Common terms have been used throughout this report to present information about groups of MOP(S) Act employees.
To aid in the interpretation of this report, common terms have been described below.
Personal employees
An employee who is not an electorate employee, employed under Part III of the MOP(S) Act by an Office Holder.
Electorate employees
An employee employed under either Part III or Part IV of the MOP(S) Act in an electorate officer classification.
Senior Staff
The term used to describe the combined group of personal employees classified above the level of Adviser. This includes all employees in the following classifications:
| Government | Principal Adviser |
|---|---|
| Senior Adviser (Chief of Staff) (Cabinet) | |
| Media Adviser (Deputy PM / Treasurer) | |
| Senior Adviser 2 | |
| Senior Adviser 1 (Cabinet) | |
| Senior Adviser (Chief of Staff) (non-Cabinet) | |
| Senior Adviser 1 (non-Cabinet) | |
| Senior Media Adviser | |
| Special Adviser | |
| Opposition | Chief of Staff (Leader of the Opposition) |
| Senior Adviser / Media Adviser (Leader of the Opposition) | |
| Senior Adviser | |
| Senior Media Adviser | |
| Special Adviser | |
| Minority Parties | Senior Adviser |
| Special Adviser | |
| Presiding Officers | Senior Adviser |
| Special Adviser |
Government employees
Personal employees that are employed by Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries to work directly for the Government, that is, the political party with the largest representation in the House of Representatives.
Opposition employees
Personal employees employed by the Leader and Deputy Leader of the Opposition, or Shadow Ministers, to work on behalf of the main non-Government political party or Coalition, that is, the political party or Coalition with the second largest representation in the House of Representatives.
Other Government employees
Personal employees of Government Senators and Members (other than those of Ministers, Parliamentary Secretaries, and the Presiding Officers).
Other non-Government employees
Personal employees who are not included in the Government, Opposition or other Government categories, as described above, such as employees of Independent Senators and Members.
Staffing allocations
Staffing allocations are the number of positions allocated by the Prime Minister under the MOP(S) Act.
Staffing numbers
At any given time the actual number of MOP(S) Act employees may differ from the number of staffing allocations if, for example, not all positions are filled or one position is filled by two or more part-time employees. Staffing numbers as at 30 June 2009 included in tables one through 17 are based on employment documentation for 2008-09 recorded by the Department of Finance and Deregulation as at 20 July 2009.