Chief Minister Katy Gallagher will delay appointing a sixth member of her cabinet until a new ministerial suite is constructed on the Legislative Assembly's executive level.
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But Ms Gallagher has promised the expansion of the cabinet will occur on a ''shoestring budget'' with staff from existing offices to be allocated to the new minister.
The Legislative Assembly on Tuesday unanimously passed a bill to allow for a ministry of up to nine members. But the government only plans to appoint one additional minister during this term.
Ms Gallagher foreshadowed the move a year ago due to increasing workloads for the five cabinet members, who share 25 portfolios.
''I think it will relieve existing ministers of some of the burdens of their heavy workloads,'' Ms Gallagher said. ''The workforce pressures are significant and growing.
''The solution is to expand the cabinet by one in the short term.''
Ms Gallagher said the cabinet would continue to have five members while rebuilding of the assembly's second floor took place.
''The building is a major stumbling block and that will take several months to fix,'' she said.
Ms Gallagher said she wanted to limit the costs to taxpayers of a new minister. ''I'm trying to do this on a shoestring budget really because the money we've got available is the money available,'' she said. ''I don't want to seek further appropriation other than probably for the minister's salary.''
ACT government ministers earn $212,000 a year, while backbenchers receive $125,000.
Ms Gallagher said she would let caucus colleagues know her preferred candidate to fill the role. ''I will certainly let caucus know who my preferred candidate is, but ultimately this is much better if it's a collective decision that's owned by the caucus.''
Liberal leader Jeremy Hanson introduced his own bill earlier this year to enable extra ministers to be appointed. Mr Hanson urged Ms Gallagher to expand the size of cabinet soon. ''I would urge her, now that we have bipartisan support for the creation of a new minister, essentially to get on with it,'' he said.
Labor and the Greens want to increase the number of members in the assembly at the 2016 election.
The Liberal Party is yet to decide whether to support a bigger assembly. Any bill to increase the size of the legislature would require the support of two-thirds of MLAs.
Greens minister Shane Rattenbury said he hoped the appointment of an extra minister would add momentum to the debate on how many MLAs Canberra needs.
''I am of the view that this bill does not preclude action on the size of the assembly and indeed probably encourages us to get on with that conversation in a timely manner,'' Mr Rattenbury said.
