How Out Of Touch Are Australian Politicians?

The everyday Aussie battler gets 9% superannuation contributions from his employer if he earns more than $400/mth. MPs on the other hand were getting up to 69% of their exhorbitant salaries put into a superannuation account on their behalf, by the more than generous Australian taxpayer, until a couple of years ago when it was agreed that new Members of Parliament should only be paid the 9% that ordinary Australians received. Fair enough.

But wait. Common sense and a common sense of deceny for their fellow Australians has once again deserted the Aussie pollies. They have decided, in a bipartisan approach, that new pollies should get 15% superannuation and if they are booted out after one term in office then they get a golden handshake of three months salary. I thought the Government was intent on providing pay increases for productivity gains. The way the system is set up is definitely in favour of the encumbant, in the form of pre-allocated spending allowances and money for every vote gained, and if they don't perform the taxpayer and electorate vote them out. What is this business of paying-off non-performers? Prime Minister John Howard says that without this money the gene pool for talented people wanting to enter parliament will diminish. What bulldust. Why pay people off whom Joe Public has lost faith in? If you're smart you'll make heaps more money in the private sector.

I'm a bit sick of this largesse. There is no safety for normal people who don't perform at their job, and rightfully so, but politicians should be treated no differently. At least they have some form of tenure, most likely between two and three years. Quite frankly it stinks.