Fed: MP pay hike wins near unanimous support

AAP General News (Australia)
12-08-1999
Fed: MP pay hike wins near unanimous support

By James Grubel, Chief Political Correspondent

CANBERRA, Dec 8 AAP - Federal politicians gave their near-unanimous support today to
new pay rises which will boost their pay packets by between 10 and 37 per cent.

Prime Minister John Howard said the pay rise, the first for MPs and senators since
1996, was fair and reasonable and in line with the rise in average wages over the past
three years.

Backbenchers will receive an extra $8,000 a year, taking their annual pay packet to
$90,000, while Mr Howard will receive an extra $30,000 to take his salary to $234,000.

The government's 11 parliamentary secretaries won the biggest pay rise, of 37.4 per
cent, adding $22,500 to their base pay.

Mr Howard said he did not expect the pay rise to be popular in the community.

"Even though that's not popular and it won't be liked, I don't think that is unreasonable,"

Mr Howard told the National Press Club.

"There has been no adjustment since October of `96.

"The adjustment recommended by the tribunal will merely bring it to where it would
have been essentially if there had been an average wage adjustment."

The wage hike was broadly supported by all sides of politics, but MPs were clearly
angered by suggestions they did not deserve the new rates.

New South Wales independent Peter Andren was the lone voice of dissent in the 148-seat
House of Representatives, and he was heckled by government MPs when he questioned the
prime minister about the new rates today.

Mr Andren said politicians' salaries should be indexed in the same way as pensions,
rather than based on the increase in full-time adult weekly earnings.

Labor backbencher Rod Sawford also bristled when asked about the pay rates today and
said he would only comment when reporters made their salaries public.

Forestry and Conservation Minister Wilson Tuckey said salaries needed to be set at
a high level to attract talented politicians.

"If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys, and I'd prefer that monkeys didn't run Australia," he said.

Opposition Leader Kim Beazley said he would accept the Remuneration Tribunal's decision
on salaries.

"The Tribunal was there to do that. And they have apparently made a judgment," he told reporters.

However, he said a substantial catch-up after three years should be phased in over time.

But ACTU president Jennie George said if it was good enough for politicians to get
an increase of $150 a week it was good enough for the government to support the union's
claim for a $24 a week increase for Australian battlers.

"If it's good enough for them to get $150 extra a week on top of the lurks and perks
and the benefits of tax cuts, well it's high time people on the low end of the income
scale got the claim in full that we're pursuing, which is a modest $24," she said.

AAP jg/mfh/sub/br

KEYWORD: SALARIES NIGHTLEAD

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