Trips, A 4-wheel Drive Maybe: Mps Push For Perks

Sydney Morning Herald

Thursday October 26, 1989

By MICHAEL MILLETT

CANBERRA: The National Party whip, Mr Noel Hicks, would like a shiny new four-wheel-drive vehicle in his Christmas stocking.

The deputy National Party leader, Mr Lloyd, believes there is a good case for both him and his leader, Mr Blunt, to get a pay rise.

The Government whip in the Senate, Senator Jones, thinks he is underpaid compared with his counterpart in the House of Representatives.

And a number of back-benchers want their wives and families to be entitled to extra plane trips each year at taxpayers' expense.

Welcome to the Remuneration Tribunal's annual review of MPs' salaries and allowances.

These claims and others are now in the hands of the tribunal as it concludes its annual, unenviable task of deciding how to pay the nation's 240-odd Federal politicians, as well as senior bureaucrats and public sector executives.

With the Government thwarting at every turn efforts to lift substantially the salaries of our Federal representatives, attention this year is on allowances and perks.

The tribunal signalled last year that it was time for a big overhaul in this area and the MPs have risen to the challenge.

The submissions received indicate there is no shortage of anomalies which need addressing.

To be fair to Mr Hicks, his request avoids the me-tooism used to justify many of the claims.

The problems which have bedevilled the Member for Riverina-Darling as he tries to cover his western NSW electorate by car are well known.

Mr Hicks lost his wife in a car accident last year while returning from an electorate function. He has also been involved in a number of crashes and near-misses while traversing the backblocks - the frequency being such that he was banned for three years by one hire-car company.

In his submission to the tribunal, Mr Hicks said it was impossible to negotiate the muddy, slippery dirt roads in his electorate in a normal vehicle.

Something more robust would also survive collisions with emus and kangaroos.

Apparently, the kamikaze antics of these creatures present a constant hazard on the roads in the Riverina district.

Mr Hicks's persistence may pay off. Sources say he is likely to be granted his request in the report to be handed to the Federal Government within the next few weeks.

Mr Lloyd may not be so lucky. The deputy National Party leader wants the extra amount paid to his boss, Mr Blunt, by virtue of his office lifted from$11,369 to $17,054 a year, and his own position recognised with some extra remuneration.

A number of MPs have expressed dissatisfaction with the existing spouse entitlement, which allows the husband or wife of a member to fly to Canberra nine times a year at taxpayers' expense.