16 December 2011

Spring St set to cash in with pay rises

BIG pay rises mooted for federal politicians will flow through to State MPs next year.

Under Victorian law, pay for state MPs is based on that given to their federal colleagues, minus $5733.

That increase was limited this year to 2.5 per cent, but that cap is only in place until July 1 next year.

The Parliamentary Salaries and Superannuation Act refers to this as a “temporary limit”.

A backbencher who earns $131,000 a year could end up raking in about $175,000.

Premier Ted Baillieu would see his salary rise from $317,730 to about $350,000.

Greens MP Greg Barber said Mr Baillieu needed to decide what would happen with politicians’ salaries from next year.

“He’s got until June 30 next year to decide what he is going to do,” Mr Barber said.

“As soon as we get until June 30 next year, the previous, and any mooted pay rises, will kick in, in full.”

Mr Baillieu would not say how future pay rises would be determined.

“We’ve legislated a 2.5 per cent increase,” Mr Baillieu said.

“We don’t have a change in front of us at the moment.”

The Baillieu Government imposed a 2.5 per cent cap on rises this year, in line with its base offer to public servants, nurses and police.

heraldsun.com.au 2 Dec 2011

This is another example of how law makers and politicians are above the law.

At the quite verbal disgust of the masses, they have given themselves a pay rise of anything between 30 - 50%, whilst the rest of the general population struggles to achieve the official inflation rate (3.52%) pay rise from their employers.

During this economic climate the politicians are quite loudly touting that during these 'difficult economic times', ' "we" must tighten our belts', quite clearly excluding themselves from any such actions.

Whilst the politicians are getting fatter and fatter, the rest of the general populous are being pushed into poverty.

Another seemingly communist rule.

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