By Parker McKenzie
Knox City Council had no say in the new base allowances after an independent determined the remuneration, despite members of the community arguing councillors awarded it to themselves “without explanation or justification,” however, councillors can choose to reduce or take no allowance under the Local Government Act 2020.
On Saturday 7 March, the Victorian Independent Remuneration Tribunal made a determination for allowances which saw an increase for councillors, mayors and deputy mayors around Victoria. The allowances were backdated from 18 December, 2021.
A new allowance for the deputy mayor was set at half of the value of the allowance for the mayor to reflect the duties performed. Councillors and mayors received a 10 per cent and 20 per cent increase in allowances respectively.
A change.org petition stated “Cr Nicole Seymour takes a 72% pay rise as Knox Deputy Mayor” despite the decision affecting all Victorian councils and being made by an independent tribunal.
Other community members suggested Taylor Ward Councillor Darren Pearce had stepped down from committee roles at Knox Council as a form of protest against the decision.
Mr Pearce said he had no issue with the decision for an increase to Deputy Mayor Nicole Seymour’s allowances as long as there is a consummate increase in the level of duties and responsibilities.
“I’ve been a member of the audit team for 14 years and a member of the ICT Governance Committee, which has oversight for the five-year $25 million ICT project upgrade,” he said.
“I said I’d be happy to step down from both of them immediately if you can take over Nicole and she was amenable to that. That’s all there was to it.”
By 2025, the allowance for deputy mayors in category three councils — of which Knox City Council is classified — will increase from $59,658 to $66,286.
Mr Pearce said he bought up the committees at the April 26 council meeting because he thought it would be a good opportunity for Ms Seymour.
“It’s always best to be upfront and honest with the community about something that could prove to be controversial,” Mr Pearce said.
“I can assure you, she isn’t doing it for the money. She just happens to be deputy mayor this year.”
While members of Knox City Council do not choose the allowance amount, under the Local Government Act 2020 “A Mayor, Deputy Mayor or Councillor may elect— (a) to receive the entire allowance to which they are entitled; or (b) to receive a specified part of the allowance to which they are entitled; or (c) to receive no allowance.”
70 of 79 Victorian councils have deputy mayors. The determination by the Independent Tribunal noted it awarded the allowance for deputy mayors because of the increased workload expected of them, which is only expected to grow in the future.
*Story was originally published on 17 May under the headline “Deputy Mayor had no say in allowance increase”. It has been amended to reflect members of the council can choose to receive no allowance or a specified amount of their allowance if they choose.
