Bellingen Shire deputy mayor resigns citing low pay for councillors

Australia Broadcast Center

09-05-2025

A 31-year-old deputy mayor and mother of three has resigned from her regional council claiming it was costing her money to represent her community.
Ellie Tree announced she was stepping down from Bellingen Shire Council on the New South Wales Mid North Coast after a three-month leave of absence.
She said she was unable to balance the workload between family, full-time employment and postgraduate study.
"Unfortunately council pays the least and takes up the most of my time," Cr Tree said.
"People that step into the role aren't doing it for the money, it's a passion.
Women under 40 make up only 6 per cent of councillors according to the latest report on councillor diversity from the NSW Office of Local Government.
In NSW, councillors are paid an annual fee instead of a salary, which is determined by the Local Government Remuneration Tribunal.
While mayors in cities can earn six-figure salaries, councillors earn as little as $10,220.
Cr Tree told the ABC she was paid $18,000 per year for her work on the Bellingen council.
After being re-elected in 2024, Cr Tree unsuccessfully pushed to change the time of council meetings from 9:45am to sometime in the evening.
"When you're in a position such as mine where you need to take days off your full-time job to attend meetings, [the pay] dwindled down to about $6,000 a year in your back pocket," Cr Tree said.
Bellingen Mayor Steve Allan said Cr Tree had made a huge contribution to the local community and it was disappointing she had to resign.
"It's a very difficult ask of a young, working mother to be able to fulfil the role of councillor while working full-time and looking after a family," Cr Allan said.
As more women than ever enter politics at the federal level, structural barriers like low pay remain for those looking to cut their teeth in local politics in NSW.
According to analysis from the Australian Local Government Women's Association, women's representation on councils across Australia has grown to 40 per cent.
Local Government NSW president Phyllis Miller said despite the improved representation, the poor pay and heavy workload for councillors meant mostly older, semi-retired people were putting their hands up to be involved.
"If we don't start to change the fee structure, we're going to end up with people at retirement age being the only people who can afford to stand for local government," Cr Miller said.
Cr Miller said Local Government NSW was continuing to lobby the state government for increased funding and support for councillors.
"We go to the remuneration tribunal every year and we get nothing," she said.
"In Queensland, you get 85 per cent of a backbencher's salary, so the councillors would be on $70,000-80,000 a year.
Cr Tree, who was the youngest councillor in Bellingen Shire's history when she was first elected in 2021, said despite her resignation she hoped to stay engaged in the community.
"Right now, I just think my time is better off spent with my kids and focusing on my full-time employment," she said.
"Will I run again? Maybe when I'm old and semi-retired."