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Sweeney Preston

Hang On, Exactly How Much Are We Paying Ex-PM Morrison Now He’s Been Booted Out?

The election’s over and Scott Morrison has officially been evicted from Kirribilli House (where the Australian PM lives when they’re in Sydney). But just because Scotty isn’t our nation’s leader anymore doesn’t mean he stops getting a THICC pay packet from the tax-payer. So how much are we payin’ this ex-PM? After conceding on election night, Scott Morrison announced he’ll be stepping down as leader of The Coalition (yay) but not quitting his job as a regular MP (booooo). As of 2019, the annual base salary of a member of the federal parliament in Australia is $211,250 as per Parliament House which is what Morrison will receive as long as he stays in parliament (provided he doesn’t become a shadow minister). Next, let’s check how much Scott Morrison was getting while he was STILL the PM. Earlier in May, the Australian Associated Press Morrison’s yearly salary was $549,250. Oh. My. God. Half a milly to sit on your ass and occasionally ? Sign me UP. Since being booted from the top job, Morrison’s salary has more than halved. Finally, some good news. Now, let’s discuss the parliamentary pension for when Morrison finally decided to exit. When Tony Abbot departed in 2019, the reported he would receive 6.5 per cent of the base parliamentary salary (now $211,250) for time spent as an MP and 6.5 per cent of the PM salary (now $549,250) multiplied by the years spent in each job respectively. This figure is then multiplied by 75 per cent of that total, giving a slightly smaller number. If we do some similar maths for Morrison for the time spent as a Minister, Prime Minister and regular MP, the total comes to about $200,000 annually. FYI, this is just my estimation. The real value could be different for a number of different reasons. Regardless, not bad for doing nothing all day. I guess it won’t be too different from his time as PM… Next, a little bit of history. At the beginning of the millennium, John Howard’s government legislated the to support the bougie lifestyle of ex MPs. Back when it was first introduced, all ex-MPs (and their partners) could cop 40 free domestic flights per year from the taxpayer! Over the years, the scheme has been wound down a bit. In its current state it allows all ex-PMs 30 free domestic trips per year but these have to be “of public benefit” according to Parliament House’s . No Scott, your booze cruise in the Gold Coast is not “of public benefit”. Sit down. The entire expense claims of every living Aussie PM are available to view via the Australian Government’s Independent Parliament Expenses Authority . It’s well worth a quick read. A few highlights are claiming $75,883 in “office facilities” (???). Apparently his computer is made from solid gold. Another is claiming $1,065 in “telecommunications”. I find this funny because Paul Keating is deffo the type of guy to refer to his phone as a “telecommunications device”. Once he eventually quits parliament, Morrison will also be able to claim these expenses. So there ya have it! Maths for the day = done.
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