Yesterday, New Zealand’s prime minister Jacinda Ardern announced that she and other ministers would be taking a 20% pay cut over a six-month period to stand in solidarity with those impacted by the pandemic.
During a press conference, Ardern said ministers and public service CEOs would be taking the pay cut “as we acknowledge New Zealanders who are reliant on wage subsidies, taking pay cuts and losing their jobs as a result of COVID-19’s global pandemic.”
Ardern acknowledged that while the cuts “won’t shift the government’s fiscal position, it is about leadership.”
“If there were ever a time to close the gap between groups of people across New Zealand in different positions, it is now,” she added.
Across the Tasman Sea, it’s a different story. In a recent interview with Perth radio station 6PR, Australian prime minister Scott Morrison said there were no plans to cut the pay of himself, ministers or senior public servants.
“We’ve already said there won’t be any pay rises right across the public service and this is not something that’s currently before us,” he said. “It’s not something that’s being considered.”
While ScoMo noted that he has “people in the public service who are working like they’ve never worked before,” he didn’t mention anything about taking a cut to his personal salary or living expenses.
The Daily Mail reports that as of July 2019, the base salary of federal MPs is over $200K per annum – that’s before travel allowance and other entitlements come into play. Scott Morrison reportedly earns almost $550K a year, and the deputy PM and treasurer each earn between $390-$433K.
Speaking of Scotty from Marketing, hear about his recent COVID press conference blunder below:
An act of solidarity is what struggling Australians need right now. Clearly, Jacinda Ardern is paving the way with that in New Zealand, when will Scott Morrison step up in the same way?
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