Privately leased satellite offices

The Commonwealth will provide you with one or more electorate offices for the conduct of your parliamentary business. Electorate offices are leased, furnished, equipped, and maintained by the Ministerial and Parliamentary Services state offices and their contracted providers.

Members of the House of Representatives representing an eligible electorate may claim reimbursement of certain expenses in relation to one privately leased satellite office.

You may claim reimbursement for costs incurred to lease, operate, maintain, establish or vacate a privately leased satellite office, as follows:

*requires the Minister’s express approval.

Members are personally responsible for all arrangements, statutory obligations and expenses for privately leased satellite offices, including work health and safety obligations and the payment of rent and service costs. The limit of the Commonwealth’s involvement is the reimbursement of eligible expenses.

Criteria for privately leased satellite office reimbursement

Reimbursement only applies if the commercial property lease is:

• for a term of at least 3 months
• entered into in your personal capacity (it cannot be leased by you on behalf of the Commonwealth, and it cannot be leased by another person, including a company or other organisation, for your use)
• for an office that is, or is part of, a permanent building within your electorate*
• for an office that is used for the dominant purpose of conducting your parliamentary business (it must not be used for commercial purposes).

*The Parliamentary Business Regulations 2017 define electorate, when used in a geographical sense, to mean “the area that constituted the member’s electorate at the end of the most recent election period”.

Examples of costs that are reimbursable:

• rent
• electricity, gas, water and sewerage
• repairs and maintenance that are not the landlord’s responsibility
• insurance premiums and excess
• lease or hire costs for office furniture and equipment (except where the arrangement could result in the items being owned by you)
• fixed telephone and internet services, including installation, maintenance, rental, transfer and call and data costs
• costs to establish and vacate the office, such as removal expenses
• safety and security services that are not the landlord’s responsibility (except where the arrangement could result in the items being owned by you)
• any relevant Commonwealth, state and local duties, charges and taxes including GST.

Costs not reimbursable include:

• any cost that would give you any ownership or residual value in fitout, furniture or equipment during or after the term of the lease. This includes lease/rent to buy schemes and consumables such as stationery, paper and toner cartridges
• repairs and maintenance that are the landlord’s responsibility.

Only the total amount of expenses actually incurred in a financial year can be claimed, even if it is less than the maximum amount claimable for that financial year.

Payments made by members of the House of Representatives in advance, such as rent and insurance, will only be reimbursed by the Commonwealth after the services have been received.

Claiming reimbursement

Privately leased satellite office costs can be reimbursed on a monthly, quarterly or six-monthly basis. Claims should be sent via PEMS or by completing the Invoice certification and request for reimbursement - satellite electorate office.

A maximum of one claim per month will be accepted. Each claim may include several types of claimable costs. Costs can only be claimed for the period that a person was a member of the House of Representatives.

Apart from the reimbursement of expenses, arrangements for a privately leased satellite office are the same as those for all privately funded offices.