TONY Abbott’s hand-picked human rights adviser has been given a $56,000 expenses package to top up his six-figure salary.

Human Rights Commissioner Tim Wilson now has a total salary of $389,000 plus vehicle and telephone expenses following a recent decision by the Remuneration Tribunal.

The independent tribunal on April 14 approved a travel allowance of $40,000 and a “reunion allowance’’ of $16,800 in addition to his base salary of $332,000 — back dated to February 17 when he took up the job.

Mr Wilson has been a confidante of Prime Minister Abbott and a senior figure of the Institute of Public Affairs which has been campaigning for controversial changes to the Racial Discrimination Act.

“The appointment of Mr Wilson to this important position will help to restore balance to the Australian Human Rights Commission which, during the period of the Labor government, had become increasingly narrow and selective in its view of human rights,’’ said Attorney-General George Brandis in December when it was revealed Mr Wilson had accepted the job.

Tim Wilson is now on a heftier salary package than Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda whose travel allowance is $32,000 and reunion allowance is $10,200 on top of a $332,000 base salary.

But he is a long way from out-earning such officials as the Public Service Commissioner Stephanie Foster, appointed last October, whose salary in January rose to a total of $634,880.

A “reunion allowance’’, according to the Remuneration Tribunal, “is to enable an office holder to return to his/her principal place of residence and to reunite with family members still resident there’’.

It could also be used to pay for visits by “the office holder’s partner and/or a child or children of the office holder or his or her partner’’.

Mr Wilson lived in Melbourne when appointed and the Human Rights Commission head office is in Sydney.