Remuneration Tribunal Amendment (There For Public Service, Not Profit) Bill 2025: Senator Lambie's Proposal to Cap Senior Public Office Holder Pay

The short answer

Remuneration Tribunal Amendment (There For Public Service, Not Profit) Bill 2025: Senator Lambie's Proposal to Cap Senior Public Office Holder Pay

If passed, the Remuneration Tribunal Amendment (There For Public Service, Not Profit) Bill 2025, introduced by Jacqui Lambie Network senator Jacqui Lambie, proposes to amend the Remuneration Tribunal Act 1973 to set a statutory limit on the remuneration of departmental secretaries and other senior public office holders. It was introduced alongside a companion bill targeting executive pay in tertiary education. The bill is before the Senate and has not been debated.

This is a federal system guide. State constitutions, parliaments and local-government laws can allocate comparable functions differently.

The useful question is not only “what is the rule?” but also “who administers it, which document controls it, and when might it change?” That distinction prevents an accurate general explanation from becoming wrong advice in a particular election, chamber or policy setting.

Evidence review

What the bill proposes

The Remuneration Tribunal Amendment (There For Public Service, Not Profit) Bill 2025 proposes to amend the Remuneration Tribunal Act 1973 to introduce a statutory cap on the remuneration that can be paid to departmental secretaries — the most senior public servants who head Commonwealth government departments — and other public office holders whose pay is determined by the Remuneration Tribunal.

The bill's title — 'There For Public Service, Not Profit' — signals the policy rationale: that senior public sector roles are positions of public service and should not attract remuneration comparable to private sector executive roles. The official summary on the APH website states the bill 'amends the Remuneration Tribunal Act 1973 to set a statutory limit on the remuneration of departmental secretaries and other public office holders.' It was introduced with a companion bill, the Tertiary Education Legislation Amendment (There For Education, Not Profit) Bill 2025, which addresses executive pay in the university sector.

Evidence review

The Remuneration Tribunal and current arrangements

The Remuneration Tribunal is an independent statutory body established under the Remuneration Tribunal Act 1973. It determines the salaries, allowances, and entitlements for a wide range of public offices including federal judges, members of parliament, departmental secretaries, and the heads of various Commonwealth agencies and statutory authorities. Its determinations are tabled in Parliament and take effect unless disallowed by either house.

The Tribunal operates independently of government and makes its determinations based on its assessment of the work value, responsibilities, and labour market conditions for each office. Currently, there is no statutory cap on the remuneration the Tribunal can set — it is guided by its own criteria and the Act's requirements but is not limited to a maximum dollar figure. The bill would change this by imposing a legislated ceiling.

Evidence review

Sponsor and political context

The bill is a private senator's bill introduced by Senator Jacqui Lambie, the leader and sole parliamentary representative of the Jacqui Lambie Network (JLN). Senator Lambie has represented Tasmania in the Senate since 2014 and has consistently campaigned on issues of government accountability, veterans' affairs, and public sector integrity. Capping public sector executive pay is consistent with her longstanding political platform.

The bill was introduced on 5 February 2025 and is listed as 'Before Senate.' As a private senator's bill from a crossbench senator, it does not have government support and faces the same procedural hurdles as other private bills — it must secure time for debate and majority support in the Senate to progress.

Evidence review

Which office holders would be affected

The bill targets remuneration set by the Remuneration Tribunal, which covers a broad range of public offices. This includes secretaries of Commonwealth departments, the most senior Australian Public Service positions responsible for administering government departments under ministers. It also covers statutory office holders such as the Australian Information Commissioner, the Commonwealth Ombudsman, and the heads of agencies like the Australian Securities and Investments Commission and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

The bill would not directly affect the pay of parliamentarians or judges — while the Remuneration Tribunal also sets their remuneration, the constitutional framework around judicial and parliamentary pay is different, and the bill's provisions would need to be assessed against those constraints. The precise scope of offices covered would be set out in the bill's text and schedules.

Evidence review

What the bill does not do

The bill does not cut existing salaries — a statutory cap would limit what the Tribunal could determine in the future, not reduce current remuneration. It does not affect the pay of Australian Public Service employees below the secretary level, which is set through enterprise bargaining and workplace determinations rather than by the Tribunal. It does not alter the independence of the Remuneration Tribunal — the Tribunal would continue to make determinations within the new statutory limit. And it does not address broader public sector wage policy, which is a separate area of government policy.

Common questions

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