"mobilising the power of humanity"

"mobilising the power of humanity" - that's a phrase used in a speech last year by Robert Tickner, CEO of the Australian Red Cross.

Since I have libertarian tendencies, I favour the Burkean "little platoons" approach to getting things done. I believe a couple of committed volunteers will always solve something faster than a gaggle of disinterested government employees.

Let's see what else Tickner had to say in that speech:

Over the last 12 months, we have developed a remuneration framework, using a widely regarded methodology that a number of you may also use in your organisation. We now have a 10 grade classification structure, and robust data by which we can compare our remuneration levels to benchmarks including the general market, not for profit market, and specific job families such as IT, finance and HR. Our Board and management team are keen to provide competitive remuneration to our staff, although this has become more challenging given the global financial crisis. We are currently considering our remuneration position for 09/10. As well, we are reviewing other ways that we can reward staff, such as by expanding the range of benefits available under our salary packaging program.

You'll have to excuse the boring management mumbo-jumbo - he was speaking to a bunch of HR managers.

May I conclude by acknowledging that these are tough times, and no Government, corporation or not for profit can be isolated from the impact of the economic climate in which we are operating.

Just how tough are these times for Robert Tickner?

Well, for starters, consider this article in the SMH today about MPs retiring with "pots of gold".

RETIRING politicians will exit Macquarie Street with lifetime pensions costing the NSW taxpayer almost $40 million.

One of the biggest pension winners is John Aquilina, 60, who served as a minister in three Labor governments during his nearly 30 years in Parliament.

He has built-up a pension of $170,224 a year for the rest of his life.

David Campbell who quit as transport minister this year after being filmed leaving a gay sauna in Sydney's east, will receive just over $147,000 a year, and the former minister Diane Beamer will make do with $118,000.

Blah blah blah - they're retiring on big pensions etc. Tickner was in federal parliament from 1984 to 1996, so he wouldn't have built up a pension like Aquilina. However, I guess he'd still have walked (or been thrown out) with a pension well above the average weekly earnings.

So, how is he doing now? Page 46 of the financial statements from the annual report of the Red Cross tells us how.

He's making somewhere between $450,000 and $489,999. On top of his parliamentary pension.

That's what I call "mobilising the power of humanity".

I think it's time I started a charity, and lapped up the milk of human kindness.