Council Chief Executive Officer Salaries

Mr TELFER (Flinders) (15:06): My question is to the Minister for Local Government. Was the local government minister, his staff or department involved in developing the statutory criteria or scope with the remuneration tribunal in their work of the banding of council CEO salaries?

The Hon. G.G. BROCK (Stuart—Minister for Local Government, Minister for Regional Roads, Minister for Veterans Affairs) (15:06): Thank you to the member for his question. This remuneration investigation about the CEOs' salaries was instigated by the previous government. That took around about 18 months, or nearly two years, to get the full information. There was a little bit of resistance from councils to give all the full information. The member was the past president of the Local Government Association at that particular point. It was made quite clear that the remuneration investigation into the CEOs' salaries was instigated through the LGA and the councils supported that through the LGA.

As we all know, that investigation was independent of the minister—it was done independently. The review of that will be undertaken by the particular organisation that did the review after 12 months. The answer is: no, my staff were not involved directly, and, as the past president of the Local Government Association, the member for Flinders knows that it would not have been done by any minister—not this minister or the previous minister.