PEANUTS AND MONKEYS

It’s a line trotted out for the defence every time the issue of politicians’ pay comes up.’ You pay peanuts you get monkeys.’ The problem is that they are not paid peanuts and we’re still inflicted with some monkeys like ‘shoot from the lip’ Wilson Tuckey and that homophobic, cretinous relic Senator Bill Heffernan.

His latest contribution to civil rights was to tell a gay activist ‘I don’t mind gay people I just want you to stop fucking the kids’. The fact that his fossilized brain can’t tell the difference between a homosexual and a paedophile – and that many child molesters are heterosexual married men--  doesn’t surprise me.

Also his main contribution to political debate in the Senate yesterday was to give the finger to Climate Minister Penny Wong. His obscene gesture may have been because of his disapproval of Government policy on ETS. But you are entitled to speculate that it is because Senator Wong is a lesbian.

But back to the main issue here of political pay. I know some of you, watching the childish antics in Parliament –and envious of the expensive junkets the pollies take and the generous super schemes they retire on -- think they are overpaid.  I don’t.

And I think it is wrong when the Prime Minister of this country gets paid less than a senior public servant. Less than a figurehead called the Governor General. Less than a High Court judge.

The PM gets $330,000 a year. Plus two homes. Two great homes. The Lodge and Kirribilli House. The Governor-General, Quentin Bryce, gets $394,000 a year. Plus two houses. Yarralumla in Canberra and Admiralty House in Sydney. Ms. Bryce is probably the most qualified GG we’ve had in years but should she get more than the Prime Minister?

The Chief Justice in the High Court gets even more. He gets $430,000. And you don’t even know his name. Robert French. And a senior department head in the Public Service gets even more: $450,000.  How can that be?

It is true there are a lot of perks associated with high office. First class VIP travel –even if you do sometimes make headlines for complaining about the meals – but both Prime Minister Rudd and Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull are millionaires.  They are not in it for the money.

They cannot and should not get the astronomical salaries paid in the commercial world. But I believe they should get more than all those others on the list.

© Copyright Derryn Hinch 2009