Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I call the honourable member for Slipper.

Peter Slipper (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for stating that an electorate should be named after me.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Fisher; my apologies.

Peter Slipper (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Historically, one does not have an electorate named after one until one is deceased.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I did, but it got abolished.

Peter Slipper (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is no issue that is more contentious in our community than the remuneration of elected members of parliament. Over the years, as was indicated by the honourable member for Tangney, we as elected representatives have removed ourselves from the decision-making process. This means that our remuneration is determined by the independent umpire, who is able to take into account relevant matters on what is an appropriate level of remuneration.

The Prime Minister has announced a freeze on politicians’ salaries for a period of 12 months or thereabouts. The opposition is certainly not opposing this particular action by the government. I do, however, believe that it is dangerous when politicians start to involve themselves in the setting of their own salaries because it, therefore, becomes a precedent and next time the Remuneration Tribunal decides to increase remuneration for elected members it becomes extraordinarily difficult to say, ‘We have no part in this particular process.’

The figures I have seen, however, indicate that this action by the Prime Minister and the government is tokenistic at best. The amount of money that will be saved for the Australian community is only $1½ million or thereabouts.

Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Perrett interjecting

Peter Slipper (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for what he says. The point I am making is that the government should have gone beyond tokenism and should have brought in a freeze on all Public Service salaries for the same period. That would have shown real leadership and real restraint and would have given a message to the Australian community. To freeze politicians’ salaries alone in effect does not achieve what the government goes out to achieve. Freezing politicians’ salaries as part of a freeze on Public Service salaries would have been a much more appropriate way to go.

I believe that, for instance, our Prime Minister is not paid anywhere near enough. I am told that the Prime Minister of Singapore gets about $3 million and our Prime Minister gets about one-tenth of that. I believe that as a community we do not pay our senior ministers anywhere near enough but, having said that, if we are going to have a freeze, it would have been appropriate to have a freeze on all Public Service salaries, including the salaries of members of parliament. The government has set a dangerous precedent when you have politicians fiddling with their own remuneration.