Showing residents the money trail
BY STEPHANIE TILLER
City of Sydney Labor councillor, Linda Scott is calling for real-time reporting of councillor expenses to ensure public confidence in how ratepayer money is spent.
The motion put forward by Ms Scott, at a City of Sydney Council meeting on Monday 27th February, was carried with an amendment at the request of Deputy Lord Mayor, Professor Kerryn Phelps.
The amendment requested that councillor expenditure be reported quarterly as opposed to online in real-time.
However, Ms Scott is now pushing to have her original motion implemented after an investigation ordered by the NSW Local Government Minister, Gabrielle Upton, found deficiencies in how the council reported its expenses.
Ms Scott said real-time reporting of councillor expenses is more vital now than ever.
“I continue to strongly support a system of real-time online publishing of councillor expenditure, it is fundamental for public confidence in government.
“At the moment expenses are published in a very bulk form in the annual report with not a lot of detail, they publish the absolute minimum amount required by law and I think we need much greater transparency around these things,” she said.
Ms Upton launched a review into the City of Sydney Council after plans to expand entitlements for councillors were laid out in its 2016/2017 Draft Councillors Expenses and Facilities Policy.
“In the draft policy, the Lord Mayor proposes signing off her own expenses, which is unusual and shows a lack of proper governance.
“This is a concern to me and I am sure to many of the council’s ratepayers,” she said.
The investigation also found anomalies in the council’s annual reports and has since given them three weeks to respond.
“Wasting ratepayers’ funds is unacceptable. I asked the Office of Local Government to look into the issue and they have found deficiencies in how the City of Sydney deals with expenses.
“The result of the investigation is a timely reminder to all Council’s that ratepayers’ funds must be properly spent and appropriately oversighted,” Ms Upton said.
Sydney Lord Mayor, Clover Moore took to Facebook to respond to the investigation findings.
“In reviewing Council’s expenses policy, the Office of Local Government picked up some minor reporting issues they’ve asked the City to change – which of course we’ll do.
“We have always worked to fully comply with regulations imposed by the Office of Local Government and we have been independently audited for over a decade with no significant issues,” she said.
Ms Scott said City of Sydney community members want to see immediate action on better disclosure methods of councillor expenditure.
“Given the recent public outcry about the level of entitlements available to City of Sydney councillors, it is our job as responsible elected representatives to work to ensure public confidence in how the Council operates.”
Andrew Woodhouse, President of the Potts Point and Kings Cross Heritage and Residents’ Society, said real-time reporting of councillor expenses is long overdue.
“It’s an excellent idea and should’ve come in years ago. Ratepayers are entitled to know where their money is going as it disappears out the door.
“Clover Moore gives new meaning to the word disposable income,” he said.
Ms Scott said she will put forward her original motion for real-time reporting with council in the coming months.
“The rules are that you can’t raise an issue for three months after you have first raised it with council, so I will continue to try and push this issue in every way that I can before and after this time has passed,” she said.
City of Sydney Liberal councillor, Christine Forster said she will support Ms Scott’s motion if it is reintroduced to Council.
“I supported Councillor Scott’s original motion at the last Council meeting as well as the final amended version that was carried unanimously.
“I’ve got nothing to hide in terms of my own expenses and I’d be very happy for all Councillor expenses to be scrutinised to any extent required,” she said.
