If ever there was an inappropriate time for increasing the pay of our Federal politicians - it is surely now. The world is teetering on the brink of slipping back into recession. Whole nations in Europe are cutting wages and pensions to try and avert default on their debts - and here in Australia our citizens are being told to tighten their belts - and do more with less.
We face austerity across the board. In this state the police have been told that they will have to make do with less money when they are injured doing a dangerous job. Nurses and most other civil servants are being ordered to take a virtual pay cut - receiving pay increases that are less than the rate of inflation, and most people have not seen a pay increase since at least 2008 - when the GFC commenced.
Of course the politicians will see it differently. They will bleat that they are not directly responsible for determining their own pay. That is decided by the " Renumeration Tribunal ", a separate body that operates at arm's length and is completely independent.
Which raises the question of just who is this " Renumeration Tribunal " ?
Surprise ! Surprise ! It is a body of people - appointed by those very same politicians whose salaries it determines !
It holds reviews at regular intervals - and it's findings also apply to Federal judges and the top tiers of the public service - and it's present largess will take our prime minister's take home pay far in excess of both the president of the United states or the prime minister of Great Britain.
Julia Gillard looks set to be granted an extra $ 90,000 a year, taking her salary to $ 473,000. Tony Abbott will get $ 74,000 extra, taking him to $ 333,000, and the ordinary backbenchers will gain $ 40,000 extra, taking them to $ 180,000 a year.
A big percentage of the Australian work force would be delighted if they could manage to earn just that $ 40,000 a year as their annual salary.
The one thing you will not hear is parliamentarians of disparate persuasions objecting to their salary review - or refusing to accept it.
It is a fact of life that ministers of the government are paid a minuscule salary in comparison with the CEO's of major corporations, but it is pure greed that has allowed those people to inflate their earnings to ridiculous levels. Put plainly - they are not worth the money they are gouging from their companies.
It will not happen - but it would surely be a test on conscience if the entire parliament refused to accept any salary increase - until unemployment was below five percent, the Australian economy had delivered a surplus - and immigration had stabilised at a sustainable level.
That would prove that those we elect to run this country were at least prepared to share the burden of belt tightening with ordinary Australians.
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