Perth Voice Interactive

VINCENT city councillors have voted to award themselves the maximum pay possible under the law, following a review of allowances earlier this year.

Elected members’ pay and attendance fee will rise from $10,400 (sitting fees plus IT and communications allowances) to $25,500.

Mayor Alannah MacTiernan’s sitting fee rises to $29,500, with her $60,000 mayoral allowance on top of that.

She says CEO John Giorgi had advised most other councils were doing the same thing and noted there “hadn’t been a payrise since 2005”.

Ms MacTiernan says councillors take time off paid work to fulfill council duties and the allowances soften the financial blow.

“It’s not a massive amount of money given that there hasn’t been any increase in eight years,” she says.

The all-up cost of the increases is $140,000 a year.

The salaries and allowances tribunal recommended pay levels change depending on the size and importance of councils, using four bands. Vincent—which is likely to vanish as part of the Barnett government’s amalgamation plans—is in the second band.

by DAVID BELL