Jenny McAllister (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to sum up the debate on the Governor-General Amendment (Salary) Bill 2024. This bill continues a longstanding convention under successive governments that has been applied to the appointment of successive Governors-General. The practice has been to set the salary of the Governor-General by reference to the average salary of the Chief Justice of the High Court over the next five years. It has also been the practice that the salary of the Governor-General is adjusted to take into account any government funded pension that they may receive. This bill faithfully applies these precedents.

As my colleague the Minister for Women has noted, the Greens have circulated a second reading amendment. The government will be opposing this amendment. It contains a fundamental and consequential mistruth. The Governor-General is not receiving a 43 per cent pay increase. It is surprising that the Greens political party are suggesting that a female Governor-General should receive a lower salary than her male predecessor because she is not in receipt of a military pension. The argument made by the Greens is both disappointing and irresponsible.

I make the more general point that this is a narrow bill that is drafted to achieve a narrow legislative outcome and there are other opportunities to debate the other issues raised by the Greens in their amendment. The Greens amendment will do nothing to advance the pay of working people, nothing to progress a republic and nothing to progress towards truth-telling and reconciliation but would prevent the government from undertaking a constitutional obligation. So we won't be supporting their amendment. More generally I commend bill to the Senate and thank the senators for their contributions.