Public Sector Executives

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (15:10): My question is to the Treasurer. Can the Treasurer indicate whether the government has made any decisions about wage increases for Public Service executives?

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (15:11): I had some recent media queries in relation to this particular issue and I am happy to place on the record the government's position in terms of salary increases for Public Service executives. As members will be aware, the government has settled a significant number of enterprise agreements for tens of thousands of public sector workers over the last 18 months—nurses, police, teachers and many other occupational groups within the public sector. Generally, the government has settled those public sector wage increases at a level somewhere between 1.2 per cent at the low end to around about 2 per cent at the high end.

Three occupational groups did not receive any salary increase last July—I suspect you might be aware of this. One of them was members of parliament, the second was public sector executives and the third was contract employees within ministerial offices, or ministerial advisers. I acknowledge and place on the record that, whilst there was no increase for public sector executives last year, the government is determined that from 1 July this year there will be a 1.5 per cent increase for public sector executives and, as is the convention under the former government and continued under this government, that 1.5 per cent salary increase will flow through to that group of employees known as ministerial advisers.

I can't advise you, Mr President, of the situation in relation to members of parliament because, as you are aware, salaries of state members of parliament are tied ultimately to an independent decision taken at the federal level in relation to salaries paid to federal members of parliament by a decision of the Remuneration Tribunal at the national level. Insofar as the state government has power to make decisions, there will be, as I said, a salary increase of 1.5 per cent, which is at the lower end of that continuum, for a group of employees who won't have had a salary increase for two years.