Federal pollies got 3% in 2013 and 3% in 2012. But they did get 28% in 2011.
So yes, both sides have received obscene rises.
It's not a good look for a government intent on cutting spending.
.....and that's all it might be....a look. Sells fantastic paper copy, but I wonder if any of it is true.
To the best of my knowledge Geoff, the 28% figure you quote was not a pay rise per se, but rather a straight swap.
The pollies agreed to completely scrap existing entitlements which were over and above their pay. Te value of those entitlements was calculated, scrapped as an add on and lumped into their existing pay.
Their take home pay remained the same, it did not rise by 28% at all.
Given the 35% figure quoted up in Qld by the article, I wouldn't be surprised at all to learn in the coming weeks that the same process has occurred at the state level. A bunch of existing entitlements are being scrapped, and replaced with the same amount in normal pay.
Of course, that story didn't sound sexy at all. It certainly didn't when the journalists wrote the articles initially at the federal level. Within days, the journalists had dropped the existing entitlement bit and just focussed on the "huge" pay rise. It went down with the public much better, with the resultant hue and outcry.
Why doesn't the OP dig a little deeper than a weblink and find out the full story and report back to all.