By STEVE GRAY
THE Information Commissioner will review Tenterfield Shire Council’s refusal to release details of staff wages.
The Tenterfield Progress Association (TPA, formerly Tenterfield Rates and Anti-amalgamation Forum) had lodged a request under the Government Information (Public Access) Act asking for a complete list of staff salaries and positions, excluding names of employees.
Richard Holland, who lodged the request, told the Information Commissioner that council had “used the maximum allowed time and charged the maximum allowed amount in order to deter the request, and then flat out refused it in the end”.
He said the information was required as TPA fights an application by council for a Special Rates Variation that could see rates rise by over 80 per cent in a decade.
“The staff pay rates and positions constitute important political information that the people of Tenterfield need in order demonstrate to IPART that the council is not deserving of a significant rates increase,” he said.
“Considering that the council routinely publish new positions and the rates of pay for those positions, I find it hard to believe that this information is sensitive.”
Council, in refusing the GIPA said there is “an overriding public interest consideration against council disclosing the information requested, as disclosure could reasonably be expected to reveal an individual’s personal information.
“Tenterfield Shire Council is a small organisation in a small community where staff
can be identified easily,” the council said.
“To release the information requested is releasing personal information pertaining to an individual whose identity is apparent or can reasonably be ascertained from the information or opinion.”
However, Mr Holland, in a letter to council, said the matter “was done in bad faith”.
He said council used unnecessarily long processing times and unnecessarily high costs to deter the application before rejecting it at the last minute.
“We feel it is prudent to remind council that an important community issue is at stake (the rates increase) and any interference with the political process could be deemed corruption.”
Mr Holland told council that the TPA has also written to the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal, who will have the final say on the rates increase.
He asked them to investigate the potential misuse of the mayoral deciding vote which tipped the balance toward the application for a rates variation.
In response to his letter the Information Commissioner’s office said it had assessed his request and will review council’s decision to refuse the GIPA.
“We have assessed your request and will be reviewing council’s decision,” said senior investigation and review officer Kathryn Luis
“We have asked council for further information about their decision to assist us with our review.”
