Ministerial register of gifts, benefits and hospitality

Under section 5.1 of the Ministerial Code of Conduct (Code), ministers and parliamentary secretaries have an overarching duty to avoid conflicts and refuse inducements.

Ministers and parliamentary secretaries are required to disclose accepted gifts, benefits and hospitality over the specified threshold amount to the Secretary, Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPC).

These disclosures are then published by the Secretary, DPC on a ministerial register of gifts, benefits and hospitality.

The threshold amount for an accepted offer is the amount set by the Members of Parliament (Standards) Act 1978 (Vic) and is indexed yearly in accordance with section 24 of that Act.

What details are included in the register?

Details published on the register include:

• the minister or parliamentary secretary who accepted the gift, benefit or hospitality offer
• a description of the gift, benefit or hospitality
• the name and address of the individual, organisation or company who made the offer.

Under the Code, ministers and parliamentary secretaries must treat multiple gifts accepted from the same person or organisation within a six-month period as if they are a single gift. This may result in multiple gifts cumulatively reaching the specified threshold amount required for disclosure.

Ministers and parliamentary secretaries may also accept customary or official gifts, hospitality and similar formal gestures, and may elect to hand these to the State, as applicable.

Reporting frequency

A ministerial register of gifts, benefits and hospitality is published every six months, in line with Parliament's ordinary return cycle. The first publication will include details of gifts, benefits and hospitality accepted and disclosed between 1 February 2025 and 30 June 2025.