Salisbury councillor’s challenge: publish travel costs now

ALL SA councils have been challenged by a Salisbury elected member to make travel expense reports publicly available in line with an Opposition plan that is also backed by the Premier.

Salisbury councillor Beau Brug is calling on all SA councils to publish their travel expenses. Picture: Dylan Coker

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A SALISBURY councillor has challenged all SA councils to make travel expense reports publicly available in line with an Opposition plan that is also backed by the Premier.

Councillor Beau Brug said he wants Salisbury to lead the way and plans to submit a formal notice of motion at next week’s council meeting.

Cr Brug’s motion, if passed, would see elected members’ travel costs – along with credit card expenditure of general managers and the CEO – made available online.

That motion corresponds with the state Liberal Party’s proposal to make councillors’ travel expenses public after State Ombudsman Wayne Lines found a regional mayor had acted “inappropriately” in conducting business while on a council-funded trip.

Cr Brug told the Northern Weekly that all councils, not just Salisbury, should seize the opportunity to show they had nothing to hide.

“I think that at the moment there’s a lot of mistrust around councils and whether rates are actually being used for what they should be,” he said.

It was a “good opportunity” for local government as a whole to “embrace accountability and transparency rather than shy away and try to hide”.

Local Government Association president Lorraine Rosenberg said the LGA would follow any relevant regulations.

“If an incoming parliament were to amend the legislation as it relates to reporting travel expenses, then we would then comply with these new requirements,” she said.

Cr Brug said some trips could be beneficial for ratepayers, but the extra scrutiny would discourage potentially wasteful spending.

“It’s case-by-case,” he said.

“You have to evaluate if there’s any tangible benefit to the council and to ratepayers as a whole.”

He believed that staff should also be subject to the same rules by publishing credit card records.

“That’s basically what already happens with ministers and chief executives in government departments,” he said.

“I don’t see a difference ... with councillors being held to the same account with public money.”

A spokesman for Playford Council commented: “Our council always works with the LGA and the government of the day to adhere to laws and regulations set forth by the parliament.”