Top earners revealed

Council report lists highest-paid bosses

SALARIES for Cairns Regional Council’s seven highestpaid managers will be published today.

The council will sign off its 2017-18 annual report featuring a $169 million spend on capital works and a $1.8 million surplus at the financial year’s end.

It also reveals six senior employees earn $200,000$299,000 per year with chief executive officer John Andrejic taking home an annual sal- ary within the bracket.

The council spent $2.1 million over the seven top-tier managers’ wages for the year.

Their remuneration dwarfs that of the councillors, whose wages range from $111,202 and $113,741, the deputy mayor’s $131,238 or the mayor’s $192,482 stipend.

The overall spend for the council’s 1184 employees was $95 million, equating to an average salary of about $80,000. $300,000$399,000

Mayor Bob Manning’s three overseas travels have also been enumerated.

His visit to Papua New Guinea in July to gauge support for a joint Cairns-PNG National Rugby League team and stadium bid cost ratepayers $1775, while the Advance Cairns trade and tourism delegation he joined in Singapore in October cost $1903.

By far the most expensive was his $15,794 claim for a journey to the Middle East in November with Cairns Airport representatives in an effort to attract new regular flight paths.

A total $24,094 was spent on overseas travel across the organisation.

The annual report has one glaring omission with no mention of how much the council spent to attract major events including the Ironman Asia Pacific Championships, Targa Great Barrier Reef rally and the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships.

Division 5 Cr Richie Bates revealed it cost ratepayers $300,000 to secure an Elton John concert last year, and was reprimanded and fined $500 for knowingly disclosing commercial-in-confidence information.

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