Douglas Shire Councillors to get pay rise this year

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Douglas Shire’s Mayor and Councillors will benefit later this year from an automatic 2.1 per cent salary increase.

Queensland mayors and councillors outside Brisbane City Council are eligible for the rise next financial year which is determined by the Local Government Remuneration and Discipline Tribunal.

The increase comes into effect 1 July 2019.

According to the Local Government Remuneration and Discipline Tribunal Report 2018, the Tribunal made the following considerations:

  • Increases in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the financial year ended 30 June 2018 as follows:
    • Weighted average of the eight capital cities: +2.1%
    • Brisbane: +1.7% (ABS June 2018)
  • Increase to the Wage Price Index (WPI) for Australia over the year to March 2018 of 2.1% (Fair Work Commission Annual Wage Review 2017-18)
  • Increase in WPI for Queensland of 2.25% in 2017-18 and the forecast for 2018-19 is 2.5% (Queensland Government mid-year Fiscal and Economic Review 2017-18)
  • Decision of the Councillor Remuneration Tribunal (CRT) of the Brisbane City Council in November 2017 to recommend an increase of 2% effective as of 1 July 2018
  • It also considered decisions taken in NSW, Western Australia and Victoria.


“The remuneration packages that Douglas Shire Council elected members receive are the lowest in local government in Queensland,” said Mayor Julia Leu.

“Any salary increases for Councillors and Mayors are determined annually by an independent Local Government Remuneration and Discipline Tribunal.

“These are automatic and are not passed by a council resolution,” she said. 

The salary increase has not been welcomed in Cairns where the Electrical Trades Union called on Cairns Regional Council to reject what they are calling an above-inflation salary increase.

Because of their size – Cairns has a population in excess of 150,000 – their Mayor and Councillors are paid considerably more than the Douglas Shire, which is home to slightly more than 11,000 people.

Cairns Mayor Bob Manning receives an annual salary of $179,376 and the councillors receive $105,996. See table below for Douglas Shire Council mayor and councillors’ salaries.

The new Douglas Shire Council came into existence on 1 January 2014 following a poll in March 2013 when the majority of the community voted to de-amalgamate from Cairns Regional Council.   

 

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