Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong is receiving a temporary pay increase while serving as acting Prime Minister during Anthony Albanese's absence at the Pacific Islands Forum in Palau. The boost stems from a little-noticed change by the Remuneration Tribunal, which now allows any minister acting as Prime Minister to be paid at the Prime Minister's higher rate, rather than restricting this benefit to the Deputy Prime Minister as before. This matters because it widens access to top-level pay for a broader group of senior ministers whenever the country's most senior figures are unavailable.

Wong is covering for Albanese from Monday to Thursday because Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, who would usually step in, is abroad on defence business in the US and UK. Albanese earns an annual salary of $622,102, compared with Wong's usual $448,631, meaning the four-day stint at the higher rate equates to roughly $1,900 extra before tax for her. The Remuneration Tribunal, which reviews ministerial pay annually but does not set salaries itself, said the change reflected updated guidance in its latest report, with Treasurer Jim Chalmers, Finance Minister Katy Gallagher and Trade Minister Don Farrell also listed in the formal order of succession.