Between late March and early September 2004 the Australian Remuneration Tribunal had all but finished topping up parliamentary remunerations for that particular year. By mid-September the country was weighing up those candidates who were standing for the 9th October 2004 federal election.
In October 2007 the Tribunal again increased Federal MPs’ wage and allowance packages and - in what could only be the wildest coincidence- by the start of November that year a federal election campaign was in full swing.
In May 2010 federal pollies were granted a healthy pay rise to take effect just in time for the August 2010 federal election campaign to kick off in earnest.
In June 2011 those same pollies’ pay packets grew fatter yet again with a base salary of $140,910, and now we find that an MP’s wallet will probably grow positively obese sometime during the first quarter of next year.
Which makes me wonder if we will see a general election called in early August 2013.
Because if meeja speculation on the size of the 2012 pay jump is close to the mark then there is unlikely to be a further major pay rise in the following year - so going to the polls at the earliest opportunity will not be seen by Government MPs as the chance of a pay increase missed.
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