Inside Scott Morrison’s new life with slashed salary, loss of house, chefs, cars, after election loss
From a sizeable salary cut, to a slew of slashed free services, Saturday’s election result will have real world consequences for the Morrison family budget.
Scott Morrison is confronting his own cost of living crisis, with the former prime minister’s salary slashed from $550,000 to $211,250 and the loss of rent-free accommodation, free groceries, dry cleaning, a private VIP plane and a taxpayer-funded chef and chauffeur.
The election result will have real-world consequences for the Morrison family budget and is set to cost Mr Morrison nearly $1000 a day.
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Members of parliament are paid monthly on the last business day of the month. As prime minister, Mr Morrison could expect a monthly before-tax salary of $45,000 every month.
After tax, he could expect a lump sum of nearly $30,000 dumped in his bank account on the last business day of every month.
Mr Morrison can expect one final payment of that amount in a few days time to reflect his last month in the top job.
But everything will change in June, when the former prime minister’s salary will be slashed by more than $300,000.
After tax, Mr Morrison will receive about $12,000 a month in his bank account — a huge drop on his former salary.
As a backbencher, Mr Morrison’s salary will be less than half of what he earned as prime minister and treasurer.
He will lose access to the VIP RAAF jet and will need to board Qantas and Virgin planes for the first time since 2018.
The single-income family of four is also packing up their bags at the two taxpayer-funded residences where they have lived rent-free since 2018.
The Lodge in Canberra and Kirribilli House in Sydney come with four full-time staff including a senior chef and house attendants.
As a former prime minister, Mr Morrison is eligible to set up a CBD office when he leaves politics, which is staffed by the taxpayer.
According to friends and colleagues, he wants to stick around as the local member for Cook for at least a year before pursuing board opportunities.
Until he leaves politics, Mr Morrison will have to make do with a normal backbencher’s office, but is likely to secure some additional staff that is offered at the new Prime Minister’s discretion.
He may also be offered greater access to ComCar drivers to reflect his status as a former PM.
On election night, Mr Morrison said he accepted the verdict of voters.
“I’ve always believed in Australians and their judgment and I’ve always been prepared to accept their verdicts and tonight they have delivered their verdict, and I congratulate Anthony Albanese and the Labor Party and I wish him and his government all the very best,’’ Mr Morrison said.
“I as leader take responsibility for the wins and the losses, that is the burden and that is the responsibility of leadership.
“And as a result I will be handing over the leadership at the next party room meeting to ensure that the party can be taken forward under new leadership, which is the appropriate thing to do.”
On Sunday, the ex-PM wept at church as he revealed that the past four years had been “difficult.”
During the election Mr Morrison dubbed Anthony Albanese a “loose unit” for supporting a 5.1 per cent increase for minimum wage workers, a rise of just $1 for workers on $20.33 an hour.
He repeatedly warned it could add to “inflationary pressures”.
“Any potential support you might have got, and wages, will be clawed back in even higher interest rates and even higher inflation,’’ he said.
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