A lot of ordinary Australian people are doing it tough. Single mothers have been dumped onto the dole queue and are expected to live on $ 35 a day. Asylum seekers have been released into the community, but denied the right to seek work to support themselves - and hordes of young people are finding it near impossible to get their first job.
" Doing it tough " does not apply to our politicians. They have just landed pay increases that range from 2.4% on base salaries to delivering the Prime Minister an additional $ 11,908 to take her salary to $ 507,338.
Base salaries are just the start of the " money trail ". Electoral allowances shower more revenue on those holding political office, plus all the perks of allowances for " sitting days " of parliament - and then there is the " study tour " travel to overseas honey pots, and when they finally retire - or get kicked out of office - a dream superannuation scheme kicks in to see them in clover for the rest of their lives.
Of course they hide behind the " Remunerations Tribunal " decisions when pay rises are awarded. This tribunal is tasked with setting the pay for politicians, judges and the senior bureaucracy of the public service, and in comparison with what the captains of industry earn, the public sector salaries are quite modest.
Unfortunately, human nature has a " greed " factor. We have seen how the rules are flouted to raid the public purse. Everything seems to be fair game, from using cab vouchers for private travel to having a spouse own accommodation which is then rented to the politician as a tax deduction, and claimed as a legitimate expense.
The question many will ask is " are we getting value for money ? "
That is the question that gets answered every time a parliamentary term ends and we go to the ballot boxes to deliver a verdict. If we are satisfied, we usually cull a few non-performers, but send in the same team to do another term in office. If we are far from satisfied, we boot them out and give someone else a go.
Looking around the world, we see places where a dictator has grabbed power and rules by force. There are countries steeped in civil war as the citizens try and bring about change. At least this country still has a veneer of civility - even if the political language gets a bit testy at times.
So far, nobody has devised a better way to make the decisions that affect us all. We are one of the few countries in the world that demands that every citizen of voting age presents front and centre on election day - and does his or her civic duty of selecting a parliamentary representative - or faces a fine !
It seems to be a case of allowing the " needy " to make a choice between the candidates offering their services - in the sure knowledge that " greed " will be a factor during their term in office !
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