14 June 2011

MLA pay rise

| johnboy
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The ABC brings word that the ACT Remuneration Tribunal is giving our leaders a pretty small 2.5% pay rise.

That will take the base salary of an MLA to just over $121,000 a year.

Ministers also receive an additional salary on top of that, ranging between 70 per cent and 110 per cent of the base pay.

Chief Minister Katy Gallagher will take home an additional $133,000, making her overall income more than $250,000.

Other office holders, such as the Opposition Leader and Opposition Whip, also receive additional salaries. Opposition Leader Zed Seselja’s income will increase to $200,000.

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Gerry-Built said :

MLAs automatically get CPI increase as well.

no they don’t for ACT Legislative – the Remuneration Tribunal sets the new pay rate. Usually it would be CPI or WPI based.

This ia a political stunt that we have seen before when they are trying to pay ACT Public Servants well under what the market is paying – even the lowest paid workers got a % rise bigger than what the Government is offering its staff!

Given the importance of the roles, I’ve no issue with the quantum paid.
Their equivalents in industry would be on a far better wicket.

Whether or not these particular characters are deserving of said paid, sadly, is a question I’d answer very differently…

CofSouthside9:16 pm 15 Jun 11

What will happen for the future? IF annual pay rises are kept below the annual cost of living rise, will all of the ACT government employees continue to spent as consumers. Maybe like others they will be forced to make further cutbacks. The flow on would eventually be that there will be less money in the local economy which in turn would affect other Canberrans. I don’t advocate ridiculous pay rises but ones that keep up with the cost of living in Canberra. It is an expensive place to live. In recent years the government asked them to take lower pay rises to help get the budget back in the black. At some point you have to pay the catch up. How will they be able to afford it if it gets too far behind? They seem to have plenty of money to plant trees in the National Arboretum and public art. Hope we don’t have another bush fire that burns out the trees there. An expensive loss.

MLAs automatically get CPI increase as well.

Pay rise? For what exactly?

Very clever.

Open the batting with an offer to ACT public servants of 2.5% and threaten them with job losses and/or removal of conditions for anything higher.

Then last Friday (OMG the Tribunal meets on Tuesday and Monday’s a holiday), let’s up the offer to 3% without any conditions (except to remove the “drafting error” which resulted in the day off in lieu of Anzac Day this year).

Then there it is! 2.5% for the pollies and bosses. We did better then them didn’t we? Let’s vote yes! Ah, what a responsible government we have!

CPSU (good work) is pushing for 3.5%. I’d be happy with a reverse outcome of last year – pollies and bosses 2.5%, public servants 3.25% (and no, the sign-on bonus last year (which, along with the pay rise and back pay was eventually paid in December – 9 months after the last agreement expired – did not make up the difference).

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