The pay increases of up to 64 per cent – described by newspapers as a "Canberra goldrush" – were awarded to compensate MPs for extra workloads due to social network sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
Ms Gillard's salary will increase 31 per cent to about £320,000, while the Opposition leader, Tony Abbott, will get £228,000. Some shadow ministers will receive rises of up to 64 per cent, with salaries of £154,000, while ordinary back-benchers will receive about £120,000.
In contrast, Mr Cameron receives £142,500 a year and Mr Obama receives the equivalent of £255,000. The decision of the MPs to accept the rises prompted public outrage, with national unemployment rising despite the mining boom. The increases are more than 10 times the annual 3 per cent indexation handed to most earners. » | Jonathan Pearlman, in Sydney | Thursday, December 15, 2011
