Eureka! Politicians can determine their own salaries. Now there is no justification for the continued retention of the Higher Salaries Commission. It can be dispensed with. It also has been perceived by some as the old boy network looking after its mates.
It was originally established, asthe Remuneration Authority, because MPs felt embarrassed when voting themselves a pay rise. Being called upon to decide one's level of remuneration under the public eye had a sobering effect on profligate excesses. The new system ensures the politicians receive a regular increment, often perceived as being overly generous.
Extended to cover the Public Service, the Commission has likewise approved similar raises to the judiciary and local body politicians far beyond what mere mortals receive. Once upon a time, long ago, employment in the Public Service was almost a guarantee of a secure job, which compensated for a marginally smaller income.
The system has got way out of kilter, and apart from causing resentment, it has generated unnecessary increases in local authority rates for no good purpose. Further, after listening to parliamentary broadcasts, it is painfully evident that the calibre of personnel and the standard of debate offered by many members is abysmally deficient of what one is entitled to expect. A sinecure for the so-called elite?
Far from keeping parity with average wages, it has been a ratchet upping the ante for the more affluent in society, economic leap frog for the privileged. It is now opportune to abolish the Remuneration Authority and replace it with something like the Arbitration Court, that served the nation well so many years ago. Its prime consideration was whether the country could afford increases and ensured everybody benefited equally.
