The local council rich list: How much is your mayor paid?
Mayors and councillors will receive a modest pay rise next month – but even the highest-paid councillors will take home less than $50,000.
The NSW Local Government Remuneration Tribunal last month granted an increase of 3.75 per cent in fees payable to councillors and mayors in the state’s 128 councils, effective from July 1.
City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore and City of Parramatta Lord Mayor Pierre Esber.Credit: Dominic Lorrimer / Rhett Wyman
Councillor and mayoral payments are determined by the size and type of council on which they serve: the City of Sydney is classified as a principal CBD (which the City of Parramatta attempted to become, and was rejected to be a “major CBD”), while others are defined as small, medium, large or major metropolitan councils.
The designations mean the City of Sydney’s 12 councillors could earn between $30,720 and $45,070 (depending on how they vote to use the money), while Lord Mayor Clover Moore will be entitled to receive an additional fee of between $188,010 and $247,390.
While the City of Sydney did not respond to questions about Moore’s salary, the council has since 2000 adopted a policy of paying the maximum in the ranges available to mayors, deputy mayors and councillors. In 2020, she was paid $240,789.
In Parramatta, councillors will receive between $20,500 and $37,960, while Lord Mayor Pierre Esber could earn between $43,530 and $122,640 on top of his councillor salary. Councillors will discuss by precisely how much they want to increase their rates on Tuesday night. Esber is currently paid $150,290 plus super.
As major metropolitan councils, Blacktown and Canterbury-Bankstown councillors can increase their take-home income to between $20,500 and $35,890, while mayors will be able to receive between $43,530 and $110,970.
On the opposite end of the scale, smaller metropolitan councils such as Mosman and Burwood will see councillors eligible to take home between $10,220 and $22,540, while mayors qualify for an additional rate between $21,770 and $49,170.
But the modest increases – broadly aligned with the country’s 3.6 per cent inflation rate – were not enough for the state’s peak body for councils, Local Government NSW.
The group had argued that fees to councillors and mayors should have increased by 10 per cent in order to, at least in part, “address the historic undervaluation of the work performed by elected representatives in local government in NSW”, and to reverse the “fee erosion” it said occurred under the previous Liberal government.
In its determination, the tribunal acknowledged the impact the state government’s housing reforms had placed on local councillors.
“The Tribunal is mindful of the additional workload associated with policies such as the … Transport-Oriented Development program place on affected councils,” it said. “Similar considerations arise from the infrastructure requirements to Renewable Energy Zones.”
Most councils are yet to determine exactly how they will administer the increases in fees, with some due to meet over the coming weeks to discuss it.
A spokesperson for Local Government Minister Ron Hoenig said remuneration for elected councillors was determined through an independent process.
“The removal of the previous government’s public sector wages cap has provided the tribunal with greater flexibility in determining mayors’ and councillors’ remuneration,” the spokesperson said.
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