The NSW Government has outlined a pay freeze for politicians and the public service to cover a pay rise for frontline workers. 

The state is planning to implement a two-year freeze on the wages of state politicians and public service senior executives from July and redirect the resulting savings, estimated to be around $260 million over four years, to nurses, paramedics, teachers, and other frontline workers.

It follows a Labor election promise to lift the 3 per cent cap on public sector wages. Reports say Premier Chris Minns has been under pressure to fulfil his election commitment by health unions threatening industrial action. 

“We have inherited a challenging budget, but budgets are about priorities. Our priority is rebuilding our essential services and investing in frontline workers,” Mr Minns said this week. 

The savings from the freeze will be directed towards vital services such as schools and hospitals.

The NSW government claims that under the previous LNP administration, the annual wages bill for senior executives across government agencies, departments, and state-owned corporations had reached approximately $1 billion. 

The pay freeze will affect senior executives, including departmental secretaries, agency chief executive officers, executive office holders, commissioners, and judicial officers. 

This initiative garnered bipartisan support, with both major parties endorsing the freeze ahead of the March election.

It will be carried out by two bills yet to be tabled in parliament - one bill will freeze the basic salary of all parliamentarians for two years, while the second bill will impose a pay freeze for senior executives as well as judicial and non-judicial office holders.