Section 3: Renumeration and allowances

17.          Rates of pay

17.1        The rates of pay applicable to each approved classification in the department over the life of this Agreement are set out in Appendix 1.

Rate of pay – casual Parliamentary Educators

17.2        Employees engaged on a casual basis to work as Parliamentary Educators in the Parliamentary Education Office will be paid at the second salary point in the range applicable to the Australian Parliamentary Service Level 6 classification.

17.3        The salary advancement provisions, as outlined in clause 19, do not apply to casual Parliamentary Educators.

Payment of loading – sessional and casual employees

17.4        Sessional and casual employees will be paid a loading equal to 20% of their salary in lieu of public holidays and all paid leave entitlements, except long service leave. This loading will be paid for all duty performed, excluding overtime.

Salary on commencement or promotion

17.5        Subject to clause 17.6, where an employee is engaged, or is promoted, the salary payable will be at the minimum point of the applicable salary range that is in effect at the date of commencement or promotion (as set out in Appendix 1).

17.6        The Clerk, having regard to the experience, qualifications and skills of an employee, may authorise payment of salary above the minimum point in the applicable salary range.

17.7        Where an ongoing Australian Parliamentary Service or an ongoing Australian Public Service employee moves to the department from another department or agency (on an ongoing or non-ongoing basis) and the employee, prior to the move, is on a salary point which does not exist in the department’s salary structure, the Clerk may authorise payment at:

  1. the next highest salary point within the classification; or
  2. a point higher than the maximum salary point of the classification.

Note: for the avoidance of doubt, where an employee voluntarily moves to the department at a lower classification, the employee is not entitled to maintenance of the employee’s higher classification salary.

17.8        Where the Clerk authorises payment at a point higher than the maximum salary point, the employee will remain on the authorised salary point until such time as salary increases in the department overtake that salary point. Once this occurs, the employee will, subject to an “effective or better” performance assessment, be paid the next highest salary point in the applicable classification.

17.9        Where, at the time of engagement, an employee’s salary is set at an incorrect salary point because of an administrative error, the Clerk may authorise the payment of the employee’s salary at the correct salary point from the date at which the correct salary should have been paid.

Salary on temporary assignment to a higher classification

17.10      The Clerk may temporarily assign an employee duties at a higher classification including to senior executive service classifications. The first two weeks of any temporary assignment will not be paid at the higher classification. However, where the employee has completed a temporary assignment in the same or similar position within the previous 12 months, and that period was for two weeks or more, payment will be made at the higher classification for the full period of the new temporary assignment providing the period is for one week or more.

17.11      The Clerk may approve payment of a salary above the minimum point in the salary range for the higher classification for the period of the temporary assignment if the employee has satisfactorily performed significant periods of duty at the higher classification within the previous two years.

17.12      An employee who is required to temporarily perform work at a Senior Executive Service classification for a period exceeding two weeks will be paid an annual salary as determined by the Clerk. Other conditions of service applicable to the employee temporarily performing work at the Senior Executive Service classification will be those contained in this Agreement.

17.13      The Clerk may, at any time, vary the period of, or rescind, an employee’s temporary assignment of duties at a higher classification.

Salary on reduction

17.14      Where the Clerk allocates a lower classification to an employee on an ongoing basis, the Clerk will determine the salary point to be paid, having regard to the experience, qualifications and skills of the employee and the circumstances under which the decision was made.

17.15      Where an employee elects, in writing, to be temporarily assigned duties at a lower classification, the Clerk will determine the salary point that the employee will be paid while working at the lower classification, having regard to the experience, qualifications and skills of the employee and the circumstances under which the election was made.

Payment of salary

17.16      Employees will be paid fortnightly in accordance with the following formula:

            Fortnightly Salary =  (Annual Salary  x  12) ÷ 313

Salary packaging

17.17      Employees may elect to sacrifice salary for other benefits (salary packaging) as set out in the relevant departmental guidelines.

17.18      All costs, including any fringe benefits tax and administrative costs, incurred as a result of the salary packaging arrangement, must be met by the employee.

17.19      Where employees take up the option of salary packaging, their salary for purposes of superannuation, severance and termination payments will be determined as if the salary packaging arrangement had not been in place.

18.          Salary increases

18.1        Subject to clauses 18.2 to 18.5, employees will receive:

  1. a 3% salary increase from the first full pay period after commencement;
  2. a 2% salary increase from the first full pay period 12 months after the date of commencement; and
  3. a 1% salary increase from the first full pay period 18 months after the date of commencement.

18.2        To be eligible to receive the salary increase in any year, an employee must have received an overall performance assessment of “effective or better” at the end of the 12-month performance period (30 April in that year).

Note: for the avoidance of doubt, where an employee’s salary is maintained in accordance with subclause 17.8, he or she is not eligible to receive the salary increase in any year until such time as the salary increases in the department overtake his or her authorised salary point.

18.3        Where an employee who has been absent for the entire previous 12-month performance period recommences duty, and there are no unresolved performance related issues from the period prior to that absence, the employee will, on recommencement, be paid a rate of salary in accordance with the salary scale in effect at the time of his or her recommencement.

18.4        Where, in the opinion of the relevant program manager, there are performance related issues unresolved from the period prior to that absence, unless otherwise determined by the Clerk, these must be resolved in accordance with the requirements of this Agreement, before any adjustment is made to the employee’s salary.

Salary increase where the overall performance is assessed as “requires development” or “unsatisfactory”

18.5        Where an employee receives an overall performance assessment of “requires development” or “unsatisfactory”, the employee will not be entitled to a salary increase under clause 18.1 until he or she receives an overall performance assessment of “effective or better”. The salary increase will be effective from the commencement of the first full pay period following the employee receiving a performance assessment of “effective or better”.

19.          Salary advancement within classifications

Salary advancement – general

19.1        An employee (other than a sessional employee or casual employee), not currently at the highest salary point for his or her substantive classification, will advance one salary point in his or her substantive classification, effective from the commencement of the first full pay period in May each year, where the employee:

  1. receives an overall performance assessment of “effective or better” at the end of the performance review period (30 April); and
  2. has completed a minimum of nine months’ service in the department (including periods of paid leave) at his or her substantive classification, or a higher classification, in the 12 months ending 30 April.

19.2        An employee who receives an overall performance assessment of “requires development” or “unsatisfactory” will not be entitled to a salary advancement until he or she receives a performance assessment of “effective or better”. The salary advancement will be effective from the commencement of the first full pay period following the performance assessment of “effective or better”.

Salary advancement – sessional employees

19.3        A sessional employee will advance one salary point in his or her allocated classification, effective from the commencement of the first full pay period in May each year, where the employee:

  1. receives an overall performance assessment of “effective or better” at the end of the 12-month performance review period (30 April);
  2. has been on duty for at least the number of days equivalent to 80% of the number of sitting days of the Senate in the previous 12 months ending 30 April.

Salary advancement – casual employees

19.4        A casual employee (other than a casual sessional employee) will advance one salary point in his or her allocated classification, effective from the commencement of the first full pay period in May each year, where the employee:

  1. receives an overall performance assessment of “effective or better” at the end of the performance review period (30 April);
  2. has been on duty for at least 48 days in the previous 12 months ending 30 April;
  3. undertook his or first period of duty at his or her substantive classification, or a higher classification, between 30 April and 30 July the previous year.

Salary advancement for employees performing temporary assignment at a higher classification

19.5        An employee who, at the time of the performance assessment, is on temporary assignment at a higher classification will be eligible to advance one salary point at the higher classification effective from the commencement of the first full pay period in May for the remainder of the period on temporary assignment, where the employee:

  1. receives an overall performance assessment of “effective or better” at the end of the performance review period (30 April); and
  2. has completed a minimum of nine months’ service in the department (including periods of paid leave) at the higher classification in the 12 months ending 30 April.

20.          Superannuation choice

20.1        The department’s default fund is the Public Sector Superannuation Accumulation Plan.

20.2        Eligible employees may exercise superannuation choice in accordance with the relevant Commonwealth legislation. The department will only deal with superannuation funds that allow contributions to be paid through the SuperStream standard.

20.3        Where an employee chooses a superannuation fund other than the department’s default fund, the department will make contributions calculated on the basic contribution percentage rate applicable to the default fund and all other rules of the chosen fund will apply.

21.          Allowances and reimbursement

House Sitting Allowance and Committee Allowance

21.1        The Clerk may authorise the payment of a House Sitting Allowance (HSA) or a Committee Allowance (CA) to employees at Parliamentary Executive levels.

21.2        Claims for HSA or CA will be made as set out in relevant departmental guidelines. Payment of HSA and CA will be made at single time rates for all approved extra duty performed.

Meal allowance

21.3        If an employee is required to work overtime, or perform additional duty which attracts HSA or CA, and the period of overtime or additional duty commences before and extends beyond the completion of a meal period, he or she will be paid an allowance of $20.00 per occasion.

21.4        For the purposes of clause 21.3, a meal period is:

               Monday to Friday                                          7.00am to 7.30am;     

                                                                                         6.30pm to 7.30pm; and

                                                                                         12.30am to 1.00am.

               Saturday, Sunday and public holidays        7.00am to 7.30am

                                                                                         12.30pm to 1.30pm;

                                                                                         6.30pm to 7.30pm; and

                                                                                         12.30am to 1.00am.

Footwear reimbursement

21.5        Where an employee is required to wear particular footwear, either for work health and safety reasons or as part of a uniform, he or she will be entitled to seek reimbursement for the specified footwear up to the amount of $188.78 per annum. The reimbursement will be paid in the first full pay period following the anniversary of commencement of his or her employment with the department and where the employee makes a claim for the reimbursement by providing the relevant tax invoice.

Workplace support allowance

21.6        Employees will be paid a taxable workplace support allowance in August each year, to assist with costs associated with, but not limited to:

  1. influenza vaccinations;
  2. corrective lenses for screen-based equipment;
  3. health and fitness activities;
  4. professional memberships or subscriptions; and
  5. airline lounge memberships.

21.7        The amount of the allowance will be:

  1. $600 for an ongoing employee;
  2. $500 for a non-ongoing employee (engaged for a specified term or task); and
  3. $400 for a sessional or casual employee (engaged for duties that are irregular or intermittent).

21.8        Employees who commence part-way through the year (August to July), or who are granted discretionary leave without pay for any purpose during the period, will be paid a pro-rata amount for completed service during the period.

Senior Clerk of Committees allowance

21.9        The occupant of the position of Senior Clerk of Committees will be paid an allowance of $15,383.00 per annum, to be paid as a fortnightly allowance. This allowance is payable in recognition of the added responsibilities of the employee performing the duties of the position.

21.10   The following conditions apply to the payment of this allowance:

  1. subject to clause 17.10, it is not payable for the first two weeks of any period of temporary assignment;
  2. where the occupant of the position is temporarily assigned duties at a Senior Executive Service classification, the allowance will continue to be paid during any period of the temporary assignment that does not attract payment of salary at the higher classification in accordance with clause 17.10;
  3. it is a taxable allowance but will not count as salary for superannuation purposes;
  4. the allowance will continue to be paid during periods of paid leave; and
  5. it will be included as salary for the purposes of calculating final entitlements in respect of payment in lieu of annual or long service leave.

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