7601 (2024). Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall to the Minister of Education

7601 (2024). Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall to the Minister of Education: How, if at all, do the ministries, agencies and departments for which the Minister is responsible, define ‘frontline’ staff and ‘back-office’ staff?

Hon Erica Stanford: I am advised that there is no central guidance or definitions of frontline and back-office roles and because there are significant challenges in defining services and roles, each agency uses its own method for reporting on this topic. For example, for reporting to the Select Committee and past annual reports, the Ministry of Education applies a method developed several years ago. This considers: • Business group – is the role in a business group or division primarily providing sector facing services • Role occupation grouping – Does the role belong to an Australia New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) grouping that includes roles that can only be described as back office (such as, accounts clerk), or has no ANZSCO classification. If a role is in a business group or division that primarily provides sector facing services and is not in a back office ANZSCO occupational grouping (or has no classification), it is considered frontline.