Australian Politicians

Hutt News, Volume XXI, Issue 50, 9 June 1948, Page 13

Australian Politicians

RISE IN SALARY FORECAST IN MELBOURNE After careful study of the evidence given before the committee investigating the salary of members of the State Parliament, a political observer thinks substantial increases will be recommended, says the Melbourne Herald. j He suggests that the following would be acceptable to all parties, and might be adopted, at least in part, by the Government: Salaries of members of the Legislative Assembly to be raised from £650 to £9OO, and of members of the Legislative Council from £350 to £6OO. Country members of both Houses to be allowed a further sum—up to, perhaps, £loo—for expenses incurred on their duties in electorates, to be paid only on receipt of voucners or other reliable evidence. (Such payments would not be subject to taxation.) Ministers’ salaries to be fixed by Parliament at £ISOO a year (£I2OO now), and that of the Premier at £2OOO (£I6OO now), with an additional £5 00 for entertainment. The system of a Cabinet pool to be abolished. Salaries of the President of the Council and the Speaker to be raised to about £1350 (£IOOO now), proportional to the increase for private members. Allowances for the Leader of the Opposition and the third party, when in Opposition, and for the chairmen of committees, to be fixed statutorily, but without‘any increase on the payments now granted. Travelling allowance of £1 a day to Ministers when sleeping outside their electorates on Government duty to be raised to £2/2/-, whether in their own electorates or not. (This would bring the allowance to above the scale granted to secretaries of Commonwealth Ministers when out of the capital on which they are based.) Tax Poser? The observer who made these suggestions added a whimsical poser. He pointed out that the President of the Legislative Council (Sir Clifden Eager) told the committee that in the statute dealing with remuneration to members the word “salary” was not mentioned, and for both Houses the term “reimbursement of expenses in relation to his attendance in the discharge of his Parliamentary duties” was used. Did this mean that the so-called "salaries” that have been paid were not subject to taxation, and that the payers could claim refunds from the Treasury?” he asked.