SAT chair Margaret Seares says fat cats got ‘structural adjustment’ not a pay rise

The head of WA’s independent salaries tribunal has defended a series of large pay rises for public sector fat cats, claiming the decision is a “structural adjustment”. Margaret Seares, the Salaries and Allowances Tribunal chair who signed off on pay rises of up to $50,000 for senior public servants, justified the decision, saying it was designed to bring remuneration in line with other States. The Sunday Times revealed the pay rises, made quietly at the start of February, was the second salary bump received in less than 12 months for the State’s highest-paid public servants. “We’ve regarded this more as a structural adjustment to try and just bring salaries more into parity on a national basis,” Professor Seares told ABC radio. “This was not done in the context of a pay increase. “When we do the pay increases, whether it be for the politicians, senior public servants, judiciary, we absolutely are required to take account of the state wages policy.” Under Treasurer Michael Barnes, Public Sector Commissioner Sharyn O’Neill, Premier and Cabinet director-general Emily Roper, Police Commissioner Col Blanch and Education boss Lisa Rodgers will all see their annual take-home pay skyrocket to almost $508,000 from March 1 — an increase of 8.5 per cent on their previous salary of $468,209. The biggest winner in the determination was Department of Fire and Emergency Services commissioner Darren Klemm, whose salary will increase a whopping $52,786, from $376,234 to more than $429,000. The move has infuriated unions, with United Firefighters Union secretary John Marsh saying his members had felt disappointed, after signing an agreement in November. Police Union president Paul Gale described the Commissioner’s 8.5 per cent pay rise as a “kick in the guts” to officers, who also accepted a 3 per cent wage rise last year. Professor Seares said she understood the backlash from West Australians over the scale of the increase. “I mean, in a past life, I’ve been in a position where I probably complained about the boss getting a greater salary,” she said. “But I have to say, in this role, you do get to see very closely what these senior directors general do and the responsibilities they have. They are responsible for the thousands of staff and the dollars that they have to manage that. “They’re the only ones who are ultimately responsible for all of those things and that puts a huge onus on those people. “Well, if you can go to the private sector, and not have to be such a big staff such a big dollar basis but still have a greater salary, why wouldn’t you do it.” Premier Roger Cook, who reiterated the tribunal’s independence from the government, said the salaries were designed to attract intrastate candidates. “(The tribunal) take a lot of things into account including the salaries and conditions of similar positions in other states, because we want to Western Australia to be a good place to attract these high-level public servants,” he said. “I do think public sector workers deserve a fair go and I do think particularly our frontline workers, our emergency workers need to be remunerated in the appropriate way. That’s why we’ve got our new public sector wages policy. “That’s why my government sits down with the unions and have good conversation conversations and make sure that we can get a good deal for everyone.”