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Warren Truss voted very strongly for increasing parliamentary entitlements for current MPs and Senators

How Warren Truss voted compared to someone who believes that the federal governmnet should increase parliamentary entitlements for current MPs and Senators, such as legitimate expenditure, salary packages, superannuation entitlements and/or other allowances like the printing allowance

Division Warren Truss Supporters vote Division outcome

18th Oct 2006, 5:43 PM – Representatives Motions - Motion for Disallowance - Parliamentary printing allowances

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The majority voted against disallowing Schedules 1 and 3 to the Parliamentary Entitlements Amendment Regulations 2006 (No. 1), which means that these Regulations would remain unchanged.

The motion was introduced by Labor MP Kelvin Thomson.

What does this motion mean?

This motion asked the House to agree to stop Schedules 1 and 3 having legal force.

Schedule 1 increases the House of Representatives' printing entitlements to $150,000 per member per year (from $125,000 per member per year). And as MP Thomson explained, it also "allows MPs to roll over up to 45 per cent, or $67½ thousand, of unspent funds from their printing entitlements into the next year’s entitlement".

Schedule 3 changes the Senate's printing entitlements, though this was not discussed in detail in the House.

Motion text

That Schedules 1 and 3 to the Parliamentary Entitlements Amendment Regulations 2006 (No. 1), as contained in Select Legislative Instrument 2006 No. 211 and made under the Parliamentary Entitlements Act 1990, be disallowed.

 No No Not passed by a small majority

How "voted very strongly for" is worked out

The MP's votes count towards a weighted average where the most important votes get 50 points, less important votes get 10 points, and less important votes for which the MP was absent get 2 points. In important votes the MP gets awarded the full 50 points for voting the same as the policy, 0 points for voting against the policy, and 25 points for not voting. In less important votes, the MP gets 10 points for voting with the policy, 0 points for voting against, and 1 (out of 2) if absent.

Then, the number gets converted to a simple english language phrase based on the range of values it's within.

No of votes Points Out of
Most important votes (50 points)      
MP voted with policy 0 0 0
MP voted against policy 0 0 0
MP absent 0 0 0
Less important votes (10 points)      
MP voted with policy 1 10 10
MP voted against policy 0 0 0
Less important absentees (2 points)      
MP absent* 0 0 0
Total: 10 10

*Pressure of other work means MPs or Senators are not always available to vote – it does not always indicate they have abstained. Therefore, being absent on a less important vote makes a disproportionatly small difference.

Agreement score = MP's points / total points = 10 / 10 = 100%.

And then