2.8 Parliamentary Secretaries
Generally, Parliamentary Secretaries are appointed to assist Ministers in prioritising work, to provide a training experience for future Ministers, to facilitate public access to the Executive and to enable the bureaucracy to have an ongoing point of contact so that parliamentary correspondence and other parliamentary administrative issues are neither overlooked nor downgraded.
A Parliamentary Secretary cannot:
- sit as a Minister in Cabinet or on a Cabinet Committee;
- breach Cabinet solidarity - although not a member of Cabinet, a Parliamentary Secretary is bound by the collective responsibility of Cabinet;
- attend a meeting of the Executive Council or sign Executive Council Minutes on behalf of the Minister;
- perform any duties in the Legislative Assembly on behalf of the Minister including answering questions without notice, presenting Ministerial Statements, tabling documents and introducing legislation; or
- appear before a Committee of Parliament on behalf of the Minister.
Last reviewed: 17 July, 2009
Last updated: 22 July, 2009
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