Parliamentary Business Resources Amendment (Office and Travel Expenses) Regulations 2025 (Cth)

Parliamentary Business Resources Amendment (Office and Travel Expenses) Regulations 2025

I, the Honourable Sam Mostyn AC, Governor‑General of the Commonwealth of Australia, acting with the advice of the Federal Executive Council, make the following regulations.

Dated 28 March 2025

Sam Mostyn AC

Governor‑General

By Her Excellency’s Command

Don Farrell

Special Minister of State

Contents

1Name

This instrument is the Parliamentary Business Resources Amendment (Office and Travel Expenses) Regulations 2025.

2Commencement

1. (1)

   Each provision of this instrument specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect according to its terms.

Commencement information
Column 1	Column 2	Column 3
Provisions	Commencement	Date/Details
1. The whole of this instrument	The day after this instrument is registered.	29 March 2025

Note: This table relates only to the provisions of this instrument as originally made. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this instrument.

1. (2)

   Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this instrument. Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it may be edited, in any published version of this instrument.

3Authority

This instrument is made under the Parliamentary Business Resources Act 2017.

4Schedules

Each instrument that is specified in a Schedule to this instrument is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this instrument has effect according to its terms.

Schedule 1AmendmentsPart 1Amendments

Parliamentary Business Resources Regulations 2017

1

Section 4

Insert:

parent: without limiting who is a parent of another person for the purposes of this instrument, a person is the parent of another person if the other person is a child of the person within the meaning of the Family Law Act 1975.

single parent: a member is a single parent of a dependent child of the member if the member is not in a relationship as a couple with a parent of the child.

2

After subsection 17(2)

Insert:

1. (2A)

   In addition to the fares covered by subsection (1), a total of 3 return fares for each financial year are prescribed for the dependent children of a member who is a single parent of the children to travel for family reunion purposes.

2. (2B)

   The fares covered by subsection (2A) may be used by any of those dependent children for travel by scheduled commercial transport at no higher than business class.

3

After paragraph 66(1)(a)

Insert:

1. (aa)

   print binding and finishing for printing covered by subparagraph (a)(i);

4

Subsection 66(1) (note)

Omit “Note”, substitute “Note 1”.

5

At the end of subsection 66(1)

Add:

Note 2: The restrictions in subsections (2) to (5) apply only in relation to the use of the office expenses prescribed by this subsection. This section does not operate to limit the way any other public resources may be used for conducting a member’s parliamentary business, the activities of the member or the meaning of parliamentary business in section 6 of the Act.

6

Subsection 66(4)

Repeal the subsection, substitute:

1. (4)

   Office expenses must not be used to produce, communicate or distribute any material that includes an advertisement pursuing a commercial purpose of:

   1. (a)

      the member; or

   2. (b)

      another person or an entity, unless the other person or the entity is:

      1. (i)

         registered under the Australian Charities and Not‑for‑profits Commission Act 2012 as the type of entity mentioned in column 1 of item 1 of the table in subsection 25‑5(5) of that Act; or

      2. (ii)

         a public fund established for emergency relief or similar assistance.

   Note: A commercial purpose is a purpose relating to the derivation of financial gain or reward (see section 5 of the Act).

2. (4A)

   To avoid doubt, material does not include an advertisement pursuing a commercial purpose merely because the material includes a reference to a person or entity if the purpose of including the reference is not to promote the person or entity.

   Example: Material that includes a commercial entity’s logo is not material including an advertisement pursuing a commercial purpose if the purpose of including the logo is not to promote the entity.

Part 2Application provisions

Parliamentary Business Resources Regulations 2017

7

At the end of the instrument

Add:

Part 7—Application, saving and transitional provisions

103Application of amendments made by the Parliamentary Business Resources Amendment (Office and Travel Expenses) Regulations 2025

1. (1)

   The amendments of sections 4 and 17 of this instrument, made by Part 1 of Schedule 1 to the Parliamentary Business Resources Amendment (Office and Travel Expenses) Regulations 2025, apply in relation to travel undertaken in the financial year starting on 1 July 2024 and later financial years.

2. (2)

   The amendments of section 66 of this instrument, made by Part 1 of Schedule 1 to the Parliamentary Business Resources Amendment (Office and Travel Expenses) Regulations 2025, apply in relation to office expenses incurred or used on or after the commencement of this section.