WILL HODGMAN
Political staff costs must be reined in …
· More Labor minders set to join public pay roll
· Huge increase in staff predicted for Graeme Sturges
· Premier’s department has increased by one-third under Labor
The latest State Budget leak reveals a massive $463,000 increase in support next year in the lead up to the election for embattled Infrastructure Minister Graeme Sturges.
This follows David Bartlett rewarding himself with eleven more staff on becoming Premier than his predecessor Paul Lennon had.
The revelation of more highly paid staff to support Mr Sturges shows Labor is travelling true to form.
The Auditor-General has agreed to my request to make inquiries about how salaries of political staff are dealt with in other States, to see if an audit is warranted. I am very pleased he has agreed to do this, given the scandal over David Bartlett employing two chiefs of staff, and then shunting one of them off to a junior minister but at the same very high salary.
The last 10 years have seen a steady increase not only in ministerial staff, but in the size of the Department of Premier and Cabinet.
In 1998-99, the cost of ministerial political staff was $8.9M. Next financial year it is projected to almost double in cost to $15.5M.
Over the same period, the Premier’s own department has increased by more than 100 people – from 289 public servants to 392, as at 30 June 2008.
And now David Bartlett is proposing to add even more staff to support his hapless ministers.
These priorities are all wrong.
This burgeoning number of Labor minders continues, at the same time that essential services such as police, hospitals and schools are being told to rein in expenditure.
This Government has totally failed in leadership, and after more than ten years in office is now obsessed with its own staff and perks.
