Mayoral and Councillor Allowances

Council is reviewing its Mayoral and Councillor Allowances and sought public submissions in April and May.

About

Council is reviewing its Mayoral and Councillor Allowances as required under Victorian legislation.

The Local Government Act 2020 transferred the responsibility in determining each council’s Mayoral and Councillor Allowances to the Victorian Independent Remuneration Tribunal (the Tribunal). The Victorian Government has advised that as the Minister for Local Government has not yet requested a determination from the Tribunal, Council must follow the framework under the previous Local Government Act 1989.

Under this legislation, Council must review and determine the level of its Mayoral and Councillor Allowance by 30 June 2021, and must allow public submissions on the proposed level.

About Allowances

Local Government Victoria classifies councils into three different categories to determine Councillor allowances. These categories are based on the current income and population for each council.

Since December 2019, Golden Plains Shire Council has been classified as a Category 2 council, which currently allows for the Mayoral allowance to be up to $81,204 and the Councillor allowance to be set between $10,914 to $26,245. These allowances are also subject to an addition amount to cover the 9.5% superannuation guarantee.

Councils must determine the level of the Mayoral and Councillor allowance within their set category and have no capacity to change this category.

Current Allowances

The Mayor and Councillors at Golden Plains Shire currently receive the below allowances, which includes the 9.5% superannuation equivalent:

• Mayoral allowance: $68,827
• Councillor allowances: $22,943

What is being proposed?

At its 27 April Council Meeting, Council endorsed an increase to the Mayoral and Councillor allowances to reflect the increasing population that the Mayor and Councillors now represent and serve. The proposed allowances, which include the 9.5% superannuation equivalent are:

• Mayoral allowance: $72,268.40
• Councillor allowances: $25,237.58

For more information on the Mayoral and Councillor Allowances, download the Council Report from 27 April 2021 Council Meeting at the link below.

Download the Report

Engagement Update

As part of the review process, Council invited submissions from the community on the proposed Mayoral and Councillor Allowances from Tuesday 27 April to 5pm, Tuesday 25 May, 2021.

Submissions were able to be provided online, by email or by mail, and community members were able to request to present their submission to Council in-person at a meeting to be held on 8 June 2021.

What Happens Next

Following the submission period and a review of any feedback received, a Council Meeting will be held on 8 June 2021 to hear from any community members who wish to present their submissions in-person to Council. The final Mayoral and Councillor Allowances will be determined at the 22 June Council Meeting. These levels will remain unchanged until the Tribunal makes its first determination.

Additionally, the Local Government Act 2020 allows Councillors the option to elect to receive the whole allowance, a specified part of the allowance or no allowance.