![Ted Mack.](http://web.archive.org./web/20131028040529im_/http://images.theage.com.au/2013/10/26/4863832/1_sj-ted-mack-lead-20131026213432869763-300x0.jpg)
Former independent MP Ted Mack. Photo: Rick Stevens
Australia's major political parties have become like two mafia families seeking control of the public purse for distribution to themselves, supporters, the special interests who fund them and for buying votes at the next election, former independent MP Ted Mack says.
And their salaries and perks have risen in inverse proportion to the levels of public satisfaction.
''Recent increases bring the basic salary of the Prime Minister to $507,000, compared to the American President at $US400,000 [$417,000], and the English Prime Minister at £142,000 [$240,000],'' Mr Mack said delivering the Henry Parkes Oration on ''The State of Federation'' at the Sir Henry Parkes Memorial School of Arts, Tenterfield, on Saturday.
''Salary packages for MPs have escalated at federal level with the steady creation of new positions and extensions of fringe benefits … state governments have followed suit.''
Mr Mack, the independent federal and state MP who famously retired from politics so he wouldn't qualify for the lucrative and lifelong superannuation scheme, said the Coalition and Labor had rightly suffered huge reductions in membership over the past few years almost in direct proportion to the centralisation of power in their organisations.
He said since the 1990s there had been endless calls by government for greater efficiency, for no wage rises unless matched with productivity, restructuring, downsizing and deregulation, but politicians had ring-fenced themselves from such reforms.
Mr Mack said over the past three decades Australia had spent $204.4 million investigating tax fraud and corruption in the Queensland, Western Australia and NSW police forces. ''Yet, after all this, the public watched in disgust at the collapse of the NSW - Iemma, Rees, Keneally - governments … exposing the worst level of government corruption.''