NSW MPs topping up their base income with lucrative parliamentary side roles

A STAGGERING 64 members of the 74-person NSW government are earning tens of thousands on top of their base salaries through parliamentary side roles.

Parliamentary secretaries

A STAGGERING 64 members of the 74-person Baird government are earning tens of thousands of dollars on top of their base salaries through parliamentary side roles.

In some cases, politicians are earning about $19,000 extra for chairing parliamentary committees that have gone the past year without holding a single inquiry.

An investigation by The Daily Telegraph can reveal how MPs are topping up their base income of $153,280.

Officers and whips

Outside the 22-member cabinet, there are 16 parliamentary secretaries who ­receive an extra $30,656 and 17 committee chairs earning $19,160 on top of their wages.

There are five presiding officers and three whips who all receive add-ons to their salary ranging from $16,000 to $127,223.

One MP, Mark Taylor, receives $4415 for serving as a committee member on the Public Accounts Committee.

These extra bonuses are in addition to electorate allowances ranging from $46,325 to $130,155 depending on the seat’s size and location.

Greg Pearce, sacked from the ministry by former premier Barry O’Farrell over a ‘‘jobs for the boys’’ scandal, has even been made chair of the committee for state development.

Labor claims the positions will cost $2 million for the government’s four-year term.

Parliamentary secretaries include two to the Premier — Catherine Cusack and Ray Williams; one to the ­Treasurer — Matt Kean, one to the Minister for Major Events and Tourism — Jonathan O’Dea and even one for Multiculturalism ——Parramatta MP Geoff Lee.

Parliamentary secretaries

Parliamentary secretaries

Committee chairs Adam Marshall, Lee Evans, Matthew Mason-Cox and Geoff Provest have overseen no ­inquiries in a year. Mr ­Marshall said he was about to start an inquiry and the ­government said Mr Evans had recently started one.

Opposition Wastewatch spokesman Hugh McDermott said in Labor’s last years in government there were 13 parliamentary secretaries. There were less committees.

“The gravy train for Mike Baird’s MPs is fully loaded and running at max speed,” Mr McDermott said.

“Questions really need to be asked what some of the parliamentary secretaries and committee chairs do to earn this extra money.

“Six of the 16 parliamentary secretaries had published zero media releases in relation to their portfolio.”

Committee chairs

Speaker Shelley Hancock receives $85,238 in extra salary for her position plus a $38,881 expense allowance. She is supported by Deputy Speaker Thomas George ($44,862 plus $29,908) and Assistant Speaker Andrew Fraser ($29,908 and $20,936).

GOVERNMENT PROJECT DELAYS COST $24M A DAY

In the Upper House, President Don Harwin is supported by $87,370 in extra salary and $39,853 in expense allowance. Deputy President Trevor Khan gets $45,984 and $30,656. National Party Whip Stephen Bromhead gets $16,450. Whoever replaces Peter Phelps as Government Whip in the Upper House will get $19,928 in salary and $10,780 in expense allowance.

Committee chairs

A spokesman for Mr Baird said: “Committees play an integral role in the function of parliament

and in holding the government to account”.

“We won’t apologise for having a strong committee system that provides for greater oversight and accountability of government policymaking. Increasing the number of parliamentary secretaries to include regional parliamentary secretaries was a deliberate decision to ensure we had dedicated advocates.”

Mr Marshall said his committee would start an inquiry soon into public transport ­access “for seniors and disadvantaged people in rural and regional NSW”.

Mr Mason-Cox said his committee had conducted no inquiries in the past year because there were no referrals from parliament. “We also have citizens rights of reply, and they are done by way of motion — we haven’t had any of those in the last year.”

Cartoonist Warren Brown’s view.