This section describes a range of employment and post-employment benefits provided to our people and our relationships with other key people.

Employee provisions

Accounting Policy

Liabilities for ‘short-term employee benefits’ and termination benefits due within twelve months of the end of reporting period are measured at their nominal amounts.

Leave

The liability for employee benefits includes provision for annual leave and long service leave. The leave liabilities are calculated on the basis of employees’ remuneration at the estimated salary rates that will be applied at the time the leave is taken, including the DTA’s employer superannuation contribution rates to the extent that the leave is likely to be taken during service rather than paid out on termination. The provision is disclosed at the present value of the obligation using the shorthand method that utilises the appropriate Government bond rate.

No provision has been made for sick leave as all sick leave is non-vesting and the average sick leave taken in future years by employees of the DTA is estimated to be less than the annual entitlement for sick leave.

Superannuation

The DTA’s staff are members of the Commonwealth Superannuation Scheme (CSS), the Public Sector Superannuation Scheme (PSS), the PSS accumulation plan (PSSap) or another fund of their choice.

The CSS and PSS are defined benefit schemes for the Australian Government. The PSSap is a defined contribution scheme. The liability for defined benefits is recognised in the financial statements of the Australian Government and is settled by the Australian Government in due course. This liability is reported in the Department of Finance’s administered schedules and notes.

The DTA makes employer contributions to the employees’ superannuation scheme. For Commonwealth defined benefits schemes, these rates are determined by an actuary to be sufficient to meet the current cost to the Government. The DTA accounts for the contributions as if they were contributions to defined contribution plans.