Daniel Andrews has tripled the number of highly paid public servants in Victoria since he came to power in 2014.
The number of public service executives, who can earn between $192,800 and $479,900, soared to 1,742 by June 2021 with an increase of 271 in the past year alone, latest figures show.
When Mr Andrews came to power the number was 647.
Daniel Andrews has tripled the number of highly paid public servants in Victoria since he came to power in 2014
The premier has created a vastly bigger Government while the private sector battled through the world’s longest Covid-19 lockdown in Melbourne.
The city’s shutdown lasted a cumulative 262 days over six rounds of lockdown since March 2020.
A spokesman for the Victorian Government said the increase in public servants was necessary to man the ‘response to the coronavirus pandemic and the state’s biggest ever infrastructure agenda’.
During the Andrews Labor government 48,000 roles were created in the six years to June 2020, taking the total number of employees to 381,200.
In the state budget before the Andrews Government took office, the wage bill for public sector workers was $21 billion but this will increase to $36 billion for next financial year, and to $39 billion for the 2024-25 financial year.
Melbourne’s shutdown lasted a cumulative 262 days over six rounds of lockdown since March 2020
Robert Carling, senior research fellow at the Centre for Independent Studies, said this blowout was a major risk to the state’s finances.
‘The pay rates in the Victorian public sector have outpaced the rest of the country,’ he told Daily Mail Australia.
‘It’s a major contributing factor to the blowout in the deficit in Victoria and the blowout in public sector debt.’
Victoria’s net debt is expected to reach $156.3 billion by June 2025.
‘If a state government wants to do something to bring its budget under control, you’d have to tackle this public sector payroll,’ said Mr Carling.
He also slammed the 11.8 per cent pay rise for politicians during the height of the pandemic, saying: ‘If ever there was a wrong time to do it, it was then.
‘The optics are never good on big rises in politicians’ pay but they’re particularly bad in the circumstances of last year.’
Cian Hussey, Research Fellow at the Institute of Public Affairs, said the Andrews government has created two Victorias with its policy of harsh lockdowns.
‘Lockdown measures have destroyed businesses and cost private sector workers their jobs and wages while public sector workers have thrived,’ he said.
‘As long as public sector workers, and politicians in particular, remain this detached from the real economy, they will keep imposing lockdown measures because it doesn’t cost them anything.’
Chief Health officer Brett Sutton (right) possibly earns up to $360,000, in line with his rank in the Victorian public service