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Long-term Blain MLA Terry Mills last NT politician to receive parliamentary pension

OUTGOING long-term Blain MLA Terry Mills will be the last NT politician eligible to get a parliamentary pension

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OUTGOING long-term Blain MLA and former chief minister Terry Mills will receive a parliamentary pension and will be the last NT politician eligible to get it.

The NT News can confirm Mr Mills is eligible for the pension though he quit parliament, was re-elected, and ultimately lost his seat in the bruising election last week.

The Legislative Assembly Members Pension Scheme was shut off to new members in May 2005, meaning no incoming politicians, including Chief Minister Michael Gunner and Goyder’s Kezia Purick, both of whom were elected in 2008, will receive a parliamentary pension.

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Mr Mills, who was elected in 1999, will receive the lifetime pension because he was elected on at least three occasions and far surpassed the minimum eight years of service. When he quit parliament in 2014, he was eligible for the pension then.

Territory Alliance Leader Terry Mills. Picture: GLENN CAMPBELL
Territory Alliance Leader Terry Mills. Picture: GLENN CAMPBELL

Upon being elected in 2016, Mr Mills’ pension was put on pause and now that he has lost his seat, the pension will resume.

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The parliamentary pension, according to the Commissioner of Superannuations’ most recent annual report, cost taxpayers $3.97m in 2018/19 and was expected to grow every year and hit $4.9m by 2030 before falling in 2036 due to the fact the lifetime pension paid to MLAs are transferred to their spouse or defacto partner upon their death.

In 2019 a total of 32 former MLAs, three spouses and two ex-spouses were receiving pensions, meaning the average payment was about $110,000.

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Original URL: https://www.ntnews.com.au/news/politics/longterm-blain-mla-terry-mills-last-nt-politician-to-receive-parliamentary-pension/news-story/b69bc286e0c2be2fc31314cd3d93bc80