In short:
Wyndham City councillors spend more than $27,000 on conferences and training between July and September 2025, accounting for the majority of councillor expenses. Company director courses and professional memberships make up most of the quarterly spending.
Training Dominates Councillor Expenses
More than $27,000 was spent on councillor conferences and training at Wyndham City Council in just three months, making professional development the dominant expense category for the last quarter.
The Councillor Expense Reimbursement Report for 1 July to 30 September 2025 shows councillors collectively claim $27,185 for development, conferences and training, out of a total $29,241.93 in expenses for the quarter.
The largest costs are tied to company director training and memberships, with two councillors accounting for the overwhelming majority of spending.
Cr Maria King records the highest single expense, claiming $10,336 for an AICD Company Directors Course, joining fee and membership, as well as attendance at a VLGA panel on housing and homelessness.
Cr Shannon McGuire follows closely, with $10,245 claimed for the same AICD Company Directors Course, joining fee and membership.
The Australian Institute of Company Directors is a national organisation that provides governance education and professional development for company directors and senior leaders.
Together, these two claims total more than $20,500, representing around three-quarters of all councillor development spending for the quarter.
Other development-related expenses include $1,355 claimed by Cr Mia Shaw for renewal of an AICD membership and attendance at the MAV 2025 Annual Conference, and $1,369.50 claimed by Cr Robert Szatkowski for governance training and attendance at the MAV conference and councillor service awards dinner.
Cr Larry Zhao also claims $1,919.50 for attendance at multiple MAV conferences and seminars, including sessions on local government finances and navigating climate risk.
Outside of training and conferences, the report lists a series of smaller reimbursements, including $406.24 in Uber and taxi fares claimed by Cr Josh Gilligan, $180 claimed by Cr Robert Szatkowski for attendance at the Wyndham Fashion Awards, and $229.99 claimed by Cr Maria King for a text-to-speech subscription.
ICT-related expenses remain relatively uniform, with most councillors claiming $45 for standard technology costs, while total travel reimbursements across all councillors amount to $192.69 for the quarter.
All expenses listed in the report include GST where applicable and are disclosed as part of Wyndham City Council’s quarterly transparency reporting.
