Members of the team hand-picked by the Abbott government to rein in spending will be paid $1500 a day. The Coalition's election costings earmarked $1 million for the government-wide commission of audit, set up last week to consider ways to cut costs and privatise assets or services. Finance Minister Mathias Cormann told Fairfax Media the Business Council of Australia president, Tony Shepherd, would be paid $1500 a day to head the commission. The same rate would apply for the four other commissioners: former Liberal minister Amanda Vanstone, former Finance Department secretary Peter Boxall, former Treasury chief Tony Cole and former West Australian director-general Robert Fisher. Advertisement ''This level of remuneration recognises the skills, experience and responsibilities of the commissioners and the fact the role is of limited duration,'' Senator Cormann said. ''Commissioners will be paid on a pro-rata basis where they do not work a full eight-hour day.'' Labor has branded the exercise a ''commission for cuts'' and privatisation, arguing the recommendations would be unduly influenced by big business. Mr Shepherd's team has been asked to find areas of duplication between federal and state governments, spell out what activities could be done ''more efficiently'' by the private sector or not-for-profit bodies, and consider an overhaul of service delivery. It has been set a three-month deadline for its first report with the second stage due for completion in five months to feed into the budget process. The daily rates are significantly less than Queensland's Liberal National Party government paid members of its own post-election commission of audit last year. Former Liberal treasurer Peter Costello was paid $3300 per day before GST, while his two deputy commissioners were paid $2500 each. Their reports sounded the alarm over Queensland debt levels and recommended big spending cuts and outsourcing in various service delivery areas.
