New pay packets for MPs revealed
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has today defended a decision to give MPs a pay rise less than a year after Labor declared on social media that there would be no increases until 2023.
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A social media post made by Labor in which Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk declares “no pay rises for Queensland MPs until 2023” has come back to bite.
Ms Palaszczuk today defended the Queensland Independent Remuneration Tribunal’s new decision to bump up politician pay by 2 per cent from September, despite arguing last year that pay should be frozen “for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic”.
The ruling means she’ll collect an extra $27,545, bumping her salary to $427,500.
The Queensland Independent Remuneration Tribunal on Monday reversed a decision last year to freeze pay for four years, instead determining September’s pay rise, followed by another 2.25 per cent pay increase from March next year and another 2.5 per cent in September 2022 – totalling three pay rises over a 12 month period.
Asked on Tuesday whether she accepted the decision, she said it was a matter for the independent tribunal.
“I don’t make these decisions, the Independent Remuneration Tribunal does and there’s been a pay freeze for four years,” she said, noting MPs had not had a pay rise since 2017.
Yet a social media post made by Labor last year reads: “Annastacia declares no pay rises for Qld MPs until 2023”.
Last year’s independent decision ruling notes Ms Palaszczuk wrote to them “requesting that any salary increase for members be put on hold for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic”.
Asked today whether the pandemic was over, she said: “As you can see, Queensland’s economy is coming back, people are out and about, people are functioning and that is a matter for them.”
“They are independent of government to make those decisions.”
She added that politician wage rises were less than public sector wage increases.
SCROLL DOWN TO SEE A LIST OF MPS’ CURRENT PAY AND WHAT THEY’LL RECEIVE AFTER THE RISE
Under the changes, the Premier’s pay will increase from $399,955 per year to about $427,500 by September 2022, while Deputy Premier Steven Mile’s annual pay packet will increase from $351,788 to about $376,000.
Leader of the Opposition David Crisafulli’s pay, as well as those received by Cabinet Ministers, will increase to about $350,000 per year from $327,705.
The base salary of an MP – currently about $159,000 a year – will increase to roughly $170,000, while Speaker Curtis Pitt will earn an annual salary of $324,500 – up from $303,000.
In their report last year, the Tribunal noted that Ms Palaszczuk had written to the Tribunal asking for any salary increases to be put on hold for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic.
They also pointed out that the Opposition had “stated that the salary of members should be frozen”.
In that report, they ruled that there would be no pay increases for the years starting September 1, 2019, September 1, 2020, September 1, 2021 and September 1, 2022.
But the decision announced yesterday will “supersede and replace” that determination – although pay was still frozen for 2019 and 2020.
In yesterday’s report, the Tribunal argued that the “economic and social circumstances” since 2020 had stabilised to the extent that a salary increase for MPs was “now justified”.
They also said a recent wages determination for public servants triggered their review of MPs’ salaries under the law.
“While the economic forecast and outlook continue to remain uncertain as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, it appears that the economy is rebounding, and the outlook is more positive than at the height of the pandemic in 2020 when the salary levels of members were last considered by the Tribunal,” they wrote.
Asked yesterday if she would be writing to the Tribunal for another pay freeze, Ms Palaszczuk said: “We’ve had the pay freezes and it’s nothing more than what the public service are getting paid”.
“In fact, it’s less,” she said about the pay increases.
The Tribunal’s decisions are not decided by the government and it must act independently.
New pay for MPs from September 1, 2022
Premier
Current pay: $399,955
Increase to: $427,500
Deputy Premier
Current pay: $351,788
Increase to: $376,000
Cabinet Minister
Current pay: $327,705
Increase to: $350,300
Leader of the Opposition
Current pay: $327,705
Increase to: $350,300
Speaker
Current pay: $303,622
Increase to: $324,500
Deputy Leader of the Opposition
Current pay: $255,455
Increase to: $273,000
Deputy Speaker
Current pay: $243,414
Increase to: $260,200
Assistant Minister
Current pay: $243,414
Increase to: $260,200
Manager of Opposition Business
Current pay: $243,414
Increase to: $260,200
Chief Government Whip
Current pay: $243,414
Increase to: $260,200
Shadow Minister
Current pay: $219,330
Increase to: $234,400
Base MP salary
Current pay: $159,122
Increase to: $170,100
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