YAWN...

Same stuff, different day. I am reasonably sure that any worker would notice an approximate 50% reduction ni their gross income. Would you have prefered it if Mr Heatley and National had covered it up? I am confident that under another Government that this is likely to have happened. He came out in the media, has apologised and resigned his portfolio. Would a "low income" worker have had the smae moral fibre, or would they not have done it in the first place? Obviously using your examples, low income workers are just as guilty of fraud or theft, just on a smaller scale BUT still in line with their responsibilities.

You would have loved this if a media investigation had bought it to light. Trying to have you hamburger and eat it too?

Right on, John.

A next door neighbour, who was a staunch waterside union worker once said: "It was their (waterside worker) right to steal from the freight. That was part of their pay packet". Similar comments came from freezing workers.

I have to concede that you are right; the higher up the 'food chain' the more you can get away with.

"Even eating a hamburger instead of throwing it out after it’s been in the warmer too long has people sacked in the real world." - That might actually also be for health and safety issue as well as not following company regulations.

"Meanwhile at the same companies the management regularly sit down to meals paid for as business expenses while workers are sacked for drinking an unauthorised glass of lemonade." - Difference is that management were authorised to do it. Also in places I worked ranging from foodtown to McDonalds, management didn't really care too much about drinking company lemonade as long as it wasn't one of the bottle products from the fridge and I wasn't too obvious about it.

"With his resignation Heatley’s base salary will decrease from $243,000 to $131,000 as a backbencher. It’s a punishment but not one most workers would recognise." - Considering most non-managerials have no further rank / position / paid grade below them, I'm sure most won't recognise it. Even if they do, I would assume that they won't have their pay grade cut by $112,000.

Can only agree with the second part. I used to work at Maccas when i was at Uni. One of our shift managers gave a $1.50 cheeseburger to say "sorry" to a customer who's order had been royally screwed up. An s=attempt at good customer service right?. Wrong. He got fired later that day for theft...

And Kelvin2, if you think todays factory worker/retail positions are anything like the old time waterside / freezing worker ones you are sadly mistaken. I've never worked harder for less.

Obviously lower paid workers have tougher standards. If a kid working at McDonalds steps out of line you can get another one to do the same job just as well. Higher paid workers have skills that are less replaceable, that's usually why they are higher paid.

life must suck when its your job to complain. What will you moan about next week John? as a first time reader of your column.. im done.

Adam #7 Adam there is no shortage of people lining up to be ministers or back benchers. And on both counts competent people would do it for less.

kelvin2 #3 It happened, it was wrong, it doesn't happen now and nor should it.

Phil Heatley is greedy, he had already been warned by officials about his use of his ministerial credit card on more than one occasion.

God John, have you nothing to prtest about in the streets anymore???