April 20th, 2026Just sayin’…

So Macedon MP and Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas has decided that 12 years in the seat is long enough. She is no longer a minister and will not stand in the November election. Fair call.
I think being a pollie would be hard work. You really can’t win – well the party can – but the haters gonna hate no matter what you do.
Look at poor Dan during Covid. All that time in front of the cameras, reporting on numbers every day, locking us down, keeping us safe. And I know so many people who can’t stand him – not just the cyclist.
I thought he did alright for his first rodeo. The best thing for us was that the media was allowed to travel – so we used to drive around the shire just to try to keep our sanity intact.
Anyway, well done Mary-Anne. I did ask her PR person what was next on the agenda but I was told there were no firm plans.
I would take a break too. As she said she does not have enough in the tank for another four years, but she might have enough in the bank for a well-earned break.
I like keeping my mind busy so I had a bit of a search around the internet and found a site for the Victorian Independent Remuneration Tribunal.
The tribunal is responsible for setting remuneration for Members of Parliament, local councillors and executives in the Victorian public sector.

It’s an interesting read. I found that:
The basic salary payable to an MP is $211,972 per annum;
The additional salary and any expense allowance per annum for a minister is $178,171 plus expenses of $18,964;
The electorate allowance per annum if the electorate is 500 square kilometres or more but less than 5000 square kilometres is $51,808 (Macedon is 3366 km2);
The parliamentary accommodation sitting allowance if the MP is a Minister of the Crown is $42,298;
The motor vehicle allowance per annum for an MP who does not elect to be provided with a motor vehicle if the electorate is less than 5000 square kilometres is $24,015;
The commercial transport allowance per annum for an MP if the electorate is less than 10,000 square kilometres is $5372; and
The international travel allowance per annum for an MP is $11,410.
By my reckoning Mary-Anne Thomas, and all ministers of the crown, are getting around $544,010 a year. That’s $10,461 a week.
Hmmm. I think I got into the wrong profession. My weekly allowance is $50. Even when I worked for bigger news groups like Fairfax it wasn’t much more. Journalism is a great game – but it doesn’t pay much.
I did write to that same PR person to ask if the wage and expenses was around the half a million dollar mark, and was told it was all publicly available “and on the record for transparency and accountability”. Yes or no would have done.
Anyway, Harriet Shing is the new Minister for Health, Ambulance Services and Water. Premier Jacinta Allan said Ms Shing would “bring new ideas to public health, backing our dedicated workforce, and will drive our work making health care easier and cheaper for busy families to access”.
That’s nice – not sure how water fits into those other portfolios – and do you get to double dip if you are minister for three areas? That would be a great wage.
Hmmm. I guess Macedon is looking for a new MP now. I wonder if Kyle would mind doing The Local on his own? Anyone want to vote for me? Just askin’…