The news that Anthony Albanese and other federal politicians are set to get a pay rise amid the cost of living crisis has not gone down well with some Aussies.
It was announced earlier this week that members of federal parliament will have their pay packets boosted by four per cent in September, after a decision by the independent Remuneration Tribunal.
It’s the largest pay increase politicians have received in a decade, and it will see the base salary for an MP rise to $225,742.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who understandably is the highest paid MP, will see his pay increase from $564,356 to $586,930.
news.com.au hit the streets of Sydney to ask members of the public how they felt about the PM’s $22,000 pay rise.
“It’s too much,” one woman said. “How do you justify all of that?”
Another person was more understanding, telling news.com.au: “I actually think that’s relatively low for what they do as a job.”
Despite the pay bump, the Australian PM is still far from the world’s best paid leader.
That honour belongs to Singapore’s Prime Minister who gets paid $A2.5 million each year.
Next on the list is the head of the Government of Hong Kong, whose title is ‘Chief Executive of Hong Kong’.
They get paid $A1.04 million each year.
In third place is the president of Switzerland who is paid $A781,937, and in fourth place is the US president who takes home $A616,000 each year.