Release: Pollie Farewell Perks Need Reform

The Australian Taxpayers’ Alliance, a 75,000+ member grassroots advocacy group representing the nation’s taxpayers, today called for reform to exorbitant 'farewell' payouts to retiring politicians, with at least 20 payments of up to $103,000 going out to failed politicians after the May 2019 election.

"While severance payouts or 'resettlement allowances' are commonplace in the private and civil sector for workers made redundant for no fault of their own, the current payouts for politicians are overly generous and unjustifiable." said Satya Marar, ATA Director of Policy.

"Many of these politicians are wealthy, high net-worth individuals or investors who can get along just fine without a resettlement payment. Many have lucrative private sector careers or even media gigs lined up soon after leaving office.

"Unlike ordinary workers who could find themselves made redundant without warning as the circumstances of their employer change, politicians also know well ahead of time that losing their seat is a realistic possibility in every election.

"It's a struggle to think of any possible reason why they would deserve a consolation prize for losing an election of up to half their generous $200,000+ base salary, that too when workers across the nation are losing up to nearly half their income in taxes used to fund these payouts.

"These 2006-era entitlements must be reconsidered and scaled back at a time of persistently high government spending and mounting levels of public debt. Hardworking Australian taxpayers and our families simply can't afford it."