Crazy salaries of local government workers in NSW

The staggering pay packets have been revealed showing where some taxpayers’ dollars are going.

The eye-watering pay packets of council CEOs have been revealed with some earning more than $500,000 a year.

In fact there were 10 council CEOs across NSW that smashed through the half a million dollar barrier, the newly released figures show.

The pay packets weren’t just salaries but also included superannuation, non-cash benefits and fringe benefits tax.

The highest paid CEO was from the tiny area of Walgett in northern NSW, which covers a population of just over 5500.

Walgett council’s CEO raked in $745,467 in the 2022/23 financial year, although this was skewed by a termination payment and cashing in on annual leave, the figures published by the Office of Local Government NSW found.

NSW’s second highest paid council CEO was in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith. However, the figure of $698,487 was actually shared between three general managers during that financial year.

Some NSW council CEOs were making over $500,000 annually. Picture: istock

The first CEO worked for just three months receiving $243,294 in total which included cashing out their leave, the second acted in the position for seven months earning $298,068, while their replacement started five weeks before the end of the financial leave and was paid $87,221.

Leadership changes at Parramatta council saw a number of CEO’s cost ratepayers $607,000 for that year.

One of NSW’s biggest council areas, the Northern Beaches, also saw a number of people fill the CEO position across the year adding up to a cost of $569,669. However, the figure did not include entitlements which piled on an extra $201,644.

More changes at the top also plagued Liverpool Plains council, located in the state’s northwest, with three people earning a split of $559,348 in total across that financial year.

Premier Chris Minns’ annual package is worth $416,440. Picture: NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

However, other councils had just one CEO for the year revealing their staggering pay packets.

Canterbury-Bankstown’s CEO was paid $544,676 for that financial year, not far ahead of the City of Sydney where the total was $541,510.

Blacktown Council and Central Coast Council had ratepayers forking out a similar amount with the CEOs earning $532,867 and $531,298 respectively.

Another top earner was Maitland council, which is based in the Hunter Valley region, with its CEO’s pay packet topping $514,000.

Some of the CEOs are raking in more than the NSW premier whose annual package is worth $416,440.

LGNSW president Darriea Turley. Picture: Supplied

The pay packets were defended by LGNSW, the body representing councils, with its president Darriea Turley explaining councils were large and complex organisations that handled budgets worth millions of dollars.

She added NSW’s 128 councils employed 55,000 people and were in charge of $198 billion in public assets.

“The operating income of several New South Wales councils exceeds $700 million per annum,” she told the ABC.

She added the pay packets were inflated if multiple employees had been filling the role across the year as the figures could include entitlements owing and termination payments.

Originally published as Crazy salaries of local government workers in NSW