True cost of former CEO’s exit revealed

DETAILS of the total cost of former City of Ballarat CEO Justine Linley’s departure have come to light via the municipality’s 2019/2020 financial statements.

In the agenda for the final meeting of the current council is a table detailing the wage expenditure of unnamed senior City staff for the year ending 30 June.

One staff member received between $630,000 and $639,999 over that 12-month period. Enquiries have revealed that person was Justine Linley.

Mayor Cr Ben Taylor sought to put context around the large number.

“The cost is high, but as part of the termination it was only the additional six months that was given to her,” he said.

“So it’s her 18 months’ pay and the rest are her entitlements that she would have received whether she was moving to another organisation or parting ways.

“It’s frustrating. We made the decision and we knew there was a clause that was six months, but whether it was a termination or leaving the organisation for other purposes, she’s still entitled to that leave and those items.”

Ms Linley’s annual wage was between $320,000 and $329,000, although she only worked 11 months of the reporting period after being fired in late May by council.

Also included in the $630,000 to $639,999 figure was her six-month exit payment, reported to be between $160,000 to $164,500.

The remainder of the total payout came from her annual leave and long service leave entitlement.

Although Ms Linley had only been with the City of Ballarat for about four years, some workers in the local government sector are able to roll-over their long service leave from municipality to municipality.

City of Ballarat interim CEO Janet Dore confirmed this is something Ms Linley had done and money for entitlements owed to the former municipal head would have been transferred to the City of Ballarat when Ms Linley started.