Victorian politicians’ pay rise amid COVID-19 pandemic shows where Labor’s priorities lie
While hundreds of thousands of Victorians now face months of struggles, the Premier and his public service mates are cashing in, writes Sophie Elsworth. Clearly, we’re not all in this together.
Opinion
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- Dan Andrews’ COVID shambles has made Victoria a national joke
- Financial armageddon will further destroy Victorians’ livelihoods
The great divide in Victoria continues to widen between those working in the public and private sectors.
Another 250,000 Victorians are set to be added to the already very long unemployment list as a result of the Andrews’ Labor Government’s latest round of stringent restrictions in this police state.
Many livelihoods will be decimated and unable to recover from this economic crisis.
As Victorians prepare for another six weeks of stringent lockdown rules, the fate of others is in the hands of politicians and bureaucrats on taxpayer-funded salaries; the very same people who have taken no pay cuts or job losses during this pandemic.
Many small businesses including clothing stores, gyms, cafes, restaurants and drycleaners are among just some examples of those hit hard.
Businesses and their employees have experienced months of disruption which has included scaling back or completely shutting down.
Those in the private sector have been the ones to wear the economic burden, while those in the public sector have been virtually left untouched.
Back in the 1930s during the Great Depression the then Australian Labor prime minister James Scullin docked the pay of public sector workers by 20 per cent.
Imagine the fallout if those in cushy public-paid jobs had a cut to their pay now. Their views on shutting everything down might be quite different.
Victorian politicians have not taken a pay cut during the pandemic. In fact, Premier Daniel Andrews received a pay increase of more than $40,000 on July 1.
He is the highest paid Premier in the country on $441,000 a year.
His ministers also received a pay increase, and so too did the shadow ministers.
And while Andrews and his ministers did donate their increases to charity, they should never have happened in the first place.
Many public servants in Victoria recently received significant pay rises in the five-digit range – some more than $40,000.
At a federal level during the pandemic Prime Minister Scott Morrison implemented a wage freeze for all Commonwealth public servants.
Even across the ditch in New Zealand, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern took a 20 per cent pay cut back in April – a smart move to win votes before their upcoming federal election.
Frontline workers on taxpayer-funded salaries of course should not be hit by pay cuts, but how those running this disastrous handling of the pandemic get pay increases defies belief.
Right now, many Victorians are at breaking point – both economically and mentally – so it’s bollocks if you think “we’re all in this together”.
We are not.
Sophie Elsworth is News Corp’s national personal finance writer.