Circulars

What’s new or changing

• The Statutory and Other Offices Remuneration (Executive Office Holders and Senior Executives) Regulation 2023 (SOORT Regulation) has been prescribed. Clause 4(1) of the SOORT Regulation states that the Statutory and Other Offices Remuneration Tribunal (the SOORT Tribunal) is not to award an increase in remuneration for NSW Government executive officeholders and senior executives before 1 July 2025.

What this will mean for your council

• Automatic annual increases in remuneration payable under the approved standard employment contracts for general managers of councils, executive officers of joint organisations and other senior staff are tied to determinations by the SOORT Tribunal.
• The SOORT Regulation means that automatic increases will not be available to general managers, executive officers and senior staff under their employment contracts before 1 July 2025.
• The SOORT Regulation was not intended to apply to local government. It remains open to councils and joint organisations to approve discretionary increases under the approved employment contracts where the employee’s performance has been assessed as being of a better than satisfactory standard.

Key points

• The SOORT Regulation prohibiting a remuneration increase for executive office holders and senior executives until 1 July 2025 is not intended to apply to local government.
• Councils can pay their general managers, executive officers, and senior staff an increase in remuneration. The approved standard contracts of employment provide that an increase in an employee’s remuneration may be approved where their performance is assessed as being better than satisfactory.

Where to go for further information

• For further information please contact the Council Governance Team on 02 4428 4100 or by email at olg@olg.nsw.gov.au.

Brett Whitworth
Deputy Secretary, Local Government