Annual report reveals executive pay bands, workforce shake-up and 17 councillor conduct notices
REDLAND City Council’s eight most senior executives were paid a combined $2.91 million last financial year as the organisation cut vacant positions, reshuffled teams and lifted staffing in key service areas.
The figures, buried in Council’s new annual report, offer a rare snapshot of the people behind the city’s $456 million annual operation from the executive leadership team to the 645 staff who completed mandatory code-of-conduct training.
Council’s Executive Leadership Team remuneration totalled $2,913,145.62 in 2025-26.
One executive, understood to be CEO Louise Rusan, received a total package in the $500,000-$600,000 range, six were paid between $300,000 and $400,000, and one received between $200,000 and $300,000.
The report does not identify individual executive packages.
Across the wider organisation, employee benefits totalled $130 million, making staff costs one of Council’s biggest annual expenses.
Council says the increase was driven by enterprise-agreement pay rises, higher superannuation costs, recruitment to support service delivery and extra resourcing for disaster management and recovery after ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
Chief executive Louise Rusan said the Council had made “big and difficult choices” to protect long-term financial sustainability.
Those choices included removing vacant positions from the structure — including a General Manager role — and realigning groups to strengthen governance, audit, risk and integrity functions.
Council also increased staffing in its City Water team while moving to absorb Redland Investment Corporation back into the organisation over the next 12 months.
The annual report says all new employees must complete Code of Conduct eLearning training, with existing staff required to refresh it every two years. A total of 645 employees completed the course during the year.
The staff focus comes as the report also shines a light on Council’s elected representatives.
It records 17 notices given to the Office of the Independent Assessor about councillor conduct during the financial year.
The report does not identify the councillors involved or describe the matters, and the notices should not be read as findings of wrongdoing.
It separately records no complaints formally referred to the assessor by Council, a councillor or government entity, and no matters notified to the Crime and Corruption Commission.
Council also confirmed it had no paid councillor advisers during the year, saying it had not resolved to allow them.
On the community side, the Mayor and Councillors’ Community Benefit Fund distributed $131,765.80 to local organisations and individuals, with only $753.40 of the $132,519.20 annual allocation left unspent.
The funding helped cover small but practical items ranging from sporting equipment and community-event costs to safety gear, club facilities and support for local athletes competing at state, national and international level.
Council’s Internal Audit team completed 13 reports during the year and issued 120 recommendations aimed at strengthening governance, risk management and internal controls.
While 84 recommendations were implemented, 105 remained open at June 30.
Council said the audit work nevertheless confirmed it maintained a satisfactory internal-control environment.
