Tara Murray
Two Brimbank councillors have indicated that they will reject pay rises if they are awarded later this year.
The Victorian Independent Remuneration Tribunal will make a decision later this year whether councillors and mayors will receive allowance increases on the current rates.
Brimbank council earlier this year voted to set the mayoral and councillor allowances for the 2020-2024 council term at the maximum of the allowable range for category three.
As of December 2019, the maximum allowance for category three councils is $100,434 per annum for the mayor and $31,444 for councillors.
Councillors Virginia Tachos and Maria Kerr have both indicated on social media they won’t accept a pay rise if one is awarded this year.
Cr Tachos said that at a time when businesses and people in the community were struggling, she would refuse any pay rise afforded to her.
Cr Kerr said that if councillors are awarded a pay increase, she would be donating it to a local charity, adding that she would like to donate it to a foodbank.
Star Weekly asked Brimbank council if it was aware of any other councillors seeking to either forgo their pay rise or donate it to charity.
A council spokesperson said council couldn’t comment as pay increases weren’t currently before it and the tribunal wasn’t due to make a decision until December.
Brimbank Ratepayers and Residents Association president Irene Stokes applauded the decision by both councillors and said it would be good if more councillors followed suit.
The association has made a submission to the tribunal.
“We feel it is almost obscene for this tribunal to even be considering an increase to councillor allowances at this time,” Ms Stokes said.
“However, for Brimbank it’s even worse. Brimbank has been disproportionately affected by COVID-19, both in terms of the number of residents who have caught the disease and also from the numerous lockdowns and restrictions which have destroyed businesses, jobs and livelihoods.
“At present, there are a number of charities feeding Brimbank residents every night who cannot work and have no money to pay for rent, food, heating. In light of this situation, the timing of this proposed increase could not be worse.”
