Pollies, judges get 2pc wage rise

Federal politicians, judges and departmental secretaries will get another wage increase from July 1.

The salary of a Federal Court judge will increase to about $468,000, while the salary of High Court Chief Justice Susan Kiefel rises to about $608,000.

Scott Morrison’s salary will jump by more than $10,700 to $549,200 from July 1 after federal politicians, judges and departmental secretaries were handed a 2 per cent pay rise yesterday.

The rise, which follows 2 per cent adjustments in each of the past four years, will boost the salary­ of the Prime Minister’s departm­ental secretary, Martin Parkinson, by nearly $18,000 to more than $914,400.

The salary of a Federal Court judge will increase to about $468,000, while the salary of High Court Chief Justice Susan Kiefel rises to about $608,000.

Unveiling its annual salary adjustme­nt for public office holders, the Commonwealth Remun­eration Tribunal noted that wages for everyday earners were now rising.

“Wage growth has increased modestly over the past year, with reliable measures indicating private­ sector wage growth is now equalling or outpacing the public sector,” it said.

Private sector wages are increas­ing by 2.3 per cent a year, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ wage price index for the March quarter, and infla­tion is running at 1.3 per cent.

The adjustment boosts Josh Frydenberg’s salary by $7766 to about $396,000, while other cabin­et ministers get a $7144 pay rise, lifting their salaries to about $364,400.

Federal backbenchers scored a $4142 rise, boosting their pay packets to $211,000.

The full-time average adult wage is about $1604 a week, or about $83,450 a year, while the Fair Work Commission handed down a minimum wage rise of about 3 per cent in its latest ­decision, lifting the safety net wage from $719.20 to $740.80 a week.

 

The tribunal said its focus was to provide “competitive and ­­eq­uitable remuneration that is appropriate to the responsibilities and experience required of the roles, and that is sufficient to attract and retain people of calibre”.

“The tribunal recognises that, in addition to the level of remunera­tion for public officeholders, there are other benefits in working in roles that are at the leading edge of delivering policy outcomes and services on a range of matters that directly benefit the public,” it said.

It noted policy changes had provided greater scrutiny of executive pay rises in the private sector, while private sector incentive­s packages were also being regularly challenged by shareholders.

The remuneration tribunal said it had also considered wages policies in both the state and ­territory public sectors, which had “shown restraint”, with increases ranging from 1.5 per cent to 2.5 per cent.