Fed: Latham won't challenge Howard on super

AAP General News (Australia)
02-11-2004
Fed: Latham won't challenge Howard on super

CANBERRA, Feb 11 AAP - Opposition Leader Mark Latham says he won't challenge Prime
Minister John Howard to match his pledge to sacrifice his superannuation to bring it into
line with ordinary workers.

Mr Latham has outlined his plans to slash perks for retired politicians, judges and
governors-general and promised to forgo between $500,000 and $1.9 million of his own entitlements
by cutting the prime minister's super loading from 160 per cent to 72.5 per cent.

But he declined to challenge Mr Howard to follow suit.

"I'm setting my own standard," Mr Latham said.

He also flagged a wider crackdown on parliamentary freebies by establishing a special
backbench committee to consider benefits such as free lifetime travel for long-serving
MPs.

Mr Latham said super schemes for politicians, federal judges and governors-general
were seven times more generous than the one available to ordinary workers.

Closing the funds to new MPs after the next election would help restore public faith
in politicians, he said.

The change means senior government figures would still retire with an effective employer
contribution rate of 72 per cent, rather than the nine per cent that applies to ordinary
workers.

Mr Howard said if Labor was serious about tackling public cynicism, it would renegotiate
a windfall lease on a Canberra office block owned by the ALP.

The Australian National Audit Office pays $871 per square metre for office space in
the ALP-owned Centenary House, compared to $314 for sub-let offices in the same building.

Mr Howard said the lease was ripping off taxpayers by $36 million over 15 years.

"Just like that, the leader of the opposition tonight ... could ring up (ALP federal
secretary) Tim Gartrell and say `mate, renegotiate that lease, it's a rort and it's a
fraud on the Australian public'," he told parliament.

AAP mfh/tma/de

KEYWORD: SUPER DAYLEAD

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