MPs get at least $4000 pay boost

SENIOR federal politicians have distanced themselves from a decision handing them a 2% pay rise, which will take the salaries of backbench MPs past the $200,000 mark.

Federal politicians, judges and agency heads will get the bump in pay from next week following a decision by the Remuneration Tribunal.

It follows a 2% pay rise in January last year and a 2.4% boost in 2013.

The Prime Minister’s salary goes from $517,504 to $527,852.

The change will come into effect on the day income tax cuts for high earners are introduced with the end of the deficit levy, leaving politicians at least $4000 better off.

In interviews yesterday, ministers and shadow ministers played down the boost.

Asked if he was comfortable with the pay increase, Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese told Channel 9’s Today program: “What I’m comfortable with is politicians not determining our own pay, it being at arm’s length of us.

“The first I knew about that (the pay rise) was when I was told just before we came on air. It is appropriate that our all of our pay and conditions are not set by us, but by an independent tribunal.”

Defence Infrastructure Minister Christopher Pyne backed the pay increase, saying it had been a while since politicians had one.

“In fact we’ve had a pay freeze for the last couple of years, so the reality is we don’t make these decisions,” he said on the same program.

Speaking with Seven’s Sunrise, Education Minister Simon Birmingham argued politicians were not in it for the money.

“It is an independent process. It was a 2% pay rise this year after a pay freeze from last year,” he said.

“I don’t think anybody in politics is here for the money.”

The tribunal said its decision was about keeping public office holders from being lured to the private sector.

“The tribunal considers it important that remuneration for offices in its jurisdiction be maintained at appropriate levels over the longer term to attract and retain people of the calibre required for these important high level offices,” it said in a statement.

Australian Taxpayers’ Alliance executive director Tim Andrews condemned the tribunal’s decision.

“Australia has some of the highest paid bureaucrats in the world earning salaries two or three times their US and UK counterparts,” Mr Andrews said.

“It is an absolute disgrace that at the same time our politicians are raising taxes on struggling families and we have over $500 billion in debt, our political class is rewarding itself with more lavish pay rises.”

Mr Turnbull admitted to 2GB radio “there was never a good time” to increase the pay of politicians.