REMUNERATION TRIBUNAL

Explanatory Statement: Determination 2017/02
Members of Parliament – Entitlements
1.	The Remuneration Tribunal Act 1973 (the Act) establishes the Remuneration Tribunal (the Tribunal) as an independent statutory authority responsible for reporting on and determining the remuneration, allowances and expenses of key Commonwealth office holders.  These include members of parliament, Judges of Federal Courts, most full-time and part-time holders of public offices and principal executive offices.  
Consultation
2.	Section 11 of the Act advises that in the performance of its functions the Tribunal:
•	may inform itself in such manner as it thinks fit;
•	may receive written or oral statements;
•	is not required to conduct any proceeding in a formal manner; and
•	is not bound by the rules of evidence.
3.	The Tribunal announced its intention to abolish the provisions enabling members of parliament to accrue financial assistance to support travel overseas for study purposes in its December 2011 report ‘Review of the Remuneration of Members of Parliament – Initial Report’.  The Tribunal undertook extensive consultations, including with members of parliament, during 2011 in informing its decision.
4.	As this determination removes a Part that applied only during a finite limited period, since expired, no consultation was required.
Details of the determination are as follows:
PART 1 – ENTITLEMENTS
5.	Clause 1.1 specifies the Principal Determination (Number 4 of 2012 as amended) for the purposes of Part 1 of the Determination.
6.	Clause 1.2 removes Part 10 of the Principal Determination (Overseas Travel – Transitional Arrangements) as it is now obsolete.  Part 10 provided that access to the overseas travel transitional provisions set out in that part was limited to a period that expired at the end of the 44th Parliament.

Authority: Sub-sections 7(1), 7(2) and 7(4)
of the Remuneration Tribunal Act 1973