24521 (2025). Francisco Hernandez to the Minister for Vocational Education

24521 (2025). Francisco Hernandez to the Minister for Vocational Education: What specific instructions, directions or advice, if any, have been issued in the Minister’s departments, agencies, crown entities and any other bodies that the Minister is responsible for, if any, regarding employment contract matters for the 2025/26 financial year, listed by title and date?

Hon Penny Simmonds: The Minister for the Public Service issued on 7 August 2024 a Government Workforce Policy Statement (the Statement) setting out the Government's expectations of how it wants the Public Service and most other public sector agencies to effectively manage employment relations. At the end of 2024, the Public Service Commissioner advised of additional delegations relating to personnel costs and tenure-based progression systems in bargaining which was sent to Public Service Chief Executives. These expect that growth of personnel expenses should not exceed forecast inflation and there are no new introductions of, or extensions to, tenure-based pay progression models. Although this delegation relates to Public Service departments, Crown Entities must give effect to these considerations.