Media

IPEA is an independent statutory authority in the Finance portfolio, established on 1 July 2017 under the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority Act 2017 (IPEA Act).

Read more on our Who we are page.

IPEA provides support for current and former parliamentarians, and staff employed under the Members of Parliament (Staff) Act 1984 (MOP(S) Act), through the delivery of independent oversight and advice on parliamentary business resources.

Read more on our Who we are page.

No. IPEA sits in the Finance portfolio but is a separate, independent authority. The Members of the Authority, appointed by the Governor-General, have governance responsibility for IPEA’s functions under the IPEA Act. A Chief Executive Officer leads IPEA’s day-to-day operations.

No. IPEA and the Department of Finance’s Ministerial and Parliamentary Services (MaPS) team each have different responsibilities. IPEA advises on and administers travel and office expenses, and reports on and conducts assurance activities relating to parliamentary business resources. MaPS administers the broader framework and provides other services to parliamentarians and their staff.

Read more in our news article IPEA new functions from 1 July 2026.

No. IPEA's role is to advise, educate, administer, report and assure (see What does IPEA do? above). Parliamentarians are responsible for their own expenditure decisions and are often the best source of information about individual circumstances.

We can help you find what we have published, including expenditure reports, assurance reviews and audit reports. But we do not comment on the expenditure of individual current or former parliamentarians.

This includes updates on debts owed to IPEA. Debts appear in the expenditure reports, but we do not give updates outside them.

Parliamentarians must comply with the Parliamentary Business Resources Act 2017, which has applied since 1 January 2018, and the broader Parliamentary Business Resources framework (PBR Framework). Together, these establish the requirements governing parliamentarians’ use of public resources, including work expenses and travel allowances.

The framework includes 5 Parliamentary Business Resources (PBR) obligations that apply to the use of parliamentary business resources. Parliamentarians are responsible for ensuring their claims comply with these requirements.

IPEA provides advice and undertakes assurance activities to monitor the use of parliamentary business resources and assess whether that use is in accordance with the PBR framework.

Read more on our Legislation page and in our Quick reference guide to travel and office expenses for parliamentarians and their staff.

IPEA does not provide expenditure information before it is published. Our reporting page lists published expenditure data and the schedule for upcoming reports.

IPEA undertakes assurance activities to confirm appropriate use of parliamentary resources or identify possible misuse.

These activities are guided by a 3-year Assurance Plan and involve multiple levels of analysis.

As a baseline, IPEA conducts a rolling program of post-payment checks on expenses identified as presenting potential risk.

IPEA also undertakes more detailed assurance reviews and audits focused on the use of parliamentary resources by specific individuals or on specific types of expenses.

IPEA's assurance reviews involve a structured, detailed analysis about the use of specific resources by a parliamentarian or their office. IPEA undertakes a regular program of assurance reviews based on its Assurance Plan and in response to identified risks.

Members of the Authority decide when an audit is needed to examine a particular issue in greater depth.

There is no fundamental difference between the methods used in assurance reviews and audits, or in their outcomes. Both can confirm the appropriate use of resources or identify misuse and, where appropriate, result in repayments.

The Statutory audit function fact sheet explains each step in more detail.

We publish all assurance reviews. The Members of the Authority may also decide to publish an audit report. You can find them on our assurance and audit page.

IPEA seeks recovery of expenses where misuse has been established through its assurance activities.

IPEA considers allegations independently and at arm’s length from government, in accordance with its published protocol. The protocol explains IPEA’s authority and how it assesses concerns.

We do not comment publicly on whether we are examining a particular matter. Doing so could affect the process, its outcome or the privacy of the people involved.

No. We assess information about possible misuse independently under our published protocol. The action we take depends on the information available and the circumstances. We do not comment on whether we have received a complaint or are considering a matter.

While interview requests will be considered, we generally respond to media enquiries in writing. This helps us provide accurate information and, where relevant, direct journalists to published reports, data and other material.

Please visit our Freedom of Information page for information as to how to submit an FOI request.

Before submitting an FOI request, journalists are encouraged to contact IPEA's media team. In some cases, information can be provided through existing public reporting, background information or clarification of IPEA's role.