Salisbury Council to publish travel expenses and credit card details online

DETAILS of ratepayer-funded spending on overseas trips will be published online by an Adelaide council in a move councillors said would set an example for other municipalities.

Cr Chad Buchanan in John St, Salisbury. Source: File

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DETAILS of ratepayer-funded spending on overseas trips will be published online by Salisbury Council in a move councillors said would set an example for other municipalities.

The policy change came after both the state Liberal and Labor parties said earlier this month that the council’s travel expenses should be made public.

Under the resolution, passed unanimously at Monday night’s meeting, the itinerary, costs, reason for travel and date of the council decision to approve overseas trips by elected members or staff will be placed on the council’s website.

Salisbury Mayor Gillian Aldridge. Source: File

Only Prospect Council currently publishes both staff and elected members’ travel expenses, and even then only in its annual report.

Cr Chad Buchanan said the decision meant Salisbury Council could once again be the “light on the hill” when it came to transparency.

“This is one way we at Salisbury can demonstrate we don’t need legislative directions to make it clear how we use our funds,” Cr Buchanan said.

“We can do it ourselves.”

Currently at Salisbury, only elected members’ travel expenses are available and only at the council’s offices, not online.

Answers to a question on notice from Cr Beau Brug revealed the council had spent close to $8000 over the past 10 years on overseas trips for elected members.

Both were by Mayor Gillian Aldridge to China as part of State Government delegations in 2015 and 2016.

Ms Aldridge and several councillors travelled to the council’s Japanese sister city of Mobara in 2010 and 2014 at their own expense.

The council also voted on Monday night to publish online the corporate credit card statements of its chief executive and general managers every three months.

Cr Brug had wanted them to be published each month but Cr Damien Pilkington amended the motion to publish them quarterly instead.

The move would not include “purchase cards” used by staff for small expenses, acting chief executive Charles Mansueto told the meeting.