FORMER Footscray state parliamentarian, councillor and mayor Bruce Mildenhall is one of the members of a newly formed panel that will review pay for Victorian mayors and councillors.
The review will be conducted by the independent panel and would ensure remuneration rates were fair and reasonable, according to Local Government Minister Richard Wynne.
“The new Local Government (Councillor Remuneration Review) Panel will review the current arrangements and consider new guidelines to assist councils.”
Councillors and mayors are entitled to an allowance which is currently set by councils based on the council’s population and total revenue. This framework will be reviewed by the new panel.
The panel will also advise on the frequency of future reviews and suggest guidelines to councils on reimbursement of expenses and provision of appropriate resources and support to further help councillors perform their official duties.
The new panel consists of experienced members of the local government sector. The panel is to provide advice to the Minister by December 2007.
The Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) has applauded the announcement with MAV President Cr Dick Gross saying the review followed a long-term campaign by the MAV to ensure allowances adequately reflected the workload, time commitment and skills of elected.
