Page 1542 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 17 May 1994
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Assembly Members - Staff Entitlements
MR DE DOMENICO: Madam Speaker, my question is addressed to the Chief Minister. Chief Minister, on 19 April last you said to this Assembly:
As far as I am aware, there is no proposal other than that Mr Berry should have the same entitlement as do other backbenchers.
Chief Minister, following your letter to the Speaker in which you announced that Mr Berry will in fact be allocated considerably more for his staff than other backbenchers are, I ask: What prompted your change of mind to ensure that Mr Berry is to be treated considerably better than other MLAs?
MS FOLLETT: Madam Speaker, following that statement which I made on 19 April - I repeat "following that statement" - I did in fact receive a proposal from Mr Berry addressing the matter of his staffing allocation. Madam Speaker, Mr De Domenico having raised the question, it gives me an opportunity to make a number of points about it. The first point that I would like to make is that a general review of the staffing allocation for backbenchers has been conducted by the Office of Public Sector Management. The results of that review, which I think have been conveyed to members, showed that the staffing for ACT backbenchers is at the top end of staffing allocations when compared to similar elected positions in the other States. In fact, our allocations are second only to those in New South Wales. Madam Speaker, the review that was conducted contained very little joy for backbench members of this Assembly.
I would also like to make a further point, Madam Speaker. There have been previous adjustments to staffing allocations. Those adjustments have been made over a period of many years now, but they have led to a situation where leaders of minor parties and Independents - that is, Mr Moore, Ms Szuty and Mr Stevenson - have an allocation of some $69,083, and other backbenchers get some $47,251. The allocation which I have made to Mr Berry falls between those two figures. That allocation, Madam Speaker, I have made on the basis that Mr Berry has additional responsibilities as Manager of Government Business, as Secretary to Cabinet and as Government Whip. Madam Speaker, I also point out that as Leader of the Opposition Mrs Carnell enjoys a salary allocation of $207,073. Were the Liberals to pool Mrs Carnell's allocation with the backbench allocations, they would find that on a per head basis their staffing allocation is, in fact, $73,888 - in effect, well in excess of the allocation for Independents and leaders of minor parties and well in excess of the allocation that I have made to Mr Berry.
Madam Speaker, when I wrote to you I also conveyed to you my agreement to provide you with an additional sum of money - from memory, some $46,000 - and to allow you to decide how that should be broken up. I allocated that additional money to you to respond to some requests which I had had about backbenchers in particular requiring relief arrangements while their staff were on holiday or sick leave. I await your advice, Madam Speaker, as to how you wish that money to be broken up. I made a further point.
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