Members of Parliament
Overview
Snapshot
Summary
Members of Parliament represent the interests of people in a constituency as their elected member to national, state or territory parliament.
Also known as: Parliamentarian.
Specialisations: Chief Minister, Government Minister, Member of the Legislative Assembly, Member of the Legislative Council, Premier, Prime Minister, Senator.
Formal qualifications are not essential to work as a Member of Parliament. Although most workers have a university qualification.
Tasks
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Develops policy, and formulates, amends and repeals legislation and by-laws.
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Helps constituents with a range of problems particularly with regard to matters concerning government and local agencies.
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Investigates matters of concern to the public and to particular persons and groups.
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Introduces proposals for government action and represents public and electoral interests.
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Issues policy directions to government departments and exercises control over local government authorities.
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Attends community functions and meetings of local groups to provide service to the community, gauge public opinion and provide information on government plans.
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May serve as a member on parliamentary committees and inquiries.
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May present petitions on behalf of concerned groups.
Characteristics
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University
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Vocational Education and Training (VET)
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Informal or on-the-job
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Enterprising
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Helping
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Sedentary
Outlook
JSA produces employment projections to show where likely future job opportunities may be. Employment projections data are only produced for occupations at the broad four digit Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) level. While data are not available for this occupation, projections data are available for the parent occupation, Legislators, under the outlook section.
Earnings and hours
Working arrangements
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Around 96% of people employed as Members of Parliament work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 30 percentage points above the all jobs average (66%).
Full-time workers work an average of 62 hours per week in their main job. This is 18 hours more than the all jobs average (44 hours per week).
Sources:Full-time share and full-time hours: ABS, 2016 Census, customised report. Compared to the all jobs average.
Industries
Main industries
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Most Members of Parliament work in the Public administration and safety industry.
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report.
Regions
Employment across Australia
NSW
VIC
QLD
SA
WA
TAS
NT
ACT
Employment by State and Territory (% Share)
| State | Members of Parliament | All Jobs Average |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | 22.7 | 31.6 |
| VIC | 20.8 | 25.6 |
| QLD | 16.1 | 20.0 |
| SA | 10.9 | 7.0 |
| WA | 15.7 | 10.8 |
| TAS | 6.2 | 2.0 |
| NT | 3.2 | 1.0 |
| ACT | 4.4 | 1.9 |
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Around 64% of Members of Parliament live in capital cities, compared with the all jobs average of 62%.
Western Australia, Tasmania and South Australia have a large share of employment relative to their population size.
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Share of workers across Australian states, territories and regions, in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Worker profile
Age and gender
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The median age of Members of Parliament is 50 years. This is higher than the all jobs average of 40 years.
A large share of workers are aged 45 to 54 years.
Females make up 34% of the workforce. This is 14 percentage points below the all jobs average of 48%.
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile and gender share compared to the all jobs average.
Age Profile (% Share)
| Age Bracket | Members of Parliament | All Jobs Average |
|---|---|---|
| 15-19 | 0.0 | 5.0 |
| 20-24 | 0.5 | 9.3 |
| 25-34 | 7.8 | 22.9 |
| 35-44 | 22.7 | 22.0 |
| 45-54 | 37.1 | 21.6 |
| 55-59 | 14.8 | 9.0 |
| 60-64 | 10.6 | 6.0 |
| 65 and Over | 6.4 | 4.2 |
| Median Age | 50 | 40 |
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Employment Pathways
Education, training and experience
Formal qualifications are not essential to work as a Member of Parliament. Although most workers have a university qualification.
Visit
- Course Seeker to search and compare higher education courses.
- ComparED to compare undergraduate and postgraduate student experiences and outcomes.
- My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
- AAPathways website to explore Business Services VET training pathways.
Highest Level of Education (% Share)
| Type of Qualification | Members of Parliament | All Jobs Average |
|---|---|---|
| Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate | 27.6 | 10.1 |
| Bachelor degree | 44.5 | 21.8 |
| Advanced Diploma/Diploma | 7.2 | 11.6 |
| Certificate III/IV | 5.1 | 21.1 |
| Year 12 | 10.0 | 18.1 |
| Year 11 | 1.5 | 4.8 |
| Year 10 and below | 4.2 | 12.5 |
Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.
Skills and Knowledge
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Interests and demands
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Links and downloads
Research and reports
The Skills Priority List provides a current labour market rating and a future demand rating for nearly 800 occupations nationally. Current labour market ratings are available for occupations at a state and territory level.
Downloads
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Occupation profiles data are available for download.
The Employment Projections are available for download.