Your right to know: Council staff gift registers detail the many perks of the job

SOME Adelaide councils appear to be ignoring new rules requiring them to list any gifts or benefits received by staff valued at more than $50, in a register available on their website.

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SOME Adelaide councils appear to be ignoring new rules requiring them to list any gifts or benefits received by staff valued at more than $50 in a register available on their website.

From April, the state’s councils have had to publicly declare all gifts received by employees on a register available on their individual websites as part of changes to the code of conduct for council employees.

But an analysis by The Advertiser found Prospect and Holdfast Bay councils do not have such a document or register on their respective sites.

And the two councils did not respond to questions as to why.

President of Holdfast Bay Residents Alliance Jack Messenger said ratepayers should be able to know the perks council staff enjoy: “It ought to be online and it ought to be updated monthly.”

Multiple others — Burnside, Tea Tree Gully, Mitcham and Campbelltown — either did not have working online links to their registers, or incomplete and outdated registers, before being alerted by The Advertiser.

Those that are available for the last financial reveal council staff being wined and dined in corporate boxes at the footy and Ashes, receiving Australian Open tennis passes and tickets to festivals, music events and comedy shows and gifts from alcohol from a now State Minister to Bulgarian chocolate and potted rosemary.

They are part of at least $70,000 worth of gifts given to council officers over the last financial year. Adelaide Oval was a popular haunt, with council staff getting free tickets to corporate seats for Crows and Port games, valued at up to $450, and for boxes at last year’s second Ashes Test.

The Adelaide 500 was popular, with numerous chief executives taking advantage of the Premier’s enclosure at Victoria Park, valued at $500.

Adelaide’s cultural activities were well attended by council staff, who are receiving VIP passes to WOMADelaide, the Garden of Unearthly Delights, the Adelaide Festival, Cirque de Soleil and, in Port Adelaide Enfield’s case, the 2018 Laneway Festival.

Tickets to individual shows by Jerry Seinfeld, Grace Jones and Take That also were given to council staff.

Adelaide’s cultural activities including Womadelaide were well attended by council staff. Picture: Roger Wyman

Council employees also received gifts ranging from a Tomich Pinot Grigio, a giant zucchini valued at $10, $100 worth of cherries to Charles Sturt Council, T-shirts and $15 worth of potted rosemary.

Adelaide City Council staff received the most when it came to gifts at $22,448.98 with chief executive Mark Goldstone declaring $8794.98 worth of gifts.

Director of Services Steve Mathewson said the council sponsored dozens of community and cultural events and organisations each year and all gifts were required to be declared.

Onkaparinga was second with $9080.9, with chief executive Mark Dowd receiving $4865 of gifts.

Playford Council staff received $8003.9 in gifts, which a council spokesman said was part of being one of the largest and fastest growing council regions in the state and staff followed strict guidelines to ensure they were registered.

Staff at Charles Sturt received $6170 worth of gifts while for Marion the figure was $5489.