Table of Contents
Manningham Mayor Jim Grivas has begun 38 days' leave from his mayoral duties to attend a family wedding, with Council confirming he will continue to receive his mayoral allowance during his absence.
Cr Grivas was granted leave from 14 August to 20 September at Manningham Council's July meeting.
Under Manningham's Governance Rules, a councillor may apply in writing to the Chief Executive Officer for a leave of absence, with Council then deciding whether to grant the request. The rules state that Council must not unreasonably refuse an application for leave.
The Governance Rules do not specify a maximum period of leave or address whether a councillor's allowance continues during an approved leave of absence.
At the July meeting, Cr Grivas declared a material conflict of interest because the matter related to his own leave and left the chamber while it was considered. Deputy Mayor Cr Deirdre Diamante assumed the chair.
The motion, moved by Cr Carli Lange and seconded by Cr Isabella Eltaha, granted Cr Grivas leave "from his duties" from 14 August to 20 September inclusive. It was carried unanimously.
The Council minutes do not give a reason for the 38-day absence and make no reference to the Mayor's allowance or the arrangements that would apply while he is away.
Manningham Life subsequently asked Council for further information.
Council confirmed that Cr Grivas had requested the leave to attend a family wedding and that his mayoral allowance would continue during his absence.
"While the Mayor has been granted leave from his duties, he continues to hold office and is therefore entitled to receive his allowance during this time," Council said.
Why does the allowance continue?
The entitlement to a mayoral allowance comes from the Victorian Local Government Act 2020.
Section 39 states that a Mayor is entitled to receive an allowance from the Council in accordance with a determination of the Victorian Independent Remuneration Tribunal.
Importantly, taking approved leave does not itself make the office of Mayor vacant.
Section 20 of the Act sets out the circumstances in which the office becomes vacant. These include the election of the next Mayor, resignation, ceasing to be a councillor, suspension from the office of councillor and certain findings that make a councillor ineligible to remain Mayor. An ordinary approved leave of absence is not among them.
The Act also specifically provides for the Deputy Mayor to perform the role of Mayor and exercise the Mayor's powers if the Mayor is unable to attend a Council meeting or is unable to perform the duties of the office for any reason.
This means that although Cr Grivas has been granted leave from his mayoral duties, he continues to hold the office of Mayor.
The distinction is also apparent elsewhere in the Act. If a councillor is suspended from office, section 37 expressly provides that they are not entitled to receive a councillor allowance during the suspension, unless the Act provides otherwise.
The Act contains no equivalent provision stopping a mayoral or councillor allowance during an ordinary approved leave of absence.
How much is the mayoral allowance?
Mayoral and councillor allowances are not determined by Manningham Council itself. They are set under determinations made by the Victorian Independent Remuneration Tribunal.
In its 21 August response, Council described Manningham as a Category 3 council. The Tribunal's new 2026 determination, which took effect from 1 July, introduced a new classification system and lists Manningham as a Category C council.
The annual base allowance for the Mayor of a Category C council is $146,640.
Based on that annual amount, the allowance attributable to the Mayor's 38-day period of leave is approximately $15,268, according to Manningham Life's calculation.
Council also advised that Deputy Mayor Cr Deirdre Diamante will perform the duties of Mayor during Cr Grivas's absence and will receive no additional allowance for doing so.
Chief Executive Officer Andrew Day said Cr Grivas had followed the appropriate process for having his leave approved and remained contactable by the organisation for updates on any urgent community matters.
What does the Mayor say?
Manningham Life contacted Cr Grivas and invited him to comment on his leave and the arrangements during his absence.
Cr Grivas said his leave had been granted by his fellow councillors and recorded on the public record.
"This was done in a transparent way and recorded as such on the public record," he said.
"I have been keeping abreast of any key issues whilst away and remain available to be contacted by Council's leadership on any urgent matters."
When did this last happen?
Manningham Life also asked Council when a Manningham Mayor had last taken a comparable period of extended leave during their one-year mayoral term.
Council did not provide a date or previous example.
The media team referred Manningham Life to historical Council meeting minutes, saying it was unable to retrieve or compile information already publicly available due to resourcing constraints.
Manningham Life subsequently put the question directly to Chief Executive Officer Andrew Day.
"Council minutes are the mechanism by which a public record is kept of any endorsed Councillor leave of absence. This provides transparent reporting to community," Mr Day said.
He referred Manningham Life back to the Council minutes for any historical information that might assist.
On page 3 of the July Council minutes, the record of Cr Grivas's leave notes the dates, his conflict-of-interest declaration and Council's unanimous approval, but does not record the reason for the leave, whether his mayoral allowance would continue or the arrangements for mayoral duties during his absence.
Those details were provided by Council in response to subsequent questions from Manningham Life.
