3.4 Gifts - made

Policy

This schedule applies to Ministers and their staff.

In certain circumstances it may be appropriate for Ministers to provide gifts to persons on behalf of the State of Queensland. This is a normal custom when Ministers travel overseas, but circumstances may occur domestically when it would also be appropriate to provide gifts to persons on behalf of the State of Queensland, (for example a reciprocal gift to an official overseas visitor to Queensland).

Ministers should have regard to economy and appropriateness when selecting gifts (ie. expensive gifts will not always be necessary).

Ministers may be provided with gifts (badged with the Queensland Government logo) up to a toal value of $1,000 per annum to assist them to promote Queensland including the Smart State agenda. Parliamentary Secretaries may be provided with badged gifts up to the total value of $200 per annum for this purpose. Badged gifts are to be used for official purposes at the discretion of the Minister or Parliamentary Secretary.

A Minister may authorise a staff member to give a gift on their behalf.

Procedures

1. Gifts made need only be registered if the gift has a wholesale value of over $300 or, where two or more gifts are given to the same person during the same trip, the combined value of the gifts is over $300 wholesale.
2. Where a gift that is valued at $300 wholesale or more is made by a Minister (or provided on behalf of the Minister), Ministerial Services is to be advised in writing, by the Minister as soon as practical but within 21 days of giving the gift or returning to Australia (see APPENDIX 4 - Declaration of gifts made (PDF, 55 KB)).
3. Ministerial Services shall maintain a register of gifts made.
4. Where the gift is to be made on behalf of the State, it should normally be selected from the Official Gift Range maintained by Protocol Queensland in the Department of the Premier and Cabinet.
5. Applications for badged gifts are to be made each year as a bulk order to the total value or half the per annum value to Protocol Queensland where appropriate items (eg. ties, cufflinks, scarves, business card holders, pens, badges and books etc) are maintained in its gifts range. Applications are to include a purchase order from Ministerial Services. Costs will be charged to the relevant Ministerial or Parliamentary Secretary Office.
   Protocol Queensland will maintain a catalogue of badged items to assist relevant offices make per annum bulk purchases.

Last reviewed: 17 July, 2009

Last updated: 22 July, 2009

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