FORMER prime ministers would have to win two elections in order to claim taxpayer-funded perks.
They would also lose those entitlements after 12 months, under a tough proposal from the man who smashed the political gravy train in Australia’s largest state.
News.com.au can also reveal that the tribunal which rules on politicians’ pay has been considering a new regime for former PMs for so long — more than five years — that it forgot it was considering it.
The high farce of political travel and other entitlements ignited debate once more this week, with breakaway conservative senator Cory Bernardi and his former Liberal colleague Ian Macdonald calling for prime ministers who had not served at least a full term to be denied the infamous “Life Gold Pass” travel entitlement of 10 free return business class trips a year.
This would deprive former PMs Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott — indeed, every prime minister since John Howard left office 10 years ago.
Senator Bernardi has suggested that this would stop rewarding PMs who had failed to serve a full term — a noble but perhaps slightly odd rationale, given that none of the PMs actually chose to be knifed.
Read more:
http://www.news.com.au/finance/work/leaders/win-two-elections-before-claiming-perks-says-former-nsw-premier/news-story/a58f717c3abc3ee3e6d2bc9681e5e3f9Something for our more fiscally minded members.
