City of Melbourne councillors claim $300,000 in expenses
CITY of Melbourne ratepayers dished out at least $300,000 for taxi fares, mobile phone fees and other expenses claimed by councillors over the last four years.
VIC News
Don't miss out on the headlines from VIC News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
CITY of Melbourne ratepayers dished out at least $300,000 for taxi fares, mobile phone fees and other expenses claimed by councillors over the last four years.
This was in addition to the $2.6 million that councillors pocketed in standard allowances over the last term, while their council-related overseas and interstate trips cost ratepayers another $240,000.
Details of the expenses come as a cloud hangs over the validity of last month’s city council election, with electoral authorities launching an inquiry that could affect the makeup of the 11-member council chamber.
Lord Mayor Robert Doyle and his deputy Arron Wood are not touched by the Municipal Electoral Tribunal probe, however the positions of other councillors could come under scrutiny.
Cr Doyle, who has won a record third term, claimed the most expenses of any councillor from 2012 to 2016, a Herald Sun analysis has found.
His $103,000 bill included $73,000 for taxis and other local travel costs, $19,000 for mobile phone and other communications expenses, and $11,000 for meals, drinks and other costs related to council business for events external to Town Hall.
The Lord Mayor, who gets an annual allowance of $184,667 plus superannuation, also took council trips worth about $62,000 in his last term.
These included business and civic missions to China and Japan, a United Nations climate summit in New York and a world cities summit in Singapore.
Cr Doyle has previously said that trips can generate significant business, with over $1 billion worth of contracts signed during his eight years as leader of a capital city municipality.
Former deputy lord mayor Susan Riley, who got a $92,333 annual allowance, clocked up $76,000 in expenses, including nearly $61,000 for taxis and other local travel costs.
New Deputy Lord Mayor Arron Wood, who was an ordinary councillor in the last term, claimed about $14,000 in expenses on top of his $43,360 annual allowance.
Cr Wood also took trips worth about $31,000 including to climate change conferences in Paris and London.
Cr Kevin Louey billed about $21,000 in expenses and took $45,000 in trips.
Greens councillor Rohan Leppert charged $20,000 in expenses, including $80000 for conferences, functions and training and $6600 for taxis and other local travel costs.
He also took trips worth $14,233, including the business and civic mission to China and Japan earlier this year.
Former councillor Richard Foster, who failed to get re-elected, had the lowest expenses of any councillor with about $7000 billed. However, he took $23,000 in trips, including an anti-smoking conference in Denmark in 2014.
City of Melbourne spokeswoman Jem Wilson said the council was conscious of any travel costs and it published details of all councillor and staff interstate and overseas travel on its website.
“Travel by councillors (with the exception of interstate travel by the Lord Mayor) is approved at Future Melbourne Committee or council meetings,” she said.
The council’s website said that councillor allowances were set by the State Government, but expenses were subject to guidelines and took into account the significant demands councillors faced as capital city representatives.