Parliamentary Service Classification Rules 2026

law://au/li/2026/f2026l00963@2026-11-13

Contents

Part 1 · Preliminary

1Name#

This instrument is the Parliamentary Service Classification Rules 2026.

2Commencement#

These Regulations shall come into force on 17th March 1987 and shall have effect as from 25th November 1982.

(1)Each provision of this instrument specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect according to its terms.

Commencement information
Column 1	Column 2	Column 3
Provisions	Commencement	Date/Details
1. The whole of this instrument	The day after this instrument is registered.

Note: This table relates only to the provisions of this instrument as originally made. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this instrument.

(2)Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this instrument. Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it may be edited, in any published version of this instrument.

3Authority#

This instrument is made under the Parliamentary Service Act 1999.

4Definitions#

Note: A number of expressions used in this instrument are defined in section 7 of the Act, including the following:

(a) Department;

(b) modern award;

(d) Parliamentary Service employee;

(e) Secretary;

(f) SES employee.

In this instrument:

Act means the Parliamentary Service Act 1999.

approved classification has the meaning given by section 6.

broadband has the meaning given by subsection 10(5).

classification group means a group mentioned in column 1 of the table in Schedule 1.

training classification means a classification mentioned in column 1 of the table in Schedule 2.

5Schedule 3#

Each instrument that is specified in Schedule 3 to this instrument is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in that Schedule, and any other item in that Schedule has effect according to its terms.

Part 2 · Classification of Parliamentary Service employees

6Approved classifications#

A classification is an approved classification if the classification is:

(a)a classification under a modern award, as in force at a particular time or as in force from time to time; or

(b)a classification mentioned in column 2 of the table in Schedule 1; or

(c)a training classification mentioned in column 1 of the table in Schedule 2.

Note: Subsection 23(2) of the Act provides that the Classification Rules may apply, adopt or incorporate, with or without modification, any of the provisions of a modern award as in force at a particular time or as in force from time to time.

7Classification of Parliamentary Service employees—general#

(1)A Secretary of a Department must allocate an approved classification to each Parliamentary Service employee in the Department, subject to subsection (3).

(2)The approved classification allocated to the employee must be based on the group of duties that are determined by the Secretary to be the duties to be performed by the employee in the Department (other than duties temporarily assigned to the employee).

(3)Subsection (1) does not apply in relation to a Parliamentary Service employee who is covered by both paragraphs 8(1)(a) and (b).

Note: Paragraphs 8(1)(a) and (b) together cover employees who move, on a temporary basis, between Departments other than for a promotion. The Secretary must allocate to such employees an approved classification under subsection 8(2).

8Classification of Parliamentary Service employees—temporary moves between Departments not associated with promotion#

(1)This section applies to a Secretary of a Department if:

(a)an ongoing Parliamentary Service employee moves to the Department in accordance with an agreement to which section 39 of the Parliamentary Service Determination 2024 applies; and

(b)the agreed movement is a temporary move.

(2)The Secretary must allocate to the employee:

(a)the approved classification (the existing classification) that was allocated to the employee immediately before moving to the Department; or

(b)another approved classification that is listed in the same cell of the table in Schedule 1 as the existing classification.

(3)The allocation of an approved classification in accordance with subsection (2) does not prevent the employee from:

(a)performing the duties that are to be performed by the employee following the move to the Department; and

(b)receiving the pay and other entitlements that are to be paid to the employee following the move to the Department.

9Classification of SES employees#

For the purposes of section 34 of the Act, a Parliamentary Service employee is classified as an SES employee if the employee is allocated any of the following approved classifications:

(a)Senior Executive Service Band 1;

(b)Senior Executive Service Band 2;

(c)Senior Executive Service Band 3.

10Classification of duties#

(1)A Secretary of a Department must allocate an approved classification to each group of duties to be performed in the Department.

(2)The allocation of an approved classification to a group of duties must be based on the work value of the group of duties.

(3)If a training classification is allocated to a group of duties, the Secretary must ensure that the duties include a requirement to undergo training.

(4)If a group of duties to be performed in the Department involves work value to which more than one approved classification could be allocated, the Secretary may allocate more than one approved classification to the group of duties, subject to subsection (6).

(5)If more than one approved classification is allocated to a group of duties under subsection (4), the approved classifications are collectively to be known as a broadband.

(6)Subsection (4) does not apply to a group of duties to be performed by an SES employee.

11Work level standards#

(1)A Secretary of a Department must, in writing, determine work level standards describing the work requirements for each approved classification that has been allocated to a group of duties to be performed in the Department.

(2)The work level standards for an approved classification must reflect the work value requirements for the classification.

(3)A determination under subsection (1) is not a legislative instrument.

12Employees in training classifications#

(1)If a Parliamentary Service employee in a Department:

(a)is engaged at a training classification in column 1 of an item in the table in Schedule 2; and

(b)satisfactorily finishes each training requirement for the training classification;

the Secretary of the Department must allocate to the employee the approved classification mentioned in column 2 of that item.

(2)This section does not apply to the employee if the employee is engaged in accordance with subsection 19(4) of the Parliamentary Service Determination 2024 for the purpose mentioned in paragraph (c) of that subsection.

Note: Paragraph 19(4)(c) of the Parliamentary Service Determination 2024 provides that a non-ongoing non-SES employee can be engaged under that subsection for the purpose of the employee gaining skills and experience.

13Reduction of classification#

(1)This section applies if a Secretary reduces the classification of a Parliamentary Service employee without the employee’s consent.

(2)The Secretary must allocate to the employee a classification that is in a lower classification group than the employee’s classification before the reduction.

14Delegations#

Delegations by Secretary

(1)A Secretary may, in writing, delegate to a Parliamentary Service employee any of the Secretary’s powers or functions under this instrument (other than this section).

(2)A Secretary may, in writing and with the prior written consent of the Parliamentary Service Commissioner, delegate to a person who is not a Parliamentary Service employee any of the Secretary’s powers or functions under this instrument (other than this section).

Subdelegations

(3)If a Parliamentary Service employee (the first delegate) to whom powers or functions are delegated under subsection (1) is an SES employee or acting SES employee, the first delegate may, in writing, delegate any of those powers or functions to another Parliamentary Service employee (the second delegate).

(4)However, if the first delegate is subject to directions in relation to the exercise of a power or function delegated under subsection (1), the first delegate must give corresponding directions to the second delegate.

(5)A power or function that is exercised or performed by a person under a delegation under subsection (3) is taken, for the purposes of this instrument, to have been exercised or performed by the person who originally delegated the corresponding power or function under subsection (1).

Appropriate work-related qualities

(6)A person (the delegator) must not delegate under this section a power or function to another person unless the delegator is reasonably satisfied that the other person has the appropriate work-related qualities to exercise the power or perform the function (as the case requires).

Directions

(7)A person exercising powers or functions under a delegation under this section must comply with any directions of the person who delegated the power or function.

Part 3 · Application and transitional provisions

15Classifications allocated to employees before commencement#

(1)This section applies if:

(a)immediately before the commencement of this section:

(i)a person is a Parliamentary Service employee in a Department; and

(ii)the person is allocated an approved classification (the existing classification) under the Parliamentary Service Classification Rules 2010 (as in force before that commencement); and

(b)at that commencement, there is an approved classification (the new classification) in this instrument that is the same as the existing classification.

(2)At that commencement, the Secretary of the Department is taken to have allocated the new classification to the person under section 7 of this instrument.

16Classifications allocated to duties before commencement#

(1)This section applies if:

(a)immediately before the commencement of this section, a group of duties to be performed in a Department is allocated one or more approved classifications (the existing classifications) under the Parliamentary Service Classification Rules 2010 (as in force before that commencement); and

(b)at that commencement, there are approved classifications (the new classifications) in this instrument that are the same as the existing classifications.

(2)At that commencement, the Secretary of the Department is taken to have allocated the new classifications to the group of duties under section 10 of this instrument.

17Work level standards issued before commencement#

(1)This section applies if:

(a)immediately before the commencement of this section, work level standards applied in a Department for a classification (the existing classification) under the Parliamentary Service Classification Rules 2010 (as in force before that commencement); and

(b)at that commencement, there is an approved classification (the new classification) in this instrument that is the same as the existing classification.

(2)At and after the commencement of this section, the work level standards for the existing classification continue in force, and may be dealt with, as if they were determined under subsection 11(1) of this instrument for the new classification.

Approved classifications
Item	Column 1Parliamentary Service Group	Column 2Classifications
1	Group 1	APS 1Australian Parliamentary Service Level 1Parliamentary Service Level 1
2	Group 2	APS 2Australian Parliamentary Service Level 2Parliamentary Service Level 2
3	Group 3	APS 3Australian Parliamentary Service Level 3Parliamentary Service Level 3
4	Group 4	APS 4Australian Parliamentary Service Level 4Parliamentary Service Level 4
5	Group 5	APS 5Australian Parliamentary Service Level 5Parliamentary Service Level 5
6	Group 6	APS 6Australian Parliamentary Service Level 6Parliamentary Service Level 6
7	Group 7	Executive Band 1Parliamentary Executive Level 1
8	Group 8	Executive Band 2Parliamentary Executive Level 2
9	Group 9	Senior Executive Service Band 1
10	Group 10	Senior Executive Service Band 2
11	Group 11	Senior Executive Service Band 3

Schedule 2 · Training classifications

Approved classifications
Item	Column 1Training classification	Column 2Classification on completion
1	Apprentice	APS 2Australian Parliamentary Service Level 2Parliamentary Service Level 2
2	Graduate	APS 3Australian Parliamentary Service Level 3Parliamentary Service Level 3
3	Cadet	APS 3Australian Parliamentary Service Level 3Parliamentary Service Level 3
4	Trainee	APS 1Australian Parliamentary Service Level 1Parliamentary Service Level 1
5	Trainee (Technical)	APS 3Australian Parliamentary Service Level 3Parliamentary Service Level 3

Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation at legislation.gov.au, © Commonwealth of Australia, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Compilations may have been reformatted.

1Name#

2Commencement#

3Authority#

4Definitions#

5Schedule 3#

6Approved classifications#

7Classification of Parliamentary Service employees—general#

8Classification of Parliamentary Service employees—temporary moves between Departments not associated with promotion#

9Classification of SES employees#

10Classification of duties#

11Work level standards#

12Employees in training classifications#

13Reduction of classification#

14Delegations#

15Classifications allocated to employees before commencement#

16Classifications allocated to duties before commencement#

17Work level standards issued before commencement#

18Delegations in force before commencement#

Defined terms · 5

History · 1 version

Key facts

1Name#

2Commencement#

3Authority#

4Definitions#

5Schedule 3#

6Approved classifications#

7Classification of Parliamentary Service employees—general#

8Classification of Parliamentary Service employees—temporary moves between Departments not associated with promotion#

9Classification of SES employees#

10Classification of duties#

11Work level standards#

12Employees in training classifications#

13Reduction of classification#

14Delegations#

15Classifications allocated to employees before commencement#

16Classifications allocated to duties before commencement#

17Work level standards issued before commencement#

18Delegations in force before commencement#