28 November 2019

The Speaker of the House Rt Hon Trevor Mallard has announced that the amount charged for Parliamentary usage of VIP transport has been rationalised.

The Speaker, Deputy Speaker, and Leader of the Opposition are all eligible for VIP Transport services. This transport service has been provided by the Department of Internal Affairs and invoiced to Parliamentary Service at a rate of $171 per hour. VIP Transport services for Ministers has generally been charged at $68 per hour. The difference in rates has caused confusion.

The higher hourly rate charged to Parliamentary Service reflects a historic bureaucratic anomaly.

The Department of Internal Affairs agreed that VIP Transport services provided to the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, and Leader of the Opposition would be charged at the same rate as Ministers, effective from 1 July 2019. The Members Expense Disclosure for Quarter 1, released today, reflects the new rates.

Speaker of the House, the Rt Hon Trevor Mallard says, “I am pleased to see this change take place as it will ensure consistency, increase transparency, and reduce the confusion that the different rates have created.”

*ENDS*

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