The State Government will today move to urgently pass new laws to freeze the pay of Members of Parliament and the most senior bureaucrats for the next four years.
The Salaries and Allowances Amendment (Debt and Deficit Remediation) Bill 2017 will be declared urgent and debated in State Parliament this week, in an effort to save $16 million in the State Budget.
The pay freeze will be applied to the most senior members of government, including the Governor; all Members of Parliament including the Premier and Ministers; clerks and deputy clerks of the Legislative Council and Legislative Assembly; judicial office holders, including masters of the Supreme Court and magistrates; the Parliamentary Inspector of the Corruption and Crime Commission; and executive officers of Government Trading Enterprises.
The freeze will not impact on local government CEOs and councillors as remuneration for these positions has no impact on the State’s debt and deficit.
Premier Mark McGowan announced the pay freeze in May, as part of the McGowan Labor Government’s new wages policy for the public sector. The wages policy provides an increase of $1,000 per year for all other public sector workers, including police, nurses and teachers.