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This policy enables the reasonable and appropriate reimbursement of expenses and provision of facilities to Councillors to help them undertake their civic duties.
It ensures accountability and transparency and seeks to align Councillor expenses and facilities with community expectations. Councillors must not obtain private or political benefit from any expense or facility provided under this policy.
The policy has been prepared in accordance with the Local Government Act 1993 (the Act) and Local Government (General) Regulation 2021 (the Regulation), and complies with the Office of Local Government’s Guidelines for the payment of expenses and provision of facilities to Mayors and Councillors in NSW. This policy is based on the Councillor Expenses and Facilities Policy template as release by the Office of Local Government.
The policy sets out the maximum amounts Council will pay for specific expenses and facilities. Expenses not explicitly addressed in this policy will not be paid or reimbursed. The main expenses and facilities are summarised in the table below. All monetary amounts are exclusive of GST.
Expense or facility
Maximum amount
Frequency
General travel expenses
$2,500 total for all Councillors
Per year
Interstate, overseas and long-distance intrastate travel expenses
No maximum however requires approval by Council resolution
Per year
Accommodation and meals
As per the NSW Local Government (State) Award current at that time
Per meal/night
Professional development, memberships to professional bodies, Conferences and seminars (including travel, accommodation and expenses,)
$3,000 per Councillor (1)
Per year
Carer expenses
$2,500 per Councillor
Per year
Subscriptions (newspapers, etc)
$100 per Councillor
Per year
Home office expenses
$500 per Councillor
Per year
Access to facilities in a Councillor common room
Provided to all Councillors
Not relevant
Council vehicle and fuel card
Provided to the Mayor
Not relevant
Reserved parking space at Council office
Provided to the Mayor
Not relevant
Furnished office
Provided to the Mayor
Not relevant
(1) 1 Unexpended funds at the end of each year are no longer available in subsequent years. This amount does not include group training sessions for all Councillors. Attendance at the annual LGNSW Conference is also not included in this amount.
Additional costs incurred by a Councillor in excess of these limits are considered a personal expense that is the responsibility of the Councillor.
Councillors must provide claims for reimbursement within three months of an expense being incurred. Claims made after this time cannot be approved. Detailed reports on the provision of expenses and facilities to Councillors will be publicly tabled at a Council meeting every six months and published in full on Council’s website. These reports will include expenditure summarised by individual Councillors and as a total for all Councillors.
Have Your Say
You can view the Draft Councillor Expenses and Facilities Policy to the right (or below if viewing this page on a mobile device).
During the exhibition, all interested persons are encouraged to view the draft policy and provide written comments. All comments will be reported to a future Council meeting for consideration before a final decision is made. Please note that any submission may be made public. Contact details remain confidential, however, you can let us know if you would like your name to remain confidential.
Posting to: CEO Port Macquarie Hastings Council, PO Box 84, Port Macquarie NSW 2444
All submissions must be received by 5pm on 18 July 2025.
This policy enables the reasonable and appropriate reimbursement of expenses and provision of facilities to Councillors to help them undertake their civic duties.
It ensures accountability and transparency and seeks to align Councillor expenses and facilities with community expectations. Councillors must not obtain private or political benefit from any expense or facility provided under this policy.
The policy has been prepared in accordance with the Local Government Act 1993 (the Act) and Local Government (General) Regulation 2021 (the Regulation), and complies with the Office of Local Government’s Guidelines for the payment of expenses and provision of facilities to Mayors and Councillors in NSW. This policy is based on the Councillor Expenses and Facilities Policy template as release by the Office of Local Government.
The policy sets out the maximum amounts Council will pay for specific expenses and facilities. Expenses not explicitly addressed in this policy will not be paid or reimbursed. The main expenses and facilities are summarised in the table below. All monetary amounts are exclusive of GST.
Expense or facility
Maximum amount
Frequency
General travel expenses
$2,500 total for all Councillors
Per year
Interstate, overseas and long-distance intrastate travel expenses
No maximum however requires approval by Council resolution
Per year
Accommodation and meals
As per the NSW Local Government (State) Award current at that time
Per meal/night
Professional development, memberships to professional bodies, Conferences and seminars (including travel, accommodation and expenses,)
$3,000 per Councillor (1)
Per year
Carer expenses
$2,500 per Councillor
Per year
Subscriptions (newspapers, etc)
$100 per Councillor
Per year
Home office expenses
$500 per Councillor
Per year
Access to facilities in a Councillor common room
Provided to all Councillors
Not relevant
Council vehicle and fuel card
Provided to the Mayor
Not relevant
Reserved parking space at Council office
Provided to the Mayor
Not relevant
Furnished office
Provided to the Mayor
Not relevant
(1) 1 Unexpended funds at the end of each year are no longer available in subsequent years. This amount does not include group training sessions for all Councillors. Attendance at the annual LGNSW Conference is also not included in this amount.
Additional costs incurred by a Councillor in excess of these limits are considered a personal expense that is the responsibility of the Councillor.
Councillors must provide claims for reimbursement within three months of an expense being incurred. Claims made after this time cannot be approved. Detailed reports on the provision of expenses and facilities to Councillors will be publicly tabled at a Council meeting every six months and published in full on Council’s website. These reports will include expenditure summarised by individual Councillors and as a total for all Councillors.
Have Your Say
You can view the Draft Councillor Expenses and Facilities Policy to the right (or below if viewing this page on a mobile device).
During the exhibition, all interested persons are encouraged to view the draft policy and provide written comments. All comments will be reported to a future Council meeting for consideration before a final decision is made. Please note that any submission may be made public. Contact details remain confidential, however, you can let us know if you would like your name to remain confidential.
Draft Councillor Expenses and Facilities Policy is currently at this stage
This consultation is open for contributions.
18 July 2025
this is an upcoming stage for Draft Councillor Expenses and Facilities Policy
Contributions to this consultation are closed for evaluation and review. The project team will report back on key outcomes.
Final report
this is an upcoming stage for Draft Councillor Expenses and Facilities Policy
The final outcomes of the consultation are documented here. This may include a summary of all contributions collected as well as recommendations for future action.