Life Travel Gold Pass
How the Gold Pass Works
The entitlement an eligible MP receives can be summarised as:
· An entitlement to a cap of 25 domestic return trips annually for former eligible parliamentarians during their lifetime
· Travel to be "not for a commercial purpose"
· Travel is by scheduled air, rail, bus, tram, ferry or vehicular service or on a combination of these scheduled services
· Travel is at the class determined for serving parliamentarians, currently First or Business Class. The Remuneration Tribunal determines the class of travel for serving parliamentarians
· Accrued Frequent Flyer Points to be used to offset future travel in line with government policy. Any Points used in this way will "count" against the entitlement cap
· Serving parliamentarians who become eligible for a Life Gold Pass, shall have it suspended until they retire from Parliament
· The "legally married husband…or wife" of a Life Gold Pass holder is entitled to a cap of 25 domestic return trips. Each trip must be for the purpose of "accompanying or joining" the Pass holder
· Spouses of deceased Life Gold Pass Holders are entitled to First or Business Class travel over 2 years as follows:
– A maximum of 10 domestic return trips in the first 12 months after a Pass Holder's death
– A maximum of 5 domestic return trips in the following 12 months
For those Politicians that are not eleigible for a Gold Pass they receive a Severance Travel allowance as follows:
Entitlement Maximum return trips PA
Service in 1 Parliament Travel for 6 months 12 return trips
Service in 2 Parliaments Travel for 1 year 25 return trips
Service in 3 Parliaments Travel for 2 years 25 return trips
Service in 4 Parliaments Travel for 3 years 25 return trips
Service in 5 Parliaments Travel for 4 years 25 return trips
Service in 6 Parliaments Travel for 5 years 25 return trips
– Severance Travel is for "non-commercial" purposes only and does not extend to spouses.
– Frequent Flyer Points accrued through Severance Travel should be used, wherever possible and practical, to cover the cost of future Severance Travel.
– Broken service will be accumulated. Where a severance traveller has used the entitlement and is then re-elected, any future entitlement will be reduced by the amount utilised.
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With an increasing number of retired politicians finding lucrative work as high paid consultants in Australia and internationally, it is plainly unnecessary for retired politicians to receive such generous benefits.
My Private Members Bill is a solid first step aimed at derailing the retired politicians gravy train.
A large number of retired politicians and their spouses receive free travel including business or first class airfares as well as the government limousine service Comcar paid for by the Australian taxpayer well after they cease their work as politicians.
This rort arises through both the Life Gold Pass for long serving politicians and often excessive severance travel benefits for those retired politicians and their spouses that are not eligible for a Life Gold Pass.
Departent of Finance and Administration Reports indicate that in the 6 month period between July to December 2002:
- Over $434,000.00 was spent on free travel for retired politicians and their spouses that hold life gold travel passes.
- Over $71,000.00 was spent on free travel for retired politicians and their spouses that are not eligible to hold life gold travel passes.
- Over $64,000.00 was spent on free travel, private plated vehicles and Comcar expenses for ex Prime ministers.
As these figures show, retired politicians and their spouses help themselves to over $1 million dollars per year worth of business and first class travel and limousines in addition to their plainly massive superannuation payments.
It seems remarkable that the principle of user pays is championed by both the ALP and Coalition on a routine basis, however when it comes to self interest, the principle is forgotten in its entirety.
As I am sure you will agree, our schools, health care system and other essential government services could certainly be better funded, so this inequitable and elitist state of affairs is in dire need of rectification.
That is why I tabled my Abolition of the Gold Travel Pass for Former Politicians (Reflecting Community Standards) Private Member’s Bill 2003 seconded by the Independent Member for Calare Peter Andren MP on Monday 18 August 2003 in the Federal Parliament.
In essence, my Bill abolishes the Gold Travel Pass rort, and replaces it with a fairer and cheaper system that
· Gives retired politicians only one return journey to clear out their parliamentary offices
· Makes all frequent flyer points that a politician earns in the completion of parliamentary work the property of the Commonwealth.
· In the interests of civic duty, provides all ex prime Ministers with a $2000.00 per year travel allowance.
I look forward to seeing if the other politicians can support my Bill or if their self-interest will prevail
There is no doubt that a general reassessment of parliamentarian salaries and entitlements is called for in order to bring them more into line with community standards.
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