Pay rise for Governor

Press, 29 August 1979, Page 3

Pay rise for Governor

PA Wellington lire Governor-General (Sir Keith Holyoake) will receive a big pay increase next year Under a bill introduced in Parliament yesterday. Hr pay will rise from $26,000 a year to $45,000 from April. The Governor-General also at present receives allowances of $40,344 for household expenses. The Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon), introducing the Civil List Bill, which provides for the increase, said that traditionally the Gover-nor-General’s gross salary was twice that of the Chief Justice’s. This has been the case until the mid-1960s but since then the position had been reversed. The bill would broadly establish parity between these salaries. The Chief Justice now receives about $46,000 a year but under new scales expected to be approved by the Cabinet this will rise to about $53,500. The bill also deals with a problem that arose this year from the Hunua electorate petition which unseated the sitting Labour member of Parliament (Mr M. Douglas). Under the bill both a person who is unseated by such a petition and the person who is installed in his place are entitled to be paid, back to polling day, the salary and allowance of a member of Parliament.

The clause in the bill is back-dated to last November 28 so it will cover both Mr Douglas and the present National member for Hunua (Mr W. R. Peters). Other parts of the bill, which basically revises and consolidates the Civil List Act, 1950. brings in the practical changes necessary to reflect the fact that the Governor-General is a resident New Zealander.

The salary and allowance of the Governor-General will be paid from the time in which he, if a New Zealand resident, as a pr liminary to his appointment leaves the country to be received in audience by the Sovereign. Another section provides ft ■ the Governor-General to be paid three months salary and allowances on leaving office. At present three months salary is the upper limit payable and only with the approval of the Minister of Finance. The pension rights of a Governor-General designate who is a resident New Zealander are also protected. The bill also provides for an annuity for the spouse of a former Prime Minister. Existing law makes provision for an annuity to the widow of a former Prime Minister: the new' bill extends this to a widower. It also provides for three months pay to the spouse or dependent children of a .member of Parliament dying !in office.