FEDERAL politicians received an extra three per cent pay rise last week, or the equivalent of about $5550 extra a year.
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This is on top of the $44,000 boost they received back in March, from a base salary for backbenchers of $140,910 last financial year, to $190,550 as of July 1 this year.
Compare that to a person on the minimum wage, who gets an increase of only $17.10 a week, or $890 a year.
Member for Hume Alby Schultz told the Post everyone should be asking the State Government the same questions when it comes to pay rises for public servants.
“I doubt there would be anyone in Hume who works as hard as I do, and the pay rises are not only for Federal politicians, but every increase is passed down to the State politicians also,” he said.
“Both Pru Goward and Katrina Hodgkinson combined have less people in their electorates (98,891) compared to 106,000 throughout my electorate of Hume, yet they get nearly $65,000 more ($255,365 a year), with their salary plus electoral allowance.
“I think you would be asking them the same question.”
Victorian Democratic Labor Party (DLP) senator, John Madigan said that people getting hit by the carbon tax and who are already copping big price rises for power should be outraged.
One senior figure also dubbed it as “the pollies’ own carbon tax compo.”
“For the life of me I don’t know why we are getting it, after a near $50 000 pay rise in March,” Mr Madigan said.
“I don’t expect it or want it. Power prices are out of control- gas, water, everything.
We have got people who can’t afford to buy their own home, we’ve got pensioners who sit in shopping centres because they can’t afford to heat their home.”
Independent senator Nick Xenophon also expressed he would move a motion to scrap the rise when Parliament resumes in August.
“Coming less than a week after the parliamentary paralysis in relation to asylum seekers and only a few days after the introduction of the Carbon Tax, this will only fuel public anger against politicians generally,” he said.
Media advisor to Mr Schultz, Richard Orchard, stated that the pay rise is listed under the CPI (Consumer Price Index) guidelines for all public servants.
“I think a senior public servant would be entitled to this kind of pay rise after so many loyal years of service,” he said.
The three per cent pay rise is double the annual inflation levels of 1.5pc.
But according to former Labor senator Graham Richardson, this level of pay was still not nearly enough for every politician.
“If you look around a couple of hundred companies, I wonder how many of them pay their chief less than half a million dollars?, he said on Seven Network.
“I think the answer would be none. The Prime Minister should be getting a minimum of $1 million, and general ministers should be up around at least $500 000, and even backbenchers should be up around the 250-300 000 mark.
“There are 25 year old kids walking around in merchant banks these days earning $300 000 a year.”
The average Australian salary, in comparison, has gone from $44,512 in 2002 to $70,230 as of February this Year.
