Cullen’s $1000 a day ‘peanuts’ – minister

A Government minister has said Sir Michael Cullen’s payments as chair of the Tax Working Group after the body disbanded is ‘‘peanuts’’, and suggested the former deputy prime minister should be paid more.

Earlier this month it emerged that Cullen, who delivered the final report of the Tax Working Group in February, had been quietly retained in the role by Finance Minister Grant Robertson after the rest of the group disbanded.

Cullen will be paid $1062 a day or $177 an hour (for a maximum of six hours a day), although it is not clear how much work he will charge the Government for.

While National continues to urge the State Services Commission to look into the terms and whether Cullen is engaged in political activities, Employment Minister Willie Jackson suggested the former Labour MP deserved more.

As he dismissed a ‘‘fearmongering campaign’’ by National leader Simon Bridges, Jackson offered compliments to Cullen.

‘‘I’ve got no worries about his thousand dollars a day,’’ Jackson, a list MP, said, according to Hansard, which records Parliamentary debates.

‘‘It’s actually peanuts, actually, when you compare it to some of the lawyers and people who’ve worked in this Government in the past.

‘‘He’s under-charged himself – there’s no doubt about that.’’

The former radio presenter made the comments as part of a defence of a proposed capital gains tax, saying ‘‘we need a more fairer and more equitable society’’.

Yesterday morning, Jackson said he ‘‘absolutely’’ stood by the comments, then admitted he wasn’t aware he had mentioned how much people working for his Government were allegedly being paid.

‘‘I know what the payments out there that lawyers get,’’ Jackson said.

‘‘He’s triple-dipping.’’

‘‘Commercially, a thousand dollars a day is peanuts when you look at the jobs around society.’’

He did not have an opinion about what Cullen, who was ‘‘doing us a favour’’, should be charging.

‘‘People of Cullen’s calibre, and I’m talking about the skills he possesses, they would charge three to five hundred dollars an hour,’’ Jackson said.

‘‘Of course it’s a huge amount of money if you’re a truck driver . . . a lot of people I’ve represented, just getting them to the living wage is a huge challenge. But, mate, they’re not trying to reshape the economy. They’re not trying to change what’s happening in this country.’’

Bridges said Jackson’s comments were ‘‘remarkable’’ given he was the employment minister.

‘‘He should have a sense that most New Zealanders can only dream of earning a thousand dollars a day,’’ Bridges said, adding that as well as being Tax Working Group chairman, Cullen was also being paid a ‘‘gold-plated’’ pension available to MPs from some years ago and New Zealand Superannuation.

‘‘He’s triple-dipping.’’