1. About the Tribunal
The Victorian Independent Remuneration Tribunal provides transparent, accountable and evidence-based decision-making in relation to the remuneration of Members of the Parliament of Victoria (MPs), Victorian public sector executives and Mayors, Deputy Mayors and Councillors.
The Tribunal is established under the Victorian Independent Remuneration Tribunal and Improving Parliamentary Standards Act 2019 (Vic) (VIRTIPS Act).
The Minister responsible for the Tribunal at 30 June 2024 was the Assistant Treasurer. In performing its functions, the Tribunal must act independently and impartially and is not subject to the control or direction of any person, including the Minister.
1.1 Functions of the Tribunal
The VIRTIPS Act (s. 6(1)) requires the Tribunal to inquire into and make Determinations in relation to:
- salaries and work-related parliamentary allowances for MPs
- remuneration bands for executives employed in public service bodies
- remuneration bands for executives employed in prescribed public entities
- allowances for Mayors, Deputy Mayors and Councillors.
Amongst other functions, the VIRTIPS Act also provides the Tribunal with powers to:
- make guidelines with respect to the use of work-related parliamentary allowances and the Electorate Office and Communications Budget (EO&C Budget) for MPs (s. 36(1))
- issue guidelines with respect to the placement of public sector executives within the remuneration bands determined by the Tribunal (ss. 6(1)(e) and 6(1)(h))
- provide advice on proposals to pay executives above the relevant remuneration band set by a Determination (ss. 6(1)(i) and 37(1))
- provide advice to the Minister on any matter relating to the remuneration of any specified occupational group (s. 6(1)(l)).
1.2 Machinery of government changes
The Ministerial portfolio responsible for the Tribunal was the Minister for Government Services from 1 July 2023 to 31 January 2024. From 1 February 2024, as part of machinery of government changes the Tribunal was moved to the Assistant Treasurer portfolio and the Tribunal’s supporting Secretariat was transferred to the Department of Treasury and Finance.
1.3 Tribunal Members
The Tribunal consists of up to three Tribunal Members.
Warren McCann - Tribunal Chair
Mr McCann has an extensive public service career, with senior appointments in Victoria, South Australia and at the Commonwealth level, including as Chief Executive Officer of the South Australian Department of Premier and Cabinet, Commissioner for Public Sector Employment in South Australia and as Secretary of the former Victorian Departments of Justice and Human Services. Mr McCann is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Public Administration.
Mr McCann has been a Member of the Tribunal since its inception.
Laurinda Gardner - Tribunal Member
Ms Gardner is a board director, organisational reform and change management consultant and career coach. She has over 25 years’ senior executive experience and was formerly a Deputy Secretary with the Victorian Department of Treasury and Finance and a Director at the City of Melbourne. Ms Gardner has led large operational teams in diverse areas including strategic and business planning, HR, IT, communications, town planning, stakeholder engagement, finance and risk.
Ms Gardner has performed the role of trusted adviser to several Chief Executive Officers, was an Administrator at the City of Greater Geelong, is currently on the Boards of the Victorian Planning Authority and VicTrack, and is a member of several remuneration, and audit and risk committees.
Ms Gardner commenced as a Member of the Tribunal in September 2022.
The Honourable Jennifer Acton - Tribunal Member until June 2024
Ms Acton has significant workplace relations experience, including as a former Presidential Member of Australia's national workplace relations tribunal.
She is currently the Chair of the Victorian State Trustees Ltd, the Port of Hastings Corporation and LeavePlus. In addition to being a lawyer and economist, Ms Acton is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Ms Acton was a Member of the Tribunal from its inception until 3 June 2024.
The Tribunal thanks Ms Acton for her many contributions as a Tribunal Member and wishes her all the best in her future endeavours.
1.4 Annual report requirements
The VIRTIPS Act (s. 40) specifies that the Tribunal is to prepare, as soon as practicable after the end of each financial year (and no later than 31 October), an annual report to the Minister about the following activities in the previous 12 months:
- information about the number of Determinations made by the Tribunal
- details of any disclosure of an interest recorded in the minutes of a meeting of the Tribunal under section 14(4) of the VIRTIPS Act
- a review of the operations of the Tribunal, including the work undertaken by the Tribunal
- the number of MPs who have not complied with requests for further information by the Compliance Officer in the preceding year in relation to Determinations about separation payments
- the number of appeals heard by the Compliance Officer in the preceding year in relation to separation payments and the outcome of the appeals
- the number of MPs who have not complied with requests for further information by the Compliance Officer in the preceding year in relation to appeals relating to work-related parliamentary allowances and the EO&C Budget
- the number of appeals heard by the Compliance Officer in the preceding year in relation to appeals relating to work-related parliamentary allowances and the EO&C Budget and the outcome of the appeals
- a report on the performance of the function of the Compliance Officer
- any other prescribed matter.
These matters are addressed in this report.
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