The ACT's two new land agency boards will cost the taxpayers almost $400,000 in payment for board members, plus just over $500,000 for the new chief executives.
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The pay rates have been set by the ACT Remuneration Tribunal, which has opted to pay the board and head of the City Renewal Authority substantially more than the board and head of the Suburban Land Agency.
The Suburban Land Agency will be responsible for building new suburbs, selling land in those suburbs, and affordable housing.
The City Renewal Authority will be responsible for selling land and handling development initially in Northbourne Avenue, the city and the lake front. It will also be responsible for land sales in any other "urban renewal precinct" declared by the government in future.
The Remuneration Tribunal, with advice from the government, has decided on a pay packet of $312,418 for the chief executive of the City Renewal Authority, which equates to an executive level 3.10 position. The top pay level in the ACT public service is 3.12, at $355,510.
The chief executive of the Suburban Land Agency will be paid $266,397, which equates to level 3.7.
The chairperson of the City Renewal Authority will be paid $70,000, the deputy chairperson $56,000 and the three other members $37,500, with the Remuneration Tribunal noting in its decision that they were "responsible for facilitation major development projects, as well as associated land acquisition and sales, within declared urban renewal precincts".
The chairperson of the Suburban Land Agency will be paid $45,000, the deputy chairperson $36,000 and and the other board members $26,000.
Remuneration Tribunal chairperson Anne Cahill Lambert said the Urban Renewal Agency had a larger span of control with bigger risk and impact than the Suburban Land Agency.
"That's not to say that the suburban one is the poor cousin, they still have a substantial role, but in all categories of positions...all of them have a different range of responsibilities and risk," she said.
The tribunal has opted to pay the new board members slightly less than the current Land Development Agency board members, whose pay is set at $75,295 for the chairman, $60,250 for the deputy, and $45,185 for the three other members.
Ms Cahill Lambert said, "One would have thought when you're splitting a thing like this you probably would end up paying less - the LDA has more responsibility again. But we preferred to start a bit lower to see how they're going to go ...It's a matter of striking a range and seeing if that's right. It's easier to ramp it up than to ramp it back."
Last year, the tribunal set the pay for the chief executive of the Land Development Agency at $266,397, and it has now pegged the Suburban Land Agency chief's job at the same level. In fact, Land Development Agency chief David Dawes is paid much more than that, with his last contract, in August 2015, showing a salary of $298,821, plus $29,882 in superannuation.
Mr Dawes, who recently announced plans to resign and has now set up a consultancy, is not only chief of the agency, but also director general of the economic development directorate.
The government advertised nationally for board members for its new agencies on March 31, with applications closing on April 10. The Land Development Agency will be abolished on July 1.
But the Remuneration Tribunal has also approved a per diem of $510 for the chairperson and deputy chairperson of the Land Development Agency's board from July to October during the switch to the new agencies.
The ACT parliament will debate the establishment of the two new agencies next week when Chief Minister Andrew Barr will need the backing of the Greens to get his legislation through.
The split into new agencies follows a damning audit report last year, but also gives effect to the government's desire to separate Northbourne Avenue into a new precinct.
Mr Barr has said no staff will lose their jobs in the carve up. The Land Development Agency had 99 staff at June 2016.
