NSW Council top bureaucrats earning more than the Premier

While the NSW Premier’s pay packet may dwarf the average worker’s, top bureaucrats at some Sydney councils are being paid just as much, if not more. See the figures here.

Sydney’s highest paid council bureaucrats earn more than the NSW Premier, with an almost $200,000 gap between the highest and lowest paid LGA officials.

Across 32 Greater Sydney local government areas, the general manager or CEO is the highest paid authority in each organisation.

Under the Local Government Act 1993, councils have the “discretion” to set the remuneration package of their general manager or CEO - which can include salary, super contributions and other benefits such as a car- at the cost they see fit.

And data analysis compiled by The Daily Telegraph on the pay of the city’s 32 sets of mayors, councillors and general managers in the 2020 to 2021 financial year has revealed a major cash splash for council fat cats.

While Premier Dominic Perrottet pockets $407,980 a year for leading the state, according to the NSW Parliamentary Remuneration Tribunal, the data revealed that more than half of Sydney’s general managers are being paid more than Mr Perrottet.

The top five highest paid general managers or CEOs in Greater Sydney are at Canterbury-Bankstown, City of Sydney, Northern Beaches, Blacktown and Parramatta councils, who take home a remuneration package of between $515,000 and $498,894 each.

Canterbury Bankstown’s general manager, Matthew Stewart, earns $515,000 in the 2020-2021 financial year- just $34,250 lower than Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s salary.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet. Picture: Flavio Brancaleone

Overall, 20 general managers and CEOs are paid more than the Premier. The one who earns the most comparable wage to him is the general manager of Cumberland Council, who was paid $410,000.

A statement from the NSW Office of Local Government said that the state’s councils were free to set the salaries of the general managers to a sum of their choosing.

“General Manager remuneration is set by individual councils, based on a range of factors including the skills and experience individuals bring to the role, the size and operational complexity of the council, market conditions and industry benchmarks,” an OLG spokesman said.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison is only paid about $35,000 more than the highest paid Greater Sydney council official. Picture: Jason Edwards

“Councils are accountable to their communities for the remuneration of General Managers and must publicly disclose the amount paid in their annual reports.”

Out of the highest paid council executives, Mosman Council’s general manager took home the smallest pay packet, totalling $317,750 for the last financial year - $197,250 less than the highest paid council top dog in Sydney.

Mayors and councillors are also paid significantly less than executive employees at Sydney councils.

The highest paid mayor is City of Sydney’s Clover Moore, who earns $263,700 annually compared to the council’s general manager, who is on a $513,385 package.

The metropolitan area’s lowest paid mayor is Wollondilly Shire Council’s Matt Gould, who pocketed just $44,000 while the GM Les McMahon was paid $370,466.

“Councils are divided into two main categories, Metropolitan and Non-Metropolitan, and broken down further into a number of subcategories within those two groups. These categories and where councils fall within them are reviewed by the Tribunal at least once every three years,” the OLG spokesman said.

“Minimum and maximum fees payable to mayors and councillors vary based upon the category of council and are reviewed annually by the independent Local Government Remuneration Tribunal.”