4 May 2026

2026 REVIEW OF ELECTORATE ALLOWANCES FOR MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT

The Remuneration Tribunal has initiated a review of the following Determination:

  • Determination 17 of 2022 - MP Electorate Allowances.

The Tribunal invites submissions from affected persons by Friday, 30 July 2026 . Submissions may be sent by email to RemunerationTribunal@sa.gov.au by the closing date and the Tribunal encourages the submissions consider:

  • The Electorate Allowance is provided for expenses associated with discharging parliamentary, electoral or community duties (but not party-political) in the electoral district the Member represents. Any items that are covered by any other allowance or reimbursement is not an Electorate Allowance expense. For example, items that are covered by the Global Allowance.
  • The quantum of Electoral Allowances varies and the exact basis for these variations cannot be easily determined. However, they can largely be traced back to the arrangements that operated to recognise travel costs within different sized electorates prior to 2003, where motor vehicle costs were identified as a significant component of the Electorate Allowance. In 2003 an administrative scheme was introduced to provide Members of Parliament with a fully maintained vehicle subject to a $7000 financial contribution from their Electorate Allowance. That system and the financial contribution remain unchanged. Consequently, if the geographic size of an electorate or other differentiating factors are relied on as the basis for a change to any Electorate Allowance, the Tribunal should be advised of the basis for additional (or reduced) costs.
  • Other travel costs, or accommodation costs, separate from vehicles, that Members of Parliament wish the Tribunal to consider.
  • The Tribunal is also cognizant that Electorate Allowances may be used for sundry expenses related to community events and that precise records of those expenditures may not be available.
  • Subscriptions, telephone, stationery and postage, together with other administrative expenses may be relevant to this review.
  • Other relevant expenses can also be drawn to the Tribunal’s attention.
  • Where the Tribunal's attention is directed to potential anomalies in the quantum of Electoral Allowances, those submissions should be founded on what costs the Electoral Allowance should cover, rather than simply a comparative assessment made in the absence of expenditure evidence.

28 May 2026

2026 ANNUAL REVIEW OF MINIMUM AND MAXIMUM REMUNERATION FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

The Tribunal is currently undertaking a review of the following Determination:

  • Determination 3 of 2025 - Minimum and Maximum Remuneration for Local Government Chief Executive Officers (Minimum and Maximum Remuneration for Local Government CEOs Determination)

This current review is reviewing the submissions put to it following an invitation to comment on the Mercer Report. The Tribunal anticipates that this review will be finalized in the next few weeks. The Tribunal is not yet able to pre-empt the outcome of this review.

However, in Report 3 of 2025 the Tribunal advised at paragraph 130 of its intention to review minimum and maximum remuneration amounts annually. The Tribunal noted that local Government enterprise agreements commonly link wage movements to consumer price movements but declined to establish an automatic annual linkage of that nature.

Consequently, the Tribunal considers it appropriate to invite submissions about the 2026 Annual Review.

The Tribunal encourages these submissions to address community wage movements that should be considered in a review of the Minimum and Maximum Remuneration for Local Government CEOs Determination.

The Tribunal invites submissions from affected persons by Friday 26 June 2026. Submissions may be sent by email to RemunerationTribunal@sa.gov.au by the closing date.