Prime Minister Julia Gillard鈥檚 is more than twice the of all Australian full-time or part-time employees, aged 15 years or over. More than half of all Australian workers have a yearly pay packet smaller than the PM鈥檚 expected pay rise.
The $40,000 pay rise expected for backbenchers will also be more than the total wage of many Australian workers.
Meanwhile, nurses, teachers, Qantas baggage handlers and other workers are battling to win pay rises that keep up with the cost of living.
Gillard鈥檚 new pay of $470,000 a year will be more than that of US President Barack Obama ($400,000) and British PM David Cameron ($221,000).
A for lavish pay rises for politicians is 鈥測ou get what you pay for鈥. It is the corporate CEOs use to justify their stupendous pay.
And the greedy pollies are always quick to point out that their pay lags way behind that of the CEO鈥檚 of the biggest 100 Australian companies.
The PM will get about 10 times the median income of all workers while top CEO鈥檚 pay packets are, on average, 45 times higher.
But the comparison between CEO pay and politician鈥檚 pay makes sense if you look at it from the point of view of the capitalist class, who count on the CEOs and the big party politicians to serve their narrow interests. For them, big politician pay rises are simply about buying loyalty to the corporate rich.
We are told we live in a democracy and that the politicians are our elected representatives. But that鈥檚 not true.
The capitalists fund the election campaigns of the major parties, use the mass media they own to 鈥渉elp鈥 us make a choice at the ballot box and then bribe the so-called representatives to serve their interest.
Real democracy is yet to be won in Australia, but 麻豆传媒 Weekly is one institution strongly committed to that objective. But we鈥檙e a people-powered organisation and we need your help to keep going.
If Gillard鈥檚 $90,000 pay rise was diverted to the 麻豆传媒 Fighting Fund it would take us comfortably over our $250,000 target. But that isn鈥檛 going to happen is it? So it is up to you, our readers and supporters, to get us there.
You can donate online today to the 麻豆传媒 Fighting Fund and help keep alive a voice for justice and democracy. Direct deposits can be made to Greenleft, Commonwealth Bank, BSB 062-006, Account No. 00901992. Otherwise, you can send a cheque or money order to PO Box 515, Broadway NSW 2007 or donate on the toll-free line at 1800 634 206 (within Australia).