$146k and $77k: Increased salaries for Charters Towers councillors

Charters Towers Regional councillors have voted to accept a significant 35 per cent increase in their salaries. See how much they’re being paid.

The recently elected Charters Towers Regional Council (pictured) have benefited from huge across-the-state increases in the maximum salary a mayor and local councillors can receive.

There has been significant growth in the salaries of the Charters Towers’ mayor and councillors after the group voted to adopt a new remuneration guideline.

From July 2024, mayor Liz Schmidt will be on an annual salary of $146,239 - the maximum she can receive based on the population and demographic of Charters Towers.

Deputy mayor Kate Hastie is now being paid $91,399 in her role, while all five councillors have accepted a $77,688 salary.

For comparison, former mayor Frank Beveridge was on a salary of $114,801 in 2023 while his deputy mayor Graham Lohmann was on $66,231 and councillors were paid $57,400.

This increase translates into a 27 per cent pay increase for Cr Schmidt, 38 per cent increase for Cr Hastie and 35 per cent increase for all councillors.

Charters Towers Mayor Liz Schmidt was re-elected in 2023.

A ‘meeting fee’ of $2,158 is also dolled out each month, an increase of $563.56 on last year’s meeting fee.

Councillors were quick to stress as they voted on the salaries that the pay rises were recommended by the Local Government Remuneration Commission.

“It is The Commission that recommends the level of remuneration that is awarded to each Council,” a note in the May meeting minutes read.

(L-R) Cr Julie Mathews, Cr Steven Plant, Mayor Liz Schmidt, Cr Alan Barr, Deputy Mayor Kate Hastie, Cr Graham Lohmann, Absent: Cr Kim Farmer

What was actually said by councillors at the meeting is unknown, as Charters Towers Regional Council does not livestream or publicly release recordings of their meetings.

Close inspection of the Local Government Remuneration Commission report in question reveals the Commission did indeed recommend new maximum salaries from July 2024 across all local governments.

The report was put together by former Sunshine Coast mayor Bob Abbot, corporate lawyer Andrea Ranson and accredited mediator Reimen Hii, who all submitted the report to Premier Steven Miles.

Former Noosa and Sunshine Coast mayor Bob Abbot was the chairman on the annual Local Government Remuneration Commission report.

According to the report, most councillor salaries have increased between 3 to 5 per cent under the new guidelines, but a few have received larger maximum increases due to a new calculation method which favoured rural councils.

No council received a recommendation for reduced maximum salaries.

The report authors said it was important for government to maintain “responsible wage growth” considering the “challenging and unstable” environment politicians now operate in.

These challenges, according to the salary report, include: managing the impacts of inflation, increased workloads, and retaining “high quality candidates” in the roles.

Councillor Kate Hastie has jumped from a councillor’s salary in 2023 to a deputy mayor’s salary in 2024.

A mixture of population size, how far the average voter lived from the city centre, socio-economic disadvantage, and the council’s operating budget was used by The Commission to place council’s in certain salary brackets.

Charters Towers Regional Council fell into salary bracket B2 - the fifth lowest paid bracket - alongside Mount Isa City Council, Tablelands Regional Council and the Cassowary Coast Regional Council.

Barcaldine, Doomadgee, McKinlay and Richmond Shire Council are all in the lowest salary bracket and are capped at paying $119,393 to mayors, $68,880 to deputies and $59,695 to councillors.

Townsville City Council was placed in the third highest bracket and can pay its mayor $252,233, deputy $174,761 and councillors $153,141 - making all the political drama over Mayor Troy Thompson, currently under investigation by the Crime and Corruption Commission, all the more cringe-inducing for ratepayers.

Embattled Townsville mayor Troy Thompson has returned to work. Picture: Evan Morgan

If you’re interested in how the top end of town does things, the highest salary bracket only has one council in it - Gold Coast City Council - which can pay its mayor a maximum of $279,258 in annual salary, its deputy $196,679 and councillors $166,653.

Brisbane City Council was excluded from the list as it’s affected by an ongoing independent tribunal.

The Commission will review council salaries again in December.

Originally published as $146k and $77k: Increased salaries for Charters Towers councillors