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John Howard will reverse superannuation changes inspired by former Labor leader Mark Latham. (File photo) (Lateline)
Howard announces super changes for MPs
The Prime Minister has announced that politicians' superannuation will be boosted to undo the changes inspired by the former Labor leader, Mark Latham.
The Government cut the superannuation rate for newly-elected politicians when Mark Latham announced that Labor supported the idea.
John Howard has now announced politicians affected by that cut will have their super lifted from 9 per cent to 15.4 per cent.
He says Kim Beazley has already agreed to the change.
Mr Howard says it is easy to criticise any change to MPs entitlements, but he argues this is a necessary move.
"I do not believe that the great bulk of members of Parliament in this place are overpaid, I think most people who come into this place come in with a sincere commitment to serve the people of Australia according to their philosophy, I believe that if we continue to take the populist route on this issue we will trash the gene pool of potential entrants to this Parliament," he said.
Politicians elected before 2004 are still eligible for a life-long tax-free pension if they have served more than two terms.
Federal Independent Peter Andren has attacked the planned increase in entitlements.
Mr Andren says the changes separate politicians from the rest of the community.
"Like most Australian wage earners out there in voter land, I'm wondering to why a similar arrangement for an increase in the employer contribution to super can't be made on behalf of all Australians," he said.
The Australian Democrats say the new superannuation rules are acceptable because they are in line with community standards.
But the Democrats leader, Lyn Allison, says it is not fair that politicians elected before 2004 still have a much more generous super scheme.
"The fact that there was no gesture whatsoever to haul back the entitlements which are simply out of whack with community standards and make people very angry I think that parliamentarians were self-serving in so far as their retirement entitlements," she said.
She says all MPs should be on the new lower level.
"We would support the entitlements being changed for all existing parliamentarians," she said.
"It is still a very generous entitlement even with the changes and so we would oppose any further benefits being provided."
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The Federal Opposition says new politicians may have a good case for an increase in their employer-funded superannuation.
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Two years ago the Prime Minister reduced the notorious generosity of the political super scheme, under pressure from the then Labor leader, Mark Latham. Now many in both Government and Opposition ranks are considering a return to the old order, where the one thing both sides could agree on, was when it came to voting themselves more money.
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So what about the rest of us? It's ok tho, they asked us first. |
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