AUSTRALIA
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
August 9, 2018
By Richard Willingham and Ben Knight
Former governor-general Peter Hollingworth is being urged to forego hundreds of thousands of dollars from his taxpayer-funded pension and entitlements he receives every year.
Key points:
– Senator Derryn Hinch says Dr Hollingworth should forego his taxpayer-funded pension
– Abuse survivors want former governors-general to be stripped of their entitlements in cases of misconduct
– Dr Hollingworth says no inquiries have recommended action against him
Dr Hollingworth was forced to resign as governor-general in 2003 after a series of scandals over his handling of sexual abuse allegations against priests and teaching staff while he was the archbishop of Brisbane in the 1990s.
As a former governor-general, he receives an annual pension of $357,732, as well as a Commonwealth-funded office and staff in the prestigious 101 Collins St building in Melbourne’s CBD.
Documents provided under Freedom of Information show that in 2015-16, Dr Hollingworth spent more than $275,000 on office and travel expenses, on top of his pension for that year of $328,000.
In the six years between 2010 and 2016, his office and travel expenses alone added up to almost $1.5 million.
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