Members of the Legislative Assembly have been granted a 3.25 per cent pay rise, meaning a back bencher's pay will rise by $6000 a year to $177,100.
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Chief Minister Andrew Barr is now paid $371,910 annually, up from $360,202.
The Deputy Chief Minister, Yvette Berry, will be paid $318,780 while Opposition Leader Elizabeth Lee is paid $301,070.
The head of the ACT public service, Kathy Leigh, will now be paid $434,014, while the Auditor-General will be paid $360,529 and the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly will be paid $283,230.
The independent ACT remuneration tribunal rolled the value of a motor vehicle allowance into the base pay for public service executives after the government took away an entitlement to an employer-provided car.
In a submission to the remuneration tribunal, the ACT government said it appreciated the important contributions and achievements of statutory office holders over the previous 12 months and pay increases for senior public servants were in line with the Commonwealth and other jurisdictions.
"It is the government's opinion that a measured increase to remuneration, allowances or enhancement of other entitlements for position holders in the Tribunal's jurisdiction would be appropriate," the government said.
The consumer price index in the ACT grew by 6.3 per cent in the year to the June quarter, while the wage price index had grown by 2.5 per cent in the same period.
The tribunal had awarded a 1.8 per cent pay rise last year after freezing pay levels in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Politicians received a 2.5 per cent pay rise in 2019 and senior public servants received a 4.7 per cent bump.
IN OTHER NEWS:
The growth in pay for politicians and senior public servants is likely to add pressure on the ACT government to deliver strong pay rises to public servants as part of enterprise bargaining negotiations this year.
ACT Labor members put the government on notice to deliver above-inflation wage growth at their annual conference last month. Party delegates passed motions calling for pay increases of at least 5.5 per cent a year.
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Jasper Lindell
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
