I welcome the fact that the Upper House has today supported our legislation to ensure that Tasmanian parliamentary pay will now be determined at arm’s length from politicians by the independent umpire, the Tasmanian Industrial Commission.
This is a similar process to that undertaken by the Commonwealth, and most other States and Territories.
It is also important that the Legislative Council has agreed to the retention of a clause allowing both Houses of Parliament to disallow the TIC’s decision should it be regarded as being out of step with community expectation.
I accept that the issue of politicians' pay is never popular, but it is the Government's firm view, and that of both houses of Parliament that the best way to deal with this is to make it an entirely independent process.
Over the past week Labor and the Greens have played weak populist politics with this issue, and no doubt will into the future, but there can be no doubt that the decision the Parliament has taken this week to make this an independent process is the correct one.