Pollies will cost $506m in 2015-16 — $2.2m per MP, largely driven by entitlements
We give our pollies an extraordinary amount of money in entitlements, writes economist and journalist Jason Murphy. Here's what else you could get for your money.
Federal
Aug 10, 2015
Politicians’ entitlements look extravagant in isolation — $12,000 for a trip to Uluru, $5000 for a trip to Geelong, etc — but it is not until you see the costs in aggregate that you get the sense this is more than a bit of frittering.
The federal Department of Finance administers the costs of our MPs. And the total figure is staggering.
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The YHA or Formule 1 isn’t good enough for them.
The “entitlement” binge has gone on for too long and has been pushed beyond all reasonable expectations of the public.
No wonder it was kept quiet (by both sides). The less the public know, the better,,, seems to be the way its been played over the years.
And now, hopefully, it may be cut back to a level accepted by the public, who, at least should want value for money.
Cartoon on “entitlement” topic . . . . .
https://cartoonmick.wordpress.com/editorial-political/#jp-carousel-963
Cheers
Mick
If you are speaking at a 3-day conference in Cairo and then take a week-long cruise up the Nile, the tax office will only allow the conference fees and accommodation as deductible expenses. Even the return airfares are divided pro rata, for example $2,000 X 3/10 = $600 deductible. Naturally, the same pro rata principle should apply to Politicians and their expenses, it applies to the rest of us.
One thing not mentioned in all the discussion about politician’s travel is that all Federal Politicians, on election receive a mystery black box present from Qantas. In it is the highly coveted Black membership card to the Chairman’s Lounge, Qantas’s exclusive invitation-only lounge for “leaders of industry and business”. This keeps them away from the riff-raff (have you ever seen a Federal Pollie in Qantas Club?), a place where they can hang out with each other, meet film stars, sporting elite and industry bosses and general avoid rubbing shoulders with ‘real Australians’.
One thing not mentioned in all the discussion about politician’s travel is that Federal Politicians, on election receive a mystery black box present from Qantas. In it is the highly coveted Black membership card to the Chairman’s Lounge, Qantas’s exclusive invitation-only lounge for “leaders of industry and business”. This keeps them away from the riff-raff (have you ever seen a Federal Pollie in Qantas Club?), a place where they can hang out with each other, meet film stars, sporting elite and industry bosses and general avoid rubbing shoulders with ‘real Australians’.
In my time as a party member (long ago!), all printing was done in a local Senator’s office.
I have just one question…as Politicians are ostensibly Federal Public Servants why do they not have the same restrictions as their lesser paid (apart from the higher levels) PS? Airfares I can live with but flying families business class and the use of limo’s, private aircraft and helicopters would never be allowed approved within the PS.
Also, where do the Greens rate on spending, or is it only the LibLab’s with their hands in the cookie jar?
Its seems Bronwyn Bishop (inadvertently) did something good after all.
Josh frydenburg is a hypocrite too, his wife double dipped.
If only the Crikey Cult could put aside their obsessions with trivial pursuit type inane comments about such things as alleged “double dipping”, they might just once play a positive role in helping bring about the easily understood effective changes that have been suggested for some time now; but this is Crikey Land isn’t it.