The percentage of Tasmanians on the same salary as Speaker Sue Hickey would be low.
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The average weekly earnings of a full-time Tasmanian employee is $1419.80 - the lowest of all Australian jurisdictions at 86.9 per cent of the national average level.
The Bureau of Statistics data, which does not take into account part-time and casual employees, shows the figures are up 1.4 per cent compared with November 2018 and 3 per cent higher than May 2018.
Meanwhile, the maverick Liberal MHA takes home about $190,000 in salary - or about $3650 a week in comparative terms - plus a chauffeured car and other perks.
In other news:
The ACT speaker earns about $60,000 more a year with a smaller population than Tasmania.
Politicians are clearly well compensated for the extras hours, scrutiny and high standards of public life.
So in what universe would Ms Hickey think she would gain support for her call of a bigger pay packet?
Particularly when the federal government is reluctant to increase social support payments, the health system is underfunded, wage growth for the average worker is at an all-time low and homeless people are freezing in the streets.
As former long-time Labor speaker Michael Polley put it: "I can only say that I was well-paid for what I did".
And so too is Ms Hickey, the Legislative Council president and every other Australian state or federal politician.
After her submission to the Tasmanian Industrial Commission advocating for more pay was revealed and speaking to the ABC on Sunday, Ms Hickey declined to talk to any other media on Monday - avoiding the ability to clarify her position and the public scrutiny she knew would come with it.
Tasmanian politicians receiving a significant pay rise in today's economic environment would be a dangerous move, despite the general defence from both major parties being: "we leave politicians' pay to the economic regulator".
Ms Hickey's submission clearly shows that politicians, along with many others, have input into that decision before it is made.