Now not all councillors complain about being hardly done by & some enjoy “virtue-signalling” by publicly declining any offer of an increase in their fees, probably because it simply doesn’t matter that much to them or perhaps they get more pleasure from niggling their political opponents who aren’t as well-heeled & to whom every dollar is significant.
And then of course, there are those who are simply convinced, perhaps with some justification, that they are worth more; that they make great personal sacrifices on behalf of the community, could earn a lot more if they went somewhere-else etc. etc.
The majority certainly seem blind to the idea that in offering to serve the community as an elected public official, they are undertaking a “community service” & rightly or wrongly, that tradition was built on the then principle of performing a service for others without the expectation of financial reward.
Times change, as do the motives that prompt people to pursue elected office as a councillor, with almost half of all elected representatives now being women & many young people of all genders.
Today’s candidates can view council as a training ground for politics, as providing wonderful opportunities to meet people who may be helpful in building future career opportunities for them or, for some regional Australians, access to a handy sum of regular cash when other opportunities don’t abound.
And let’s not forget those few rare individuals whose principle interest is still to try & make a positive difference to the lives of their friends & neighbours.
When it comes to council, the Mayor has made no secret of the fact that she believes that elected officials should be properly remunerated, including enjoying benefits such as superannuation. The Mayor’s interest in higher reward is shared by the majority of her colleagues, while most are not afraid to express their views publicly.
Where it can become a little nauseous is when some councillors start to argue that unless positive change is forthcoming, there is less likelihood that women & younger people will be attracted to community service through local government, while ignoring the fact that it is in the interests of all of us to attract the most capable & motivated of candidates, regardless of age or gender.
The association has long held the view that the current NSW State Government displays sexist behaviour in favour of women, in particular in local government.
The NSW Office of Local Government (OLG) operates an awards program that recognises achievement in local government by women. It has no program to encourage, incentivise or recognise achievement of men or younger people more generally in the same way. That is simply discriminatory.
In recent months, responding to pressure from the local government sector, including female councillors in the
Bega Valley, the
Minister for Local Government initiated a
substantial public consultation program. seeking the views of both elected public officials & the public to the possibility of providing elected councillors with access to more significant levels of superannuation.
While the association has repeatedly criticised the OLG & the Minister for the at times sexist justifications they have used to pursue such initiatives, it has nevertheless made it clear that it has no problem with the development of more modern remuneration practices being introduced, provided that are accompanied by real performance requirements.
So, given the persistent calls from the majority of Bega Valley councillors for improvements to be made in remunerations standards for elected public officials in recent years, including in superannuation, the association was both very puzzled & surprised by council’s decision last month not to respond to the Minister’s initiative.
The association was even more disappointed, but unsurprised, that council ignored the Minister’s request for council’s to encourage members of the community to also make submissions on the matter & will certainly be encouraging its members to have their say.
John Richardson
Secretary/Treasurer
Bega Valley Shire Residents & Ratepayers Association
Tel: 0264945669
Email: secretary@begavalleyshireratepayers.asn.au
Website: http://www.begavalleyshireratepayers.asn.au