Coastal councillors seeking ‘Geelong-size’ rates of pay

Alex de Vos
Surf Coast Shire councillors have called for pay packets as big as their Geelong colleagues.
Mayor Dean Webster said the workload on councillors in the neighbouring municipalities was mostly identical.
Surf Coast’s submission to a State Government review of councillor remuneration has called for a “consistent approach” to pay for councillors across Victorian.
The Independent revealed last week that Geelong’s submission supported a 78 per cent increase on the mayor’s allowance to $92,625 a year.
Councillor pays would jump 61 per cent to $28,996.
Surf Coast councillor pays would rise more than double existing rates if the review adopted the recommendations of both Geelong and the shire.
The municipalities’ submissions also sought superannuation for councillors.
Surf Coast’s submission said existing allowance rates were a “barrier to access and equity” on council, which “undermined the basis of democracy”.
“The average age of a councillor is 55 because (to serve on council) they have to take a 50 per cent pay cut,” Cr Webster said.
“We want people at uni but the allowance limits them. I do believe this is a barrier to equity.”