On Thursday, 2 April the Salaries and Allowances Tribunal (SAT) issued the 2026 Local Government CEO and Elected Council Member Determination.
The Determination outlines several changes, including:
WALGA’s submission to SAT on behalf of the sector included nine recommendations for the 2026 Determination, most of which were fulfilled either in part or in full.
SAT addressed some concerns from the sector in relation to the application of the RIA, making changes to strengthen transparency, fairness and the contemporary relevance of the Allowance.
The 2026 Determination comes into effect on 1 July 2026 and can be found in full here.
The Determination outlines several changes, including:
- A general economic increase of 3.5% to the CEO remuneration bands and Elected Member fees and allowances (rounded).
- Changes to the Regional/Isolation Allowance (RIA), including an increase in the annual maximum for some Local Governments and expanded eligibility to an additional 17 Local Governments.
- An increase to the minimum range of fees for independent Audit, Risk and Improvement Committee members of 3.5%, and a 3.5% increase to the annual allowance ranges for Mayors/Presidents/Chairs.
- Amended wording of the ICT allowance, clarifying that where ICT equipment is supplied to elected council members by the Local Government, the allowance is to be reduced by the cost of the supplied ICT equipment.
WALGA’s submission to SAT on behalf of the sector included nine recommendations for the 2026 Determination, most of which were fulfilled either in part or in full.
SAT addressed some concerns from the sector in relation to the application of the RIA, making changes to strengthen transparency, fairness and the contemporary relevance of the Allowance.
The 2026 Determination comes into effect on 1 July 2026 and can be found in full here.
