Best comedy is always played with a straight face, Julie’s Oscar deserving performance at the unveiling of the “Glorious Julie Bishop Foundation”.

It would be mean spirited to begrudge the latest pay rise for our Federal politicians. They work bloody hard. When they’re not using the pay rise to augment their portfolio of negatively geared investment properties, they’re up to their armpits receiving gifts from donors, lobbyists, and the big end of town. Some of these donors might even be Australians.

Proposed “Glorious Julie Bishop Foundation’ Poster to be displayed in all Coalition offices.

So it’s hard cheese for the donors of the ‘Glorious Julie Bishop Foundation’ to have any respect for the people they’re channelling money into if they’re paid a lowly salary. And Joe Hockey himself would have to repudiate his vision for Australian egalitarianism; ‘get a better paid job’, if he was awarded the pay packet of a menial, a pecksniff, or just another middle manager. These are tough times and we know at pcbycp that well-paid politicians are there because we get more bang for our buck. WE get truly great value. And it pays.

Lord Rupert, indicating just how much he pays politicians to do his work.

We were speaking to Rupert just the other day and he reminded us that now senior bureaucrats who do nothing at all except officiate, can get paid more highly then the PM. And it makes it increasingly difficult to offer cash incentives to get things done. And on top of all this is the widening inequity between politicians, and the departmental heads who alone get paid way beyond Prime Ministerial salaries, for running the post office, running employment schemes or doing non Governmental agency work like running charities and church organisations that pay absolutely no tax. They’re the heavy lifters, and politicians salaries are way out of wack.

So spare a thought. Though ordinary people’s wages haven’t risen in decades, the cost of living has gone through the roof. Spare a thought for power company executives, (whose salaries are incidentally over the top, but they deserve every bit) who rent-seek and send consumers broke. They all have expensive lifestyles to uphold, and the taxpayer must appreciate the sacrifices made, in order to achieve greater efficiencies.

A demonstration of bi-partisanship in Australian Politics. Sam Dastyari, reluctanty reveals gift given to him by the ‘Glorious Julie Bishop Foundation’.

To the general public it seems curious that we pay our politicians at all. Like Mr Robb, they can get 800 k per annum as a flunkey for just for signing a trade deal. There’s much more money to be won in lobbying for Chinese state owned enterprises if you can’t pay off the swimming pool the beach-house, and the Ferrari on a paltry 200k parliamentary salary. But there are offsets, by being a politician you keep a standard, and ensure that us, the electorate, know that the system is in satisfactory working condition.

Even the “Glorious Julie Bishop Foundation” understands this, and as Sam Dastyari will tell you, it pays to have your ear, or hands, pocket, suitcase, close to the ground. That’s what keeps politicians in touch with ordinary Australians. Some of them, even wander into very public places, (Banks for instance) to oversee their offshore investment accounts. It is here that they mix with ordinary people. It’s reassuring to know that the pillars of the Australian economic dream, (the banks) are in furious agreement. The politicians we elect should stay as far away from dangerous “progressive” policy as humanly possible. And work towards the goals WE all agree on.

More growth, low wages and lower taxes.

And freedom of choice.