Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee, , 4:07:25 to 4:11:18
Officials provide data on current APS staff numbers, labor hire, contractors, and the total cost of overtime for the financial year.
Topics: Public service staffing, Government spending
Speakers: Matthew Swainson, Chris Gatenby, Hon Jenny McAllister, Blair Comley, Unknown Speaker, Hon Anne Ruston
My colleague Mr. Gatenby. Senator Good, Senator Gainby.
Thank you, Chair. I've got some questions on more of the corporate side of things uh to begin with. In terms of staffing, what are the current staffing numbers?
Can I just clear because we've got the three agencies? I assume you're talking about the NDIA rather than the department. We did uh corporate for the department yesterday. So I assume you're talking about the National Discord.
This committee's approach this slightly differently even in the time that I've been in this role, but uh we've chosen today to put on each of the Quality and Safety Guards Commission, the NDIA and the department all at once. So that whatever your question alludes to, we have the people here to answer it.
You've got the right people. So good.
Um Matthew Swainson, uh Chief Operating Officer of the National Disability Insurance Agency. Um I I'm assuming I'm the right person to answer your questions.
Very good. So the current staffing numbers then for the NDIA.
So I've got numbers as of uh 30 June 2026. So our APS workforce as of 30 June 2026, uh 10,000 953 APS staff. Uh 1,014 Labor hire. Uh, and 510 system access or consultants.
Is it possible to get that total number broken down by APS level?
Yes, Senator. Um, I think we provided a question on notice to this answer. We will certainly during the course of the hearing we'll turn come back to that and see if that answers your question. Because I think we've provided question on notice to that.
And you mentioned Labour High. Would that be the same as contractors? How many contractors were engaged as at the 30th of June this year? Or if you need to sort of splice a few different categories there.
There's a few different categories here. Okay.
But if we could get how many contractors were engaged as at 30 June this year, that would be great. You can take that on notice and come back.
And I imagine we'll get that through the course of the hearing, Senator.
Thank you. Um I'd also like to ask about overtime. Do staff do overtime that's outside of their standard 38 weeks, 38 hours, sorry, weeks.
Uh, we do provide provision for overtime, and we've got um systems in place and approval mechanisms for uh approving staff to. Overtime, yes, Senator.
And is that predominantly for evenings or weekends or depend of their part time and they've had to do our extra time? Like what is it? Where does that apply?
I think there'll be a mix, Senator, of that.
Okay.
And again, if you've got something more specific to that again, it's probably something we can break down for you during the course of the hearing today.
Just be interested to know about evenings or weekends. Is that overtime paid?
If we ask staff to overtime, yes, it is paid. Yes.
And at what rate?
Again, there's probably a variation depending on the person's level. Yeah. What overtime we're asking to do and what you know, what the range of overtime is and what the particular circumstances that overtime. So again, we that's something we can get for you over the course of the good instead of interest.
And um as well, how much overtime was performed by each APS level? Uh the total number of hours for the 25-6 financial year.
Yes, again, I that's something we can we'll be able to get that for you during the course of the hearing. I don't have the information to hand.
And if you're pulling that together, just what the total cost of overtime performed and paid for during the 25-6 financial year.
That was Senator Lust, yes.