This was at the same time as he was charging taxpayers to stay in his wife's Canberra home.
Now if he heads to Washington as our new glorious ambassador, rules changed in 2010 mean that he can still get 50% of his parliamentary pension even though he's still working.
It's one rule for the unrepresentative swill, and another rule for the rest of us.
Joe Hockey has been labelled a “double-dipper” and called on to reject his $90,000-a-year parliamentary pension while he collects a $360,000 a year in wages if he is appointed as ambassador to the United States.
Just days after saying in his farewell speech to parliament that Australians should “live within our means” to end “the age of entitlement”, it was revealed that Mr Hockey’s taxpayer-funded income could top $450,000 a year, substantially more than he earned as Treasurer.
On Sunday, independent senator Nick Xenophon said he wanted to help the former Treasurer achieve his aspiration of ending the age of entitlement by saying no to his pension.
“I just want to help Joe Hockey fulfil his dream of ending the age of entitlement by Joe Hockey setting an example for the rest of us,” Mr Xenophon said.
“What Joe Hockey can do is to refuse to accept his parliamentary pension in addition to getting $330,000 [$360,000] a year as ambassador.”
Senator Xenophon told reporters that if Mr Hockey doesn’t co-operate, he would draft a bill to stop politicians collecting their pensions while taking up diplomatic posts. At present, Mr Hockey would be entitled to both the pension and the ambassador’s salary.
According to rules enacted in 2010, the former Treasurer is entitled to 50 per cent of his parliamentary pension should he take a diplomatic posting – for Mr Hockey this would be a reported $90,000 per year.
Mr Hockey and his wife Melissa Babbage enjoy a reported net personal wealth of more than $10 million, thanks to owning various multi-million-dollar properties. New Daily
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