Senator Robert Ray asked the Minister representing the Minister for Administrative Services, upon notice, on 9 September 1996:

(1) What staff, other than staff employed under the Members of Parliament (Staff) Act 1984, were employed in or attached to the office(s) of the Minister and each of his or her Parliamentary Secretaries as at Tuesday, 8th October 1996.

(2) What were the total salary costs of such staff.

(3) What was the financial cost to the Commonwealth of the employment of such staff.

(4) What were the titles, roles and duties of such staff and what public service (or equivalent) classifications did they carry.

(5) Under what programs were they employed.

Senator Kemp —The Minister for Administrative Services has provided the following answer to the honourable senator's question:

(1) Two staff.

(2) and (4) On 8 October 1996 a new Department Liaison Officer (DLO) commenced in my office. That person is employed at the Public Service classification of Senior Officer Grade C (SOG C) with an annual salary, plus Ministerial Staff Allowance, of $67,364. A Departmental officer who had been assisting in my office until the new DLO commenced was effecting the `hand over' to the new DLO on that date. The annual salary of that officer, who was employed at the Public Service classification of Administrative Service Officer Class 6 (ASO 6), was $41,628.

The DLO is responsible for providing effective liaison between my Office and my Department.

(3) The salary costs make up the substantial part of the financial cost of employment of those staff. To obtain information on overheads associated with the employment of these staff would involve considerable research, and I am not prepared to approve expenditure of resources necessary to collect the information.

(5) Both officers were employed under the Corporate Program of the Department of Administrative Services.