(1)   Is his department conducting a survey on work and family commitments; if so, how has the survey sample been selected and what cohort is it intended to represent.

(2)   Have consultants or contractors been engaged to conduct or advise on the conduct of the survey; if so, who was so engaged and, in each case, for what services and at what cost.

(3)   Does the survey ask (a) what is your average weekly income before tax, (b) how long have you been with this company, (c) have you received a pay rise in the last year, (d) do you have access to a performance bonus, (e) are you a member of a union, (f) are you paid under an Award, a Certified Agreement (CA), or an Australian Workplace Agreement (AWA), (g) Please circle a number to indicate your level of agreement or disagreement with these statements: I get paid fairly for the things I do in my job; I do lots of different tasks in my job; I feel secure about my future in my job; My job is very stressful; This is a good place to work; I often think about leaving my job, (h) Do you: Own your own house with no mortgage; Own your own house with a mortgage; Rent private; Rent public/community/housing commission; Other (please specify); if so, can he explain how the questions relate to the balance of work and family commitments.

(1)   My department is conducting a pilot survey on work and family commitments. The sample consists of two groups: A sample drawn from the white pages telephone directory to represent the general population; and A sample of those on sole parent pensions to represent sole parents. The department will conduct a further pilot test in August before conducting the main survey. The size and source of the sample for the further pilot and main survey have not yet been determined.

(2)   The South Australian Centre for Economic Studies was contracted in April 2004 to assist with the design and preparation of the first pilot survey at a cost of $27,920. The University of Queensland Social Research Centre was contracted in June 2005 to provide further assistance in the design and preparation of the second pilot survey at a cost of $25,031. Salmat has been contracted to provide mailhouse services and Green and Green has been contracted to provide data entry and telephone interviewing services. The total cost of these consultancies is expected to be around $50,000.

(3) (a)   , (b), (c), (d), (e), (f), (h). Yes. The questions relate to conditions in the workplace and employee’s perceptions about their work and financial security.