Opposition Member of Parliament and PAAC Chairman Mikael Phillips
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Mikael Phillips
By Warren Bertram
The Public Administration and Appropriations Committee (PAAC) is recommending that the salaries for Members of Parliament be made public.
The recommendation is outlined in its report on the Second Supplementary Estimates.
PAAC Chairman Mikael Phillips presented the report in the House of Representatives on Wednesday afternoon.
He said the committee believes the disclosure of the salaries of MPs and the methods by which these salaries are determined, will foster transparency.
Mr. Phillips said the committee also requested clarification on where parliamentarians would fall on the new public sector compensation scheme.
He argued that "it is unfair for members within the House not to be able to know the scale of where they're going to end up", whether they would be better off or worse off after the compensation review.
Mr. Phillips said MPs only had the word of the Finance Minister that they would be "better off" but he argued that "that can't carry to market or carry home".
The PAAC also recommended that people who work directly with Members of Parliament, such as drivers and secretaries, be adequately compensated under the government's new compensation system.
Mr. Phillips made the point that rural MPs often have to foot the bill for accommodations for their drivers whenever they have to attend meetings outside of the constituency.
The Standing Finance Committee of the House of Representatives approved the committee's report, following a brief deliberation.
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