❓ Opposition questions Premier about significant salary increases for ministerial staff amidst broader cost-saving measures. Premier defends increases as promotions and highlights overall reduction in ministerial staff compared to previous government.
AnsweredQoN 152Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
PREMIER'S STAFF — SALARIES
152. Mr M. McGOWAN to the Premier:
I refer to the amazing salary
increases issued to ministerial staffers, including a 52 per cent increase for
the Premier's director of government media, from $160 000 up to $245 000,
and a 33 per cent increase for the Premier's director of government
strategy, from $160 000 up to $213 000.
(1) How can the
Premier justify such significant pay increases when he and his Treasurer have
issued an edict to all directors general of government departments to find
large cost savings?
(2) With public
sector wage negotiations about to begin, can other public servants now expect a
52 per cent pay rise?
(3) How does the
Premier have any credibility in managing public sector pay increases when he
has rewarded his own personal staff with extravagant increases?
152. Mr M. McGOWAN to the Premier:
I refer to the amazing salary
increases issued to ministerial staffers, including a 52 per cent increase for
the Premier's director of government media, from $160 000 up to $245 000,
and a 33 per cent increase for the Premier's director of government
strategy, from $160 000 up to $213 000.
(1) How can the
Premier justify such significant pay increases when he and his Treasurer have
issued an edict to all directors general of government departments to find
large cost savings?
(2) With public
sector wage negotiations about to begin, can other public servants now expect a
52 per cent pay rise?
(3) How does the
Premier have any credibility in managing public sector pay increases when he
has rewarded his own personal staff with extravagant increases?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(3) There were a couple of instances of quite
large increases in salary.
Several members interjected.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
There were. The figures that were reported, however, are exaggerated, because
they fail to include some previous entitlements—in one case a car that
was no longer being used, and so on. However, nevertheless, I do not argue
that.
Mr M. McGowan : Why
did you not explain that on Friday?
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
Let me answer the question.
I think we do need to look at it in a couple of contexts.
First, in most situations relating to chiefs of staff principally, and some
media advisers, it was primarily an elevation to a higher category that brought
that about. In other cases, for contract staff —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Members!
Mr C.J. BARNETT : I
am happy to answer the question, but I am getting more interjections from
either side.
The increases were primarily by people being promoted, if you
like, or chiefs of staff in general across the board being put on a higher
classification. That is what happened.
But there is a wider context, and there is a very stark
difference between this government and the previous government in terms of
ministerial staff and media advisers, and I just want to place that on the
record. For a start, if we look at ministerial staff, there are 11 less right
now —
Ms M.M. Quirk :
Fewer. You were a Minister for Education.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
There are 11 less now than there were before the election. So the numbers have
dropped by 11 since the election. That is point number one.
The second point I would make is that compared to the
Carpenter government, five years ago now —
Several members interjected.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
No; it is relevant. There are 28 less ministerial staff now than there were
under the Carpenter government.
Several members interjected.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : I
do not think members opposite are interested in the answer.
The third point I would make, and probably the most
significant one, is that there is a change in the composition of ministerial
staff. The Labor government went out and made virtually all political
appointments. This government has progressively shifted to secondees of
permanent public servants. In terms of term-of-government or political
appointments, there are now 66 less people in ministerial staff than there were
under Labor. That is a major saving to the public—not extra people, but
using existing employed public servants.
The final point I would make is that because we have gotten
rid of the community liaison group and other things, the number of media
advisers in terms of ministerial staff and support is about half of what it was
under Labor. It is a halving of the number—sorry, Mr Speaker, a halving
of —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Members! We cannot hear the Premier's answer.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
Mr Speaker, I said ministerial advisers. I meant to say press advisers—media
officers. There has been a halving of the number of media officers, 66 less
term-of-government or political appointments, and 30 less staff in ministerial
offices overall.
Several members interjected.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
That is the truth. Members opposite may giggle, but that is the truth. They may
not comprehend it, but that is the truth.
In the context of that, yes, there are higher levels of
responsibility on chiefs of staff and some staff in my office.
Several members interjected.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
There is.
Can I also add that to the best of my knowledge, this is the
only government jurisdiction in Australia that actually releases details of
salaries of people in ministerial offices. Neither the commonwealth nor any
other state or territory government does it. There is no doubt that the
salaries of chiefs of staff had fallen behind that of chiefs of staff in other
states. I do not know why the Leader of the Opposition is protesting, because
he wrote to me on 4 April requesting an upgrade for his chief of staff to class
3. He did exactly what he is criticising us for.
large increases in salary.
Several members interjected.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
There were. The figures that were reported, however, are exaggerated, because
they fail to include some previous entitlements—in one case a car that
was no longer being used, and so on. However, nevertheless, I do not argue
that.
Mr M. McGowan : Why
did you not explain that on Friday?
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
Let me answer the question.
I think we do need to look at it in a couple of contexts.
First, in most situations relating to chiefs of staff principally, and some
media advisers, it was primarily an elevation to a higher category that brought
that about. In other cases, for contract staff —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Members!
Mr C.J. BARNETT : I
am happy to answer the question, but I am getting more interjections from
either side.
The increases were primarily by people being promoted, if you
like, or chiefs of staff in general across the board being put on a higher
classification. That is what happened.
But there is a wider context, and there is a very stark
difference between this government and the previous government in terms of
ministerial staff and media advisers, and I just want to place that on the
record. For a start, if we look at ministerial staff, there are 11 less right
now —
Ms M.M. Quirk :
Fewer. You were a Minister for Education.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
There are 11 less now than there were before the election. So the numbers have
dropped by 11 since the election. That is point number one.
The second point I would make is that compared to the
Carpenter government, five years ago now —
Several members interjected.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
No; it is relevant. There are 28 less ministerial staff now than there were
under the Carpenter government.
Several members interjected.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : I
do not think members opposite are interested in the answer.
The third point I would make, and probably the most
significant one, is that there is a change in the composition of ministerial
staff. The Labor government went out and made virtually all political
appointments. This government has progressively shifted to secondees of
permanent public servants. In terms of term-of-government or political
appointments, there are now 66 less people in ministerial staff than there were
under Labor. That is a major saving to the public—not extra people, but
using existing employed public servants.
The final point I would make is that because we have gotten
rid of the community liaison group and other things, the number of media
advisers in terms of ministerial staff and support is about half of what it was
under Labor. It is a halving of the number—sorry, Mr Speaker, a halving
of —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Members! We cannot hear the Premier's answer.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
Mr Speaker, I said ministerial advisers. I meant to say press advisers—media
officers. There has been a halving of the number of media officers, 66 less
term-of-government or political appointments, and 30 less staff in ministerial
offices overall.
Several members interjected.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
That is the truth. Members opposite may giggle, but that is the truth. They may
not comprehend it, but that is the truth.
In the context of that, yes, there are higher levels of
responsibility on chiefs of staff and some staff in my office.
Several members interjected.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
There is.
Can I also add that to the best of my knowledge, this is the
only government jurisdiction in Australia that actually releases details of
salaries of people in ministerial offices. Neither the commonwealth nor any
other state or territory government does it. There is no doubt that the
salaries of chiefs of staff had fallen behind that of chiefs of staff in other
states. I do not know why the Leader of the Opposition is protesting, because
he wrote to me on 4 April requesting an upgrade for his chief of staff to class
3. He did exactly what he is criticising us for.
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