THE ACT Remuneration Tribunal has released determinations covering:

• Members of the ACT Legislative Assembly;
• Head of Service, Directors-General and other ACT Public Service (ACTPS) Executives;
• Full-time Statutory Office Holders;
• The Clerk of the Legislative Assembly; and
• The newly established Governing Board of the Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT).

Members of the Legislative Assembly will receive a 3 per cent increase which is consistent with salary increases provided to the ACT public service more generally through Enterprise Agreements. This issignificantly less than the 6 per cent increase foreshadowed for by the Tribunal in its 2014 Final Report on the Review of Entitlements for Members of the ACT Legislative Assembly and is reflective of movements innational and local economic indicators. Members will also receive a small adjustment in relation to motor vehicle allowances to reflect the actual leasing costs that are applicable to members.

The Head of Service, Directors-General, other ACTPS Executives, the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly and Full-time Statutory Office Holders will receive a 2.5 per cent increase in remuneration. In making this decision the Tribunal considered comparisons, and the need to remain competitive with similar roles in the Commonwealth and interstate jurisdictions. The Tribunal also considered local and national economic indicators.

Remuneration for the newly established Governing Board of the CIT was set at $35,000 per annum for the Chair, $17,500 per annum for the Deputy Chair and $410 per diem for members. In making this decision the Tribunal considered the need to attract high caliber candidates to the roles and comparisons with similar interstate institutions. The Tribunal will review this decision when the Governing Board has operated for a reasonable period of time.

All determinations will come into effect from 1 July 2015.

As part of the Tribunal’s obligations to inquire into Part Time Office Holders, an in depth review of those offices will be conducted in the coming months.

The Tribunal has made these decisions in line with its obligations under the Remuneration Tribunal Act 1995. The Act requires that the Tribunal inquire into these positions on an annual basis.

For more information on the Tribunal’s determinations visit www.cmd.act.gov.au/governance/remtrib/home

UPDATE: Chief Minister Andrew Barr had this to say:

‘The original proposal put forward by the Remuneration tribunal of a 6% pay rise for members of the Legislative Assembly was clearly not reflective of the current economic climate.’

‘I expressed this view in my submission to the Tribunal and I am glad that they have agreed to a smaller increase.

‘There is no doubt that ACT politicians work very hard representing the people of Canberra. However, I’m sure I speak for all members of the Assembly that the decision to take on these roles is not for financial gain – but rather to serve the people of Canberra and contribute to improving our city. ‘