AUSTRALIA’S SEVEN PARLIAMENTS

Hokitika Guardian, 7 December 1920, Page 3

AUSTRALIA’S SEVEN PARLIAMENTS

THE COST OF A LUXURY,

SYDNEY, Nov. 23 An Australian newspaper has been

making a comparison between the cost of the British Parliament, which directly governs 45,500,000 people, and indirectly looks after huge territories and populations abroad, and the Australian Parliaments, which guide the destinies of only 5,000,000 people. It is pointed out that where the British, people manage to rub along with one Parliament, Australia has seven, complete with Governors, reporting! staffs and Ushers of the Black Rod. f There are 680 members of the British j Upper House, who draw nothing m salaries. There are 258 members of the various Australian Upper Houses, a sufficient number of them drawing salaries to make up an annual salary bill of £450.000. There are 707 members of the House of Commons, with . salaries totalling £280,000. There are 388 members of the various popular Chambers in Australia their total salaries being £190,000. Cabinet Ministers in Britain receive about £IBO,OOO a year in salaries, and in Australia the seven Cabinets draw in salaries about £90,000. It 'costs £40,000 a year to maintain the New South Wales Parliament and its staff. ’ Add to that the salaries of members and Ministers, the maintenance of the State electoral machinery, the cost of the vice-regal establishment and various incidentals, and we nave an annual cost for the upkeep of tie New South Wales Parliament alone ot £150,000 at least. The Federal Parliament costs more, the Victorian Parliament about the same, and the tour other State Parliaments less. Thus the direct cost of the seven Parliaments runs well into seven figures. The indirect cost is far more than that. Each State maintains, absolutely independently, its own administrative machinery fpr all the, various public services, and the total cost of this must be enormous. The headquarters administration of the New South Wales Education Department, for instance, costs not less than £60,000 per annum-ami that machinery is more or less duplicated in every other State.