Walgett Shire spent $749,000 on its general manager role in the 2022-23 financial year, topping the list of high-paid council executives from new data released on 9 August by the NSW Office of Local Government (OLGNSW).

Walgett Shire Council said the actual package for the top job held by Megan Dixon is $330,000, although the sum in the report is inflated due to a termination payment to previous GM Michael Urquhart, who left in March 2023.

“The figure released by OGLNSW over-represented the actual remuneration received by individual CEOs because where a general manager resigns or is terminated from their employment, the data will typically include employment costs associated with the outgoing general manager such as entitlements owing, any applicable termination payments and Fringe benefits Tax,” Walgett mayor Jasen Ramien said.

“When Michael Urqhuart left the organisation, he was paid out 38 weeks salary, Annual and Long Service leave as part of his termination,”

“The actual package for the General Manager is $330,000k.”

Source: NSW Office of Local Government

Local councils report their performance and expenditure each year to the each year to OLGNSW, which collates and publishes the figures on its website.

Those figures include spending on water, infrastructure and asset maintenance as well as mayoral and councillor fees. 

Cr Ramien said the General Manager position is the only role within Council that is appointed by and reports to the elected councillors.

“Councils are large and complex organisations that manage millions of dollars’ worth of infrastructure, services, and staff, and their salary reflects their level of accountability.”

“For example, all legal liability sits with the General Manager. If the Shire gets called before a court, or an inquiry, it is the General Manager alone who is held accountable, not the Councillors.

“The salary package for General Managers is based on the responsibilities that go hand in hand with being the head of an organisation that oversees millions of dollars in operations.

“For the sake of transparency, the salaries of the General Manager and other executive staff members are published as part of the Annual Report. It is publicly available information.”