South Australian politicians to be handed payrise up to $8000

IN a case of what is good for the goose is good for the gander, SA pollies get a 2 per cent pay rise like their Federal buddies — unless one MP has his way.

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SOUTH Australian politicians will get a boost in their annual salary of between $4000 and $8000 from next month.

The independent Remuneration Tribunal has effectively handed out the pay rise under rules that peg state MP wages to increases received by their federal counterparts.

Greens leader Mark Parnell will today table a Bill that would allow local MPs to reject the pay rise.

However, it will be too late to stop next month’s pay increase from going ahead – even if there was an appetite to do so, which there is not.

The swearing in of Steven Marshall’s Cabinet. Picture: Tricia Watkinson

The base Federal MP annual income will rise 2 per cent from $199,040 to $203,020.

This means the base pay for South Australian MPs will also rise to about $195,000 a year.

Premier Steven Marshall, pictured, will get a pay rise of $8000, taking his base salary to about $390,000 a year.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will be paid $538,000 a year from July 1.

The Remuneration Tribunal decided to award all politicians, members of the judiciary and senior public servants a 2 per cent pay rise that will start on the same day as Sunday penalty rates are cut for workers in hospitality and retail.

Mr Parnell said his Bill will be the third time in 12 years he has tried to break the connection between state and federal MP salaries.

“It is dead easy to say ‘nothing to do with me it just appeared in my pay packet’,” Mr Parnell told The Advertiser.

“I am giving MPs two opportunities to say ‘we are going to decline it this time around, we don’t think the economy is right, others are not getting pay rises why should we’”.

Mr Parnell’s proposed Bill would give the government of the day the first opportunity to reject the automatic pay rises.

Otherwise either House of Parliament could decline the pay rise.

Treasurer Rob Lucas said the government would not support breaking the current link to Federal pays.

“The current situation was arrived at after much discussion and consultation and we believe that is a reasonable balance,” Mr Lucas said.

Last month The Advertiser revealed SA judges and magistrates had secured annual pay rises of between $13,000 and $21,000 courtesy of two pay rises in 18 months.

The jump in salary, which equated to 4.4 per cent over 18 months, came despite the former State Government arguing salaries should stay in line with its state wage policy of increases of no more than 1.5 per cent annually.