Cypriot Australian Senator : Cut MP’s perks

As Australians brace themselves for a painful budget, Independent Senator Nick Xenophon has called for Federal Parliament to tighten its own belt and axe free travel and other entitlements for former MPs and prime ministers.

Senator Xenophon is encouraging the government to reduce entitlements – particularly the Life Gold Pass – which allows long-serving former politicians to take up to 10 free domestic business-class return flights a year – cost taxpayers $1.13 million in 2012-13, a sum which includes family travel costs.
Five former prime ministers – all of whom are now outside of Parliament and who receive much larger entitlements – claimed $973,000 in flights, car costs, office costs and other expenses over the same period.

With Australians being asked to pay more in tax and cuts in welfare, Nick Xenophon has said the Life Gold Pass travel perk – already unavailable to MPs who entered or re-entered Parliament after March 2012 – should be entirely scrapped in next month’s Federal Budget.

“This is a politically toxic entitlement that has to go,” Senator Xenophon told reporters. “It is just completely untenable that such a thing exists.”
Fellow Senator John Madigan has echoed Mr Xenophon’s statements, saying the pass was “ridiculous” and should be axed.

“I don’t think there are any other jobs where you continue to receive benefits once you have retired from the position,” Senator Madigan said.
Former minister Amanda Vanstone, who was a member of the Commission of Audit that identified a swathe of potential budget cuts this week, enjoyed nearly $15,000 worth of free travel in 2012-13.

According to Department of Finance figures, Ms Vanstone received 10 domestic flights for herself and nine for a family member.
Ms Vanstone is one of more than a hundred former parliamentarians who used the free travel pass that year.
MPs currently receive business class travel for electoral and official business and can be accompanied by their spouse.
Former PM Malcolm Fraser said reducing such entitlements was “tinkering around the edges” and while being politically popular, would contribute only a minuscule amount in budget savings.

In 2012-13 Mr Fraser was reimbursed from government coffers $240,000 – largely on office facilities.
“I believe I’ve used my entitlements constructively – they have allowed me to represent the Commonwealth, the UN and to write a book that I hope will spark some debate,” said the veteran Liberal PM.

John Howard is reported to be the top spending ex-prime minister with $319,000 in reimbursed expenses in 2012-13.
Senator Xenophon said that former prime ministers should be treated with respect, “but otherwise the rule should be: if you leave the job you leave the perks behind”.

Leave a Reply