Former PMs Travel
March 30th, 2006 at 6:43 am by David FarrarThe NZ Herald has done a story on how much travel has been done by former PMs at taxpayer’s expense – which is a fair enough story.
However taking the $10,000 air travel costs for one former PM and equating it to 38 full-cost flexi fares is somewhat silly as it is comparing it to 38 one way fares. Now who actually flys one way from Auckland to Wellington? I mean do you walk back to Auckland? The better comparison would be to 19 return fares as this is what 98% of travellers do.
No tag for this post.
March 30th, 2006 at 8:08 am
I do not know why former PMs need to get these perks especially the self drive car. I accept a former PM has international contacts of use to this country and by a fine margin I can see value is giving them annually an equivalent round the world fare (1st class) and their spouse and two or three business class trips around the pacific and Australia for the purpose of maintaining these contacts. I will even allow an expense and accomodation allowance for a period of 10 years after leaving office. But that is it. And maybe an office/secretary for 10 years as well. In other words the international contacts are of value for this country and some post office assistance in maintaining those contacts is of value.
Vote:March 30th, 2006 at 8:16 am
I disagree Tim. I don’t have any problem with former Prime Ministers being entitled to perks like heavily discounted travel and a self-drive car. It’s only if others (like family members) are directly benefitting from the ex PM’s perks that we should be concerned.
Vote:March 30th, 2006 at 8:23 am
No. When MP
Vote:March 30th, 2006 at 8:39 am
Good luck finding people of decent calibre and leadership skills to go into politics if there are no perks associated with the job. If you want to attract people with business or industrial experience, educated people or those who would otherwise be worth good money in the private sector, how do you intend to compensate them for years of public service which would be comparatively unrewarding from a financial perspective?
Couple that with the increased scrutiny on people’s backgrounds and invasions into privacy (which I guess is now part and parcel of NZ politics) you’ll be lucky to find anyone keen to go into politics except the self-made and those who consider a political career to be financially rewarding, such as those on low incomes to begin with.
Vote:March 30th, 2006 at 10:19 am
Looks like the two former National PMs are outspending taxpayers’ money by a country mile, compared to the two former Labour PMs.
Vote:March 30th, 2006 at 10:43 am
I think part of it is so we don’t look like a banana republic. What would the other world leaders think if they saw Jim Bolger driving around in a beatup old LandRover, or found former NZ PMs couldn’t afford to fly to Eurip?
I don’t have a problems with it. At least in NZ they don’t need to be accompanied by 20 security agents for the rest of their lives.
There’s also an upside to the Herald article – the Transport Minister dinged his taxpayer funded car. I can already hear the howls of outrage from the right.
Vote:March 30th, 2006 at 10:57 am
I see it’s only part of the story. Domestic travel and perks only, how about we know what their international travel and accomodationis as well.
Vote:And Jenny Shipley based in auckland, how nice just what we needed. Another South Island bleeter, who don’t like Aucklanders and then move here.
About time we introduced a passport especially for bleeting South Islander, and may be a visa permitting stays of no more than 7 Days.
It would be intriguing to Know how many South Islanders we have up here.Just think, if we deported them all back to the SI, less congestion on our motorways, cheaper house prices, to mention a couple.
March 30th, 2006 at 12:06 pm
Andrew, whats outrageous, if you want to get outraged over this, is that a Labour PM who held the office of PM for only 7 weeks (Mike Moore) is spending as much as he does on travel compared to Bolger who had the role for 7+ years.
Now, I personally don’t begrduge either Bolger or Moore their perks, but if you want to get outraged, it would appear that on a term served basis, Moore is rorting the system for all its worth!
As for JohnD’s comments, what on earth is wrong with Jenny Shipley living in Auckland? And who ever said she was a bleeter from the South Island? Perhaps its you who should spend some time in the deep south?
Vote:March 30th, 2006 at 1:48 pm
I’m with Aaron and Ben on this – PMs can and do provide continuing public service (and should be expect to provide continuing public service) and should therefore receive some ongoing support. Bolger’s contributions are partly remunerated by the organisations that he works for but his contribution generally is very significant and the price of a car seems more than reasoanble. I don’t in fact know what Shipley’s doing but she’s still a young woman and you’d hope she’d continue to be engaged for some time. Moore’s recent appointments speak for themselves. Lange’s public roles were significant and extensive for as long as his health permitted.
Vote:March 30th, 2006 at 2:03 pm
Aaron, I’m actually not that outraged. Just making an observation. Your point is an interesting one, and one that hadn’t escaped my notice. However, calculating it as dollar per month in office is irrelevant I think.
I was pointing out to those who complain about the hard-working tax payer, that those ex-PMs from the right don’t seem all that concerned about the tax payer when it comes to their own pockets. Lets face it, we expect it from those on the left, don’t we? But from the right, heavens no!
Vote:March 30th, 2006 at 2:20 pm
Andrew, I thought it was self evident that I was being even handed in my assessment of ex-PMs.
As for the hard working taxpayer, I think that many taxpayers want to see good value from their politicians, rather than penny-pinching and miserly behaviour. Some of course will find solace in the knee-jerkery of “all politicians are greedy bastards” but some will actually recognise and even admire what some politicians do, and ensure that they are compensated for some of the sacrifices they make – many of which can’t be measured in dollars (like time away from the family, intrusion into personal lives, mindless abuse from hostile protesters etc)
As for the concerns towards costs by ex PMs, I would expect them to show respect and not contempt for the ongoing entitlements from high office, regardless of their political hue.
Vote:March 30th, 2006 at 2:25 pm
Aaron, then we agree.
Vote:March 30th, 2006 at 4:19 pm
I agree with Fred. The perks may have had some justification when the rewards were low and the posts involved a degree of Public Service, but these posts have had massive salary and expense increases for decades. Bolger at least served for about nine years but the rest of them never even held the post for one term. It is difficult to imagine how Bolger ever got his feet on the ground if we assume as seems reasonable that he would have limitless travel perks as CEO of the Post Office, and access to chauffeur driven cars there as well.
Vote:March 30th, 2006 at 4:31 pm
My point is politicians are quite well paid in Office in this country certainly above average and Prime Ministers even more so..That includes a superannuation. So I see little need for on going tax payer expense AFTER they leave parliament. The only justifiable exception to this is a PM gains international contacts of value to this country. And for a finite period some assistance in maintaining those costs post office is of value to the tax payer. Of course the ex PM may be able to eventually get some commercial value out of those contacts which is why I favour the assistance for a finite period. If there is no commerical value in them then they pprobably have limted value to the taxpayer after a period.
Vote:March 30th, 2006 at 9:27 pm
One forgets that Bolger has been suckling away at the taxpayers expense for a long time now.
Vote:March 31st, 2006 at 3:49 am
Chauffer driven cars at NZ Post ?. You must be kidding. The last time I met the CEO of NZ Post, he was driven by the Corporate General manager in a hired car .
Vote: