Mark Kenny Chief political correspondent

April 25, 2013

EXCLUSIVE

Sought a sweet deal: Tony Abbott. Photo: Glenn Hunt

Tony Abbott has attacked a government decision to double termination payouts for federal political staff to four weeks' pay, despite having sought more generous arrangements for outgoing Liberal employees when he became Opposition Leader in 2009.

Correspondence from Mr Abbott to the then special minister of state Joe Ludwig shows Mr Abbott asked for eight weeks of ''settling out'' time for seven staff who had been employed in the private office of Malcolm Turnbull when Mr Abbott replaced him as leader on December 1, 2009.

The letter, dated December 2, noted the Turnbull employees were limited to a ''settling out period that expires at COB 15 December, 2009''.

''While I am aware that some staff will elect to move on, I hope to retain a small number either within my office or the broader Coalition,'' he wrote.

''I am mindful that we are only three weeks away from Christmas and, accordingly, I seek your agreement to extend the settling out period for the following staff until 31 January, 2009 [sic].''

Turnbull advisers named in the correspondence include Peta Credlin, Mr Abbott's present chief of staff, and Mark Roberts, the man demoted last week from his post as senior policy adviser for threatening funding to an indigenous education body.

Special Minister of State Mark Dreyfus confirmed on Wednesday that advisers working for Labor would be eligible for four weeks' separation pay among other entitlements, in the event of the ALP being defeated in September, an increase of two weeks. There are some 550 political advisers employed across all offices.

''Two weeks had been found, in practice, not to be long enough - you need the four weeks,'' Mr Dreyfus told Fairfax Radio, arguing it had ''nothing to do with what is going to happen at the election''.

Mr Dreyfus said the new standard applied to staff across all parties and formalised a growing practice observed in 10 instances since 2007 when staff had been given the greater four-week payout. These included when the Howard government lost the 2007 election.

Asked about the new payout standard on Wednesday, Mr Abbott was scathing.

''This is another sign of the Labor Party's contempt for taxpayers,'' he said. ''This is a taxpayer-funded handout to political staffers and, frankly, it's just not on. It shouldn't be happening.''

The comments reflected opposition talking points circulated to Coalition MPs on Wednesday after newspaper reports of a $6000 ''golden handshake'' designed to keep staff loyal up to the election, despite a likely defeat for Labor.

Questioned specifically on the payouts to Turnbull employees, on Wednesday, Mr Abbott suggested there was no comparison.

The private Coalition briefing paper advised MPs to respond as follows if asked by journalists whether a Coalition government would reverse the four-week entitlement: ''If asked would you reverse the decision: We are taking advice on this. We understand that staff need time to pack up their desks and make arrangements to move out of their office. Two weeks is enough time to do this but four weeks is excessive and it is not something we support.''

Abbott sour on payouts, despite request for sweeter conditions