PEANUTS

I know the political adage. If you pay politicians peanuts—you get monkeys. And I agree with that. I actually think that the Prime Minister of Australia – any Prime Minister, Liberal or Labor – should be paid at least half a million dollars a year.

But that doesn’t preclude me from criticising the Government when they spend money on themselves like drunken sailors.

I mean, look at yesterday’s news. They are going to spend $250,000 for chairs for Cabinet ministers. A quarter of a million bucks for chairs! Gimme a break. I’m told the chairs will be so expensive because they have to be covered in sheepskin for the minister’s comfort.

It reminds me of the time when they spent something like $3000 for an ashtray in the new Parliament House in the 1980s.

And it gets worse. They are spending $2 million of YOUR money to fix the indoor pool at their gym. And how much are your annual gym fees? Non tax deductible.

Apparently they need to spend your money to improve the ventilation on their squash courts. Of course. Thank you, Jeeves.

They are spending nearly a million dollars to fix their Cabinet room which got flooded. And there’s nearly two hundred thousand for new shower walls and non-slip tiles in their gymnasium. And nearly

And they are spending a poultice to refurbish the Cabinet dining room. How many perks do these blokes need? Gold cards. Massive superannuation. Free air travel for life. How deep is the trough?

As I said: Pay politicians good money. Pay a Prime Minister half a million dollars a year. But some of the perks irk.

Maybe I am overly sensitive because it took me three year to cajole $300,000 from the Victorian Government to help build an education centre for kids with cerebral palsy. At the same time that a government is spending quarter of a million dollars for chairs for fat political arses. Not right. Not fair.

No wonder people despair and get disillusioned.

Tuesday, May 24, 2005

©Copyright Derryn Hinch 2005