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Per Wikipedia: "As of 1 July 2019, Australia's prime minister is paid a total salary of $549,250. This is made up of the 'base salary' received by all Members

by hnick 6y ago

Per Wikipedia: "As of 1 July 2019, Australia's prime minister is paid a total salary of $549,250. This is made up of the 'base salary' received by all Members of Parliament ($211,250) plus a 160 percent 'additional salary' for the role of prime minister." I can say it doesn't seem to stop people helping out their mates or avoiding the tough issues on the job over here at least.

XorNot 6y ago
I do wonder what the long term outlook on that is. Politician is an extremely unstable job, so that $210k base for a job you might only have for four years (and then not exactly drop out into a lucrative field like IT) probably doesn't feel like a lot.
- nitrogen 6y ago
  drop out into a lucrative field Paid speaking engagements appear to be fairly lucrative for former politicians.
  - XorNot 6y ago
    Sure provided you greased the right palms when you were in office and towed the right lines.
    - hnick 6y ago
      That's what the higher salaries supposedly avoid, you are less beholden to moneyed interests. I think the reality is that people often get accustomed to money and seek more of it unless there is a true downside. Singapore has a very similar mindset on political salaries, and they are much higher even than the Australian PM. But as an outsider with one foot in due to family, it seems that they are culturally very anti-corruption after living near their neighbours which makes it work better.
- TheSpiceIsLife 6y ago
  It's not like these people just pop in to be the prime minister of Australia for a brief four years then go back to pulling coffee shots at their low paying hospitallity jobs. The overwhelming majority of Australian politicians are career bureaucrats of one form or another. It'll take me five years of 60 hour weeks in a noise dirty dangerous environment to earn what the PM makes in a year.
- hnick 6y ago
  They get pensions too. Those things most people used to get. The idea is that sets them up because going back to working as a butcher or something would be a bit weird after being a national public figure. The reality is they do speaking engagements and join boards as well, raking it in. https://www.crikey.com.au/2019/09/02/australian-mps-pay-after-parliament/ https://www.crikey.com.au/2019/09/02/australian-mps-pay-afte... Apparently it was changed so it's not quite as generous now, maybe someone can decode and summarise the current rules.
  - aldonius 6y ago
    As the article says, pensions proper only apply to MPs elected before 2004. Now it's a superannuation scheme.
- belorn 6y ago
  All former UK prime ministers are entitled to an allowance of up to £115,000 a year to cover the costs of their ongoing public engagements. This can continue for decades. In the first 10 years after Tony Blair left office, he collected £1,077,888 which is quite close to the maximum. In addition, former prime ministers can still remain members of Parliament if they get re-elected for that role, as is the case with Theresa May.
- manicdee 6y ago
  For most people, $400k in the bank feels like a lot, and that's assuming you aren't also milking travel allowance, food allowance, Comcar, etc. Also our pollies get a very generous superannuation contribution of 12% of their salary. They're set for life as long as they understand money.
konjin 6y ago
Politicians should not be allowed to hold private property while in office. Have all their holdings liquidated when they get in power, at reasonable market rates, and have them put in a national fund used for things like pensions, from which they are allowed to withdraw a fraction depending on their projected life expectancy. They then have a very large incentive to keep the country solvent and working well for the future. It's rather more urgent for someone to keep public hospitals running well when they can't afford to use private ones. The same is true for public transport, housing and all other goods. And if a fraction of the population won't be willing to ever run for office again: so much the better. Do you want politicians running the country who expect that their tenure would see it become worse?
- chrisseaton 6y ago
  You think people should have to sell all their personal possessions to become a politician? I don’t get why people expect this kind of ludicrous flagellation of politicians. Do you want monks or normal people?
  - konjin 6y ago
    If you want to run the country you should be willing to put your money where your mouth is, since you expect the rest of us to die for it.
    - chrisseaton 6y ago
      > If you want to run the country you should be willing to put your money where your mouth is, since you expect the rest of us to die for it. Do you have this attitude in all fields? Researchers who want a job in a lab to tackle a disease should only get it if they agree to be infected with the disease so they work harder, maybe? Police officers have to agree to be robbed once a month so they experience being a victim? That could be another one. To check they’re putting their money where their mouth is, right?
      - konjin 6y ago

by hnick 6y ago

XorNot 6y ago

I do wonder what the long term outlook on that is. Politician is an extremely unstable job, so that $210k base for a job you might only have for four years (and then not exactly drop out into a lucrative field like IT) probably doesn't feel like a lot.

nitrogen 6y ago
drop out into a lucrative field Paid speaking engagements appear to be fairly lucrative for former politicians.
- XorNot 6y ago
  Sure provided you greased the right palms when you were in office and towed the right lines.
  - hnick 6y ago
    That's what the higher salaries supposedly avoid, you are less beholden to moneyed interests. I think the reality is that people often get accustomed to money and seek more of it unless there is a true downside. Singapore has a very similar mindset on political salaries, and they are much higher even than the Australian PM. But as an outsider with one foot in due to family, it seems that they are culturally very anti-corruption after living near their neighbours which makes it work better.
TheSpiceIsLife 6y ago
It's not like these people just pop in to be the prime minister of Australia for a brief four years then go back to pulling coffee shots at their low paying hospitallity jobs. The overwhelming majority of Australian politicians are career bureaucrats of one form or another. It'll take me five years of 60 hour weeks in a noise dirty dangerous environment to earn what the PM makes in a year.
hnick 6y ago
They get pensions too. Those things most people used to get. The idea is that sets them up because going back to working as a butcher or something would be a bit weird after being a national public figure. The reality is they do speaking engagements and join boards as well, raking it in. https://www.crikey.com.au/2019/09/02/australian-mps-pay-after-parliament/ https://www.crikey.com.au/2019/09/02/australian-mps-pay-afte... Apparently it was changed so it's not quite as generous now, maybe someone can decode and summarise the current rules.
- aldonius 6y ago
  As the article says, pensions proper only apply to MPs elected before 2004. Now it's a superannuation scheme.
belorn 6y ago
All former UK prime ministers are entitled to an allowance of up to £115,000 a year to cover the costs of their ongoing public engagements. This can continue for decades. In the first 10 years after Tony Blair left office, he collected £1,077,888 which is quite close to the maximum. In addition, former prime ministers can still remain members of Parliament if they get re-elected for that role, as is the case with Theresa May.
manicdee 6y ago
For most people, $400k in the bank feels like a lot, and that's assuming you aren't also milking travel allowance, food allowance, Comcar, etc. Also our pollies get a very generous superannuation contribution of 12% of their salary. They're set for life as long as they understand money.

konjin 6y ago

Politicians should not be allowed to hold private property while in office. Have all their holdings liquidated when they get in power, at reasonable market rates, and have them put in a national fund used for things like pensions, from which they are allowed to withdraw a fraction depending on their projected life expectancy. They then have a very large incentive to keep the country solvent and working well for the future. It's rather more urgent for someone to keep public hospitals running well when they can't afford to use private ones. The same is true for public transport, housing and all other goods. And if a fraction of the population won't be willing to ever run for office again: so much the better. Do you want politicians running the country who expect that their tenure would see it become worse?

chrisseaton 6y ago
You think people should have to sell all their personal possessions to become a politician? I don’t get why people expect this kind of ludicrous flagellation of politicians. Do you want monks or normal people?
- konjin 6y ago
  If you want to run the country you should be willing to put your money where your mouth is, since you expect the rest of us to die for it.
  - chrisseaton 6y ago
    > If you want to run the country you should be willing to put your money where your mouth is, since you expect the rest of us to die for it. Do you have this attitude in all fields? Researchers who want a job in a lab to tackle a disease should only get it if they agree to be infected with the disease so they work harder, maybe? Police officers have to agree to be robbed once a month so they experience being a victim? That could be another one. To check they’re putting their money where their mouth is, right?
    - konjin 6y ago