PM doesn’t decide his salary conditions, says official

PRIME  Minister Peter O’Neill does not set his salary conditions, according to his Chief of Staff Edward Mike Jondi.
Jondi  was  responding  to a report  published in The National yesterday outlining  the  salary  levels  of  Cabinet  Ministers  and Members of Parliament, with the prime minister right at the top.   The published report was based on the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) Determinations of 2015.
Jondi said the SRC which set the salaries was a bipartisan committee of which the Opposition Leader was a member.
“PM O’Neill does not set his salary conditions,” Jondi said. “The pay for a MP is not only for him/her but is shared with the communities for funeral, school fees, medical and so on, which is expected as part of the leader’s responsibility.”
Jondi  said the  information taken from Salaries and Remunerations Commission Determinations of 2015  for  Elected Leaders was published  for  public  consumption.
He suggested  that  the newspaper should have obtained a comment from the PM’s office for balance.