Every government needs advisers, and every opposition needs staff to hold it to account. Governments of both parties have set and used the rules described here. This page sets out what the public record shows.
What a minister's office costs
Fact: Each year the Department of the Premier and Cabinet reports the average cost of running a ministerial office. The average also includes the Premier's office and the Opposition Leader's office.
| Year | Average cost per office |
|---|---|
| 2016-17 | $2.91m |
| 2017-18 | $3.03m |
| 2018-19 | $2.96m |
| 2019-20 | $2.86m |
| 2020-21 | $3.05m |
| 2021-22 | $3.16m |
| 2022-23 | $3.37m |
| 2023-24 | $3.47m |
| 2024-25 | $3.63m |
All figures are nominal dollars, with no adjustment for inflation. The department says the 2024-25 figure was higher than its $3.25m target because of termination payments after the March 2025 election. At 30 June 2025 there were 17 ministerial offices.
Sources: DPC Annual Report 2019-20, p.60; DPC Annual Report 2023-24, p.170; DPC Annual Report 2024-25, p.198; Public Sector Commission, State of the WA Government Sector Workforce 2024-25
The Premier's office
Fact: Figures provided for an upper house Estimates hearing showed the Premier's office cost just over $5.95 million in 2021-22 and nearly $8.23 million in 2024-25. Most of the increase was employee costs, including salaries, superannuation, leave and severance. Documents tabled in June 2025 put the office at 33 full-time staff, three more than when the current Premier took office.
The Opposition called the rise "extraordinary". The Premier said: "Our economy and our community is growing, and government needs to grow with it."
Source: WAtoday, 27 Aug 2025
Opposition and crossbench staff
- Set by the government of the day. We found no law that fixes how many staff the Opposition gets. On 2 May 2001, Premier Geoff Gallop told Parliament the Opposition parties were "entitled to 16 full-time equivalents", split 11 to the Liberals and 5 to the Nationals. He said this was "exactly the formula that existed before the 1993 election". (Legislative Assembly question, Leader of the Opposition staffing arrangements)
- Recent changes. WAtoday reported that the Liberal and National parties received an extra $400,000 a year in 2024-25, on top of their existing $2.1 million budget. In upper house Estimates, a crossbench MP asked why extra staff went to the Greens and Legalise Cannabis but not to other parties. The minister said those parties had asked early, and that further requests were on hold until the review below. (WAtoday, 27 Aug 2025, link above)
- Electorate officers. When the Morton review reported in October 2025, each MP had two full-time electorate officers. The Salaries and Allowances Tribunal sets MPs' pay and allowances, but it has said that electorate office staff are "the responsibility of another authority". (SAT Determination No. 2 of 2024)
- The Morton review. After a Corruption and Crime Commission report, the government asked former federal Special Minister of State Ben Morton to review electorate officers' employment. On 16 October 2025 the Premier told Parliament that the review made 31 recommendations, including three electorate officers per MP instead of two, more transparency, and a set budget for MPs' communications. The government accepted them "in principle". (Hansard, Legislative Assembly, 16 Oct 2025; WA Government media statement, 12 Dec 2024)
The legal rules for ministerial staff
Fact: Ministerial staff are employed under Part 4, Division 1 of the Public Sector Management Act 1994:
- The minister responsible for the Act (currently the Premier) may appoint any person as a "ministerial officer" to assist a minister or another political office holder. The usual merit-selection rule for public servants (s.8(1)) does not apply (s.68(1)).
- Each officer has a written contract with that minister, and the contract must state the day the job ends (s.68(2)-(3)).
- Pay and conditions are set by that minister on the recommendation of the head of the department that administers this part of the Act, currently the Department of the Premier and Cabinet (s.70(1)).
- If employment ends early, that minister may pay compensation of up to one year's pay (s.70(3)-(4)).
Source: Public Sector Management Act 1994
What the record does not show
The Public Sector Commission counts ministerial offices but does not publish a yearly headcount of ministerial staff. Annual reports give average costs, not the number of advisers in each office or their roles. Comparable figures for other states are not set out here because they are measured in different ways.