❓ Opposition questions the Premier on broken promise of wage freeze for senior public servants, citing significant pay rises for CEOs of Synergy and Horizon Power while frontline workers received minimal increases. Premier defends actions taken to address inherited financial situation.
AnsweredQoN 696Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
SENIOR EXECUTIVE SERVICE
— WAGE FREEZE
696. Dr M.D. NAHAN to the Premier:
Before I ask my question, I welcome
the staff and year 6 students from Frederick Irwin Anglican Primary School in
the member for Dawesville's electorate.
I refer to the Premier's
media statement of May 2017, shortly after winning government, that stated that
the state's highest paid employees would have their pay frozen for the
next four years, while frontline staff would receive a $1 000-a-year increase.
Can the Premier confirm that he has failed to deliver on his promise, given
that the annual reports tabled today highlight that the chief executive officer
of Synergy received a $29 000 pay rise last financial year, which is 29 times
the pay rise offered to teachers, police officers and nurses; and, secondly,
that the CEO of Horizon Power received a pay rise of $86 000 last financial
year, which is 86 times the increase given to frontline workers?
— WAGE FREEZE
696. Dr M.D. NAHAN to the Premier:
Before I ask my question, I welcome
the staff and year 6 students from Frederick Irwin Anglican Primary School in
the member for Dawesville's electorate.
I refer to the Premier's
media statement of May 2017, shortly after winning government, that stated that
the state's highest paid employees would have their pay frozen for the
next four years, while frontline staff would receive a $1 000-a-year increase.
Can the Premier confirm that he has failed to deliver on his promise, given
that the annual reports tabled today highlight that the chief executive officer
of Synergy received a $29 000 pay rise last financial year, which is 29 times
the pay rise offered to teachers, police officers and nurses; and, secondly,
that the CEO of Horizon Power received a pay rise of $86 000 last financial
year, which is 86 times the increase given to frontline workers?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the Leader of the Opposition
for the question. On behalf of the member for Baldivis, I welcome year 11 students
from South Coast Baptist College, which is quite close to my electorate, who
have come here to Parliament today. Before answering the question, I also wish
the West Coast Eagles all the best on Saturday!
The SPEAKER : Point of order,
Premier—you have not mentioned Collingwood yet!
Mr M. McGOWAN : On behalf of all Western Australians, I
wish the West Coast Eagles all the best on Saturday against Melbourne. Mr
Speaker, I am sure that many of us here will be supporting Richmond tomorrow
night! I also acknowledge the Subiaco–West Perth game on Sunday. Good
luck to both teams. I thank the Minister for Sport and Recreation, who has
brokered a deal to allow the colts, the reserves and the league teams to play
at Optus Stadium on the day of the grand final. Well done to the Minister for
Sport and Recreation!
When we were elected to government,
we obviously inherited a very difficult financial situation and we decided to
take a range of measures to deal with that. One of the measures we resolved was
to freeze the pay of senior public servants across government and members of
Parliament. We also put in a $1 000 pay policy for those people who work in the
broader public sector, the general government sector of the public sector, to
ensure that they were contributing to the financial situation that we
inherited. We have put that in place; that is in place. We have done what we
committed to do.
for the question. On behalf of the member for Baldivis, I welcome year 11 students
from South Coast Baptist College, which is quite close to my electorate, who
have come here to Parliament today. Before answering the question, I also wish
the West Coast Eagles all the best on Saturday!
The SPEAKER : Point of order,
Premier—you have not mentioned Collingwood yet!
Mr M. McGOWAN : On behalf of all Western Australians, I
wish the West Coast Eagles all the best on Saturday against Melbourne. Mr
Speaker, I am sure that many of us here will be supporting Richmond tomorrow
night! I also acknowledge the Subiaco–West Perth game on Sunday. Good
luck to both teams. I thank the Minister for Sport and Recreation, who has
brokered a deal to allow the colts, the reserves and the league teams to play
at Optus Stadium on the day of the grand final. Well done to the Minister for
Sport and Recreation!
When we were elected to government,
we obviously inherited a very difficult financial situation and we decided to
take a range of measures to deal with that. One of the measures we resolved was
to freeze the pay of senior public servants across government and members of
Parliament. We also put in a $1 000 pay policy for those people who work in the
broader public sector, the general government sector of the public sector, to
ensure that they were contributing to the financial situation that we
inherited. We have put that in place; that is in place. We have done what we
committed to do.
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