PUNCH Magazine weekly

Issue 1

22nd October 2014 PUNCH Magazine
The Official Weekly humourous and satirical publication of The Whig Party

Want to save $4.5 Billion Dollars!? - immediately review the remuneration of past politicians who have now left parliament ( State and Federal)
With thanks to Al Taylor - and apologies to Gough Whitlam

Life was not meant to be easy

And then there were crumbs!!!! It sure is rough at the top these days!

Salaries of RETIRED Prime Minister and Politicians

Office Additional salary (%) Salary as of 1 July
Prime Minister 160 $507,338
Deputy Prime Minister 105 $400,016
Treasurer 87.5 $365,868
Leader of the Opposition 85.0 $360,990
House of Reps Speaker 75.0 $341,477
Leader of the House 75.0 $341,477
Minister in Cabinet 72.5 $336,599
Parliamentary secretary 25.0 $243,912
Other ministers 57.5 $307,329
Shadow minister 25.0 $243,912
Shadow minister 25.0 $243,912
Source: Remuneration Tribunal.

So if I press all the right buttons, the TOTAL annual wages for the 150 seats in the Parliament are:

Prime Minister $507,338
Deputy Prime Minister $400,016
Treasurer $365,868
Leader of the Opposition $360,990
House of Reps Speaker $341,477
Leader of the House $341,477
Minister in Cabinet $336,599
Parliamentary secretary $243,912
Other ministers* 307,329 x 71 = A$21,820,359
Shadow ministers* $243,912 x 71 = A$17,317,752

TOTAL annual wages for the 150 seats in the Parliament $41,694,311

Over 41 and a half million dollars PER YEAR! And that's just the Federal Politicians, no one else!
For the lifetime payment example (below) I used the scenario that:
1.They are paid lifetime salaries the same as their last working year and
2. After retiring, the average pollies life expectancy is an additional 20 years (which is not unreasonable).

It's worth remembering that this is EXCLUDING all their other perks!
SO, for a 20 years lifetime payment (excluding wages** paid while a Parliamentarian)

Prime Minister @ $507,338 = A$10,146,760
Deputy Prime Minister @ $400,016 = A$8,000,320
Treasurer @ $365,868 = A$7,317,360
Leader of the Opposition @ $360,990 = A$7,219,800
House of Reps Speaker @ $341,477 = A$6,829,540
Leader of the House @ $341,477 = A$6,829,540
Minister in Cabinet @ $336,599 = A$6,731,980
Parliamentary secretary @ $243,912 = A$4,782,240
Other ministers** @ $307,329 = A$6,146,580 x 71 = A$436,407,180
Shadow ministers** @ $243,912 = A$4,878,240 x 71 = A$346,355,040

Conclusions: TOTAL life time (20 year) payments, (excluding wages paid while in parliament) = A$833,886,220 - OVER 833 MILLION
Julia Gillard, Kevin Rudd, Paul Keating, Bob Hawke, et al, add nausea, are receiving 10 MILLION + EXTRA at taxpayer expense.
Should an elected PM serve 4 years (unlike Rudd & Gillard) and then decide to retire, each year (of the 4 years) will have cost taxpayers an EXTRA Two and a half million bucks a year! A$2,536,690 to be precise.
A 2 year retirement payment cut-off will save our Oz bottom line A$792,201,909*** A SAVING OF NEARLY 800 MILLION.

*There are 150 seats in House, minus the 8 above = 142 seats, divided equally for example = 71 each for both shadow and elected ministers.
**This example excludes all wages paid while a parliamentarian AND all perks on top of that - travel, hotels, Secretarial staff, speech writers, restaurants, offices, chauffeured limos, security, etc. etc.
*** 150 seats, 20-year payment of A$833,886,220 less annual salary x 2 years of A$83,388,622. [$41,694,311 x 2]

You're Right, you have found where the cuts should be made!
Action: Push for a MAX 2 year post retirement payment (give'em time to get a real job).
Spread it far and wide folks.
People should know.


Oh and reduce the proportion and number of government workers to manageable proportions say 20% of the workforce ( instead of the current 51%) and

QUOTE: Instead of giving a politician the keys to the city, it might be better to change the locks Doug Larson (English middle-distance runner who won gold medals at the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris, 1902-1981)

All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

PUNCH Magazine weekly
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With apologies to LONDON and his mate CHARIVARI


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