPEA is committed to sharing information with the Australian community to increase awareness of our role and functions.
IPEA communication
IPEA engages with the Australian community through our website and social media channels.
We publish:
- parliamentarians' expenditure reports in a filterable and downloadable format and in csv format at data.gov.au.
- a range of training and education materials on our education pages.
Connect with us on X at @ipeaAusGov
View our YouTube videos at IPEA - YouTube
IPEA engages in a wide range of communication activities to support parliamentarians, former parliamentarians and their staff in their parliamentary business.
We provide advice to parliamentarians and their staff on travel related matters in person, over the phone and by email.
Regular information sessions are run to increase awareness of IPEA’s functions and related legislative requirements.
Media enquiries
IPEA will help to locate relevant publicly available information and will answer enquiries to the best of our ability.
We do not comment on personal information relating to parliamentarians or their staff. Such questions are best referred to parliamentarians’ offices.
We aim to respond to media enquiries within a 24 hour period (business hours) of receiving an enquiry in the media enquiries mailbox. Where possible, we will meet reasonable editorial deadlines.
IPEA's operating hours are Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays) 9:00 am to 5:00 pm AEST/AEDT.
Media enquiries should be emailed to mediaenquiries@ipea.gov.au.
Providing information
When liaising with the media, IPEA must abide by certain legislative requirements including the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority Act 2017 (IPEA Act), the Privacy Act 1988 and the Freedom of Information Act 1982.
IPEA staff are employed under the Public Service Act 1999, and must adhere to the APS Code of Conduct.
Privacy and Freedom of Information
IPEA complies with the Privacy Act 1988.
IPEA releases information consistent with our FOI procedures.
Common media questions
The following information captures key questions received from the media.
If you have a question that is not addressed here, please email mediaenquiries@ipea.gov.au.
When IPEA was established in 2017, a number of functions previously performed by Ministerial and Parliamentary Services (MaPS), a division within the Department of Finance, transferred across to IPEA.
MaPS oversees the provision of non-travel related expenses and services to parliamentarians and their respective employees under the Members of Parliament (Staff) Act 1984 (MOP(S) Act). The table below provides an overview of the functions provided by IPEA and MaPS.
| Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority (IPEA) | Ministerial and Parliamentary Services (MaPS) |
|---|---|
IPEA delivers against the following functions:
| MaPS provides a range of facilities and services to assist parliamentarians, their staff, and others as required by the Australian Government in undertaking their duties.
|
IPEA has responsibility under the IPEA Act to audit parliamentarians’ work expenses and the travel expenses of their staff.
IPEA has a multi-layered approach to assurance that includes preliminary assessments, assurance reviews, audits and post payment checks. These processes are outlined in its Statutory audit function fact sheet.
IPEA handles all allegations of possible misuse of work expenses at arm’s length from government and in line with its protocol for Dealing with misuse of parliamentary work expenses. IPEA does not comment publicly on any individual matter (including whether a matter is being considered under the Dealing with Misuse of Parliamentary Work Expenses protocol), as it could potentially compromise the conduct and/or outcome of any investigation, and the privacy of individuals concerned.
Members of the Authority have decided to publish all assurance reviews. Members may decide to also release audit reports. Assurance reviews and audits are published on the IPEA website at: Assurance and audit.
IPEA has responsibility under the IPEA Act to report on parliamentarians’ work expenses and the travel expenses of their staff.
Further information, including our reporting schedule, is available in the Reporting section of this website.
On 1 January 2018, the Parliamentary Business Resources Act 2017 (PBR Act) came into effect. Section 25 of the PBR Act sets out a number of obligations that apply to a parliamentarian’s use of public resources (including work expenses and allowances relating to travel) for the purposes of conducting their parliamentary business.
Further information is available in the Legislative framework section of this website.
IPEA does not comment on individual (current or former) parliamentarians’ expenditure and recommends that detailed questions in relation to expenditure are best referred to the relevant (current or former) parliamentarian.
This includes updates and/or status changes to debts owed to IPEA, which are included in expenditure reports.
Parliamentarians must comply with the Parliamentary Business Resources principle-based framework when claiming any travel expenses. IPEA provides personal advice to parliamentarians and their staff when requested.
More information
- To view IPEA’s Annual Report and Corporate Plan see our Publications page.
- Additional information on the Principles-Based Framework can be found on the Legislative framework page.
- For advice on all non-travel related work expense matters, email Ministerial and Parliamentary Services at mpshelp@finance.gov.au or call (02) 6215 3333.
