Incoming Governor-General Sam Mostyn’s “close personal relationship with the Prime Minister” has drawn the ire Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie who would prefer “someone with a little more distance” from Anthony Albanese in the role.
Set to be sworn in on July 1 as Australia’s 28th Governor-General, Ms Mostyn’s appointment has copped scrutiny as she previously worked as a Labor staffer and has been a key proponent of social causes such as the Voice to Parliament during her time in the private sector.
Alongside this, her enormous annual salary of $709,017 – a 43 per cent increase from her predecessor’s $495,000 – has also come under the spotlight.
While the Coalition has not not taken issue with the eye-watering renumeration figure and has supported the government’s bill, Ms McKenzie put Ms Mostyn’s “very close personal” friendship with Mr Albanese under the spotlight.
“I think what I’m more concerned about is that our own representative of our Monarch here in Australia has a very close personal relationship with the Prime Minister,” Ms McKenzie told Sky News Australia’s Chris Kenny on Tuesday.
“I would like to have seen someone with a little more distance, given that she will be representing the Monarch’s interests here in Australia and needs to have a level of personal separation, I think, whereas she’s a very close personal friend of the Prime Minister.”
Kenny ran with Ms McKenzie’s concerns over the Governor-General appointment, taking aim at the Ms Mostyn’s exorbitant salary bump – more than double the average Australian salary.
“I think she’s a bad choice for a number of reasons,” he said.
“She’s also a Republican, but the idea of getting paid $700,000 when you’ve got a couple of houses and butlers and drivers and everything taken care of.
“I think most people in the country are – in a cost-of-living crisis – pretty angry about that.”
Despite Ms McKenzie taking no issue with Ms Mostyn’s hefty pay-packet, her Nationals counterpart Keith Pitt described the pay rise as “obscene and indefensible” amid current economic challenges.
“In the middle of a Labor-induced cost of living crisis, this pay rise is obscene and indefensible,” he said.
The incoming Governor-General’s salary also copped backlash from the Australian Republican Movement with its National Director Isaac Jeffrey lashing the enormous increase as many Aussies struggle to make ends meet.
“Aussies are suffering from a cost-of-living crisis,” Mr Jeffrey said in a statement on Monday.
“They’ll look at the government’s announcement of a 42 per cent pay rise for the next governor-general and question what they are getting for that investment.”
Assistant Public Service Minister Patrick Gorman defended the pay rise in parliament on Monday and said the salary would be in line with customary practice.
The governor-general salary has historically been determined by the salary of the Chief Justice of the High Court, which has been projected at $708,017 over the next five years.
Mr Gorman said: “What the government is putting forward is no different to what previous governments have put forward.”
The governor-general has the expectation of being apolitical as the King’s representative in Australia.
Labor will need to pass legislation through parliament to set the new wage.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has still not revealed his position on the salary debate.
The pay rise news comes after the Remuneration Tribunal announced a 3.5 per cent pay increase for federal politicians earlier this month.
After July 1, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will receive a base salary of $607,490 per year and Mr Dutton will earn $478,990.