Queensland ministerial staff growing at double the rate of frontline public service roles

The number of taxpayer-funded political staffers employed by Premier Steven Miles and his ministers is outpacing the growth of teachers, police and nurses in Queensland.

The number of political staffers employed by Queensland Premier Steven Miles and his ministers is outpacing the growth of teachers, police and nurses in the state. Picture: Dan Peled / NewsWire

The number of political staffers employed by Queensland Premier Steven Miles and his ministers is outpacing the growth of teachers, police and nurses in the state.

Analysis of workforce statistics by The Australian reveals the Labor government’s ministerial staff numbers have increased at double the rate of “key frontline roles” in the public service during this term of government.

In the four years to March, political staff numbers jumped 21.7 per cent to 264 workers at the same time frontline positions in the public sector grew by 11.7 per cent, to 159,550.51 full-time equivalent employees.

In the same period, the number of police increased by 0.46 per cent, teachers and their aides by 1.89 per cent, nurses and midwives by 17.35 per cent and doctors by 16.62 per cent.

Some of the state’s 19 ministers now employ more political staffers than their federal counterparts, including Health Minister Shannon Fentiman and Energy Minister Mick de Brenni.

Ms Fentiman has 17 ministerial staff assigned to her office, compared with federal Health Minister Mark Butler’s 16; Mr de Brenni has 15 staff compared with 13 employees in federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen’s ministerial office.

Deputy Premier and Treasurer Cameron Dick and federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers both have 18 ministerial staff.

Since the last state election, the Queensland Premier’s office has added another two positions, with 37 political staffers now working for Mr Miles.

Anthony Albanese has 58 staff while NSW Premier Chris Minns has 35 employees.

A Victorian ombudsman report last December found former premier Daniel Andrews had more than 84 staff in his private office; Peter Dutton has 36 staff.

In the early 1980s, the Hawke government tied federal opposition staff numbers to about 25 per cent of what was allocated to ministerial offices but in Queensland the 35-member Liberal National Party opposition has just 8.7 per cent of the government’s ministerial staff.

In 1991, the former Electoral and Administrative Review Committee – established after the landmark Fitzgerald inquiry – recommended the opposition be allocated 20 per cent the number of ministerial staff.

“(Tony) Fitzgerald was concerned that without adequate resources, the opposition parties could not effectively scrutinise government actions,” said the 1991 EARC report.

“It is therefore of concern to the commission that the opposition parties are provided with less than 10 per cent of the support staff of ministers.”

The EARC recommendation was never implemented.

An extra two staff were allocated to the state opposition, taking the office to 23 employees, after the integrity review by public sector reformer Peter Coaldrake was handed down in 2022.

“Significant numbers of ministerial staffers are enthusiastic young loyalists who have little other life experience aside from a university Labor or Liberal club or trade union office,” Professor Coaldrake wrote in his report.

“The enthusiasm and energy they bring to these advice roles are to be admired, but their youthful vigour can be guided by experienced supervision.”

A spokeswoman for Mr Miles said ministerial staff played an “important role within the democratic process”.

“All ministerial staff are focused on supporting ministers, including in regional Queensland, in delivering our government’s priorities and services for all Queenslanders.

“There have been additional resources provided, including positions to support an additional cabinet minister and the establishment of governance advisers, which were also provided to the office of the Leader of the ­Opposition, to assist with increased integrity measures,” she said.

The LNP’s spokesman for customer service, Steve Minnikin, ­accused the government of “stockpiling political spinners”.

Since Labor came to power in 2015, the total number of ministerial staff has jumped from 175 to 264.