Tasmanian premier takes full 22pc pay rise after vowing to knock it back

Rockliff confirmed the shift on Wednesday, saying he and all other MPs were now paid at the rate set by the Tasmanian Industrial Commission. He said the rise was never his priority: Tasmanians, he added, did not expect one of the new parliament's first acts to be a vote on MP pay. He also pointed the finger at Labor, saying the Liberals tried to stop the increase but Labor voted for it.

The commission awarded the 22 per cent rise in June last year, ending a seven-year pay freeze. Rockliff called it unacceptable at the time and said he would take only 3 per cent, matching the offer to public sector workers, and several other Liberals followed him. The government's motion to disallow the increase was knocked back in the upper house in September last year by Labor and eight independents.

The money is real now. Rockliff is on $369,000 a year, an increase of almost $68,000 on his pre-determination salary. Ministers get $291,597, while backbenchers sit on a base rate of $171,527, still the lowest in the country. The pay bump lands as the government plans to slash 1,700 state servant roles by 2030 to rein in spending.

Health Minister Bridget Archer, who also moved to the higher rate, said she held out for a year on 3 per cent before switching. She said the government is still negotiating in good faith with health unions, which have been offered 3 per cent, 2.75 per cent and 2.5 per cent over the next three years. HACSU secretary Robbie Moore told a rally outside parliament on Saturday that Treasurer Eric Abetz took a 22.36 per cent rise last year, drawing boos from the crowd. Abetz said he accepted the will of parliament after the disallowance failed, and that serving in state parliament means forgoing his Commonwealth entitlement.