Page 528 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 20 March 1990
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for the time being. I will also be speaking with the Leader of the Opposition in relation to remuneration for that position about which the Remuneration Tribunal has made no determination either.
In the meantime, the determination, as far as it goes, will be effected as soon as possible. This determination will, I expect, put an end to speculation, principally in the media, about excessive salaries and perks of office for members. When the media and the public see this, they will
understand that there are no excessive salaries or perks emerging from this determination. Most members will continue to be paid less than an ASO8 in the public service, and the Chief Minister will receive about the same as an SES level 1 officer in the public service.
I suppose I could say that this is generally in line with the aims of this Government. We have decided that we must take some major decisions concerning cost savings in the public sector, and it cannot in future fairly be said, in my view, that the Assembly members are exempt from the philosophy of reduced cost and least cost. I suppose I could say that when members read the determination, it will remove the moral decision from Mr Stevenson as to what he would do with his pay rise.
Executive Deputies
MR WOOD: I refer the Chief Minister to a question that I asked on 20 February, still within our recent memory, concerning attendance of Executive Deputies and Ministers at ministerial council meetings. He answered:
They may, as all Ministers do -
that is, Ministers may, as all Ministers do -
take a departmental adviser with them or in some cases, if it is considered to be more appropriate because of the specialist advice that is available, they may take their Executive Deputy as an adviser. They are perfectly entitled to do this.
In some contrast, on 14 December Mr Kaine tabled in this Assembly a document titled "Guidelines for the relationship between Ministers (Executive Members) and Executive Deputies", which says in part that the Executive Deputy role would include "representing Ministers, when Ministers are unavailable, at ministerial councils". Will the Chief Minister acknowledge that on 20 February he misled the Assembly when he contradicted his earlier statement?
MR KAINE: No, Mr Wood - through you, Mr Speaker - I do not believe there is any contradiction there. Clearly, if a Minister is attending a council, he can take with him any
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