He is also paid less than the top ACT public servants, with executives at levels 3.10, 3.11 and 3.12 all paid more than Mr Barr. The top bureaucrat salary is $348,500.

The ACT Remuneration Tribunal has awarded a 4 per cent pay rise to Canberra's politicians, on top of a 3 per cent rise last year and a 6 per cent hike the year before.

The tribunal is trying to bring ACT pay rates to the country's average.

The base salary for an ACT politician will be $142,200 from July 1. That is well above Tasmania, where the base salary languishes at $133,600 and the premier's salary at $287,000, but still behind other states.

In the Northern Territory, the base salary is $153,300. The Northern Territory Chief Minister is paid twice that, at $306,600.

Most state premiers are paid more than $350,000, with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on $517,500. The base salary for federal MPs and senators is $199,000, after they received a 2 per cent pay rise in January, coming off an Abbott-era wage freeze.

Canberra's executive level public servants were not quite so lucky on Friday, awarded a 2.5 per cent pay rise from July.

But ACT Remuneration Tribunal chairwoman Anne Cahill Lambert signalled a wider review of executive salaries and entitlements, in light of "the competitive market to attract high performing and capable executives to the ACT".

The 2.5 per cent pay rise takes the salaries of the city's 231 executive public servants to between $146,500 at EL1.1 level, to $348,500 at the top.

For the 17 politicians, the base salary of $142,200 is just the start. Almost all get a loading on top. Ministers and the leader of the Opposition get an extra $100,000, bringing their pay to $240,000. The Speaker gets an extra $78,000, and there are smaller loadings for other positions, down to $14,000 extra for whips and committee chairs.

The pay rise decision comes despite Mr Barr writing to Ms Cahill Lambert in February to urge restraint, given the "challenging" economic circumstances and the state of the budget.

The ACT's budget was forecast to return to surplus in 2018-19 but only on the back of careful spending, higher revenue, new jobs and efficiency, he said.

"Any adjustments to the remuneration, allowances and entitlements should be consistent with community expectations and standards, and the impact that they may have on the territory's budget," he told the tribunal, noting that the public service "administrative and related classifications" agreement had awarded 3 per cent for the year.

"It is the government's view that any increase in remuneration for MLAs, senior public servants and other officials should be consistent with, and not exceed, the increases for staff in the public service over the last few years."

The tribunal said the increase recognised that parliamentarians now make their own contributions to "ongoing professional development" after the tribunal abolished their taxpayer-funded overseas study tours. They are still able to travel overseas on official business and are paid a daily allowance for the trips.

They also get a car allowance of $25,500 a year, which remains unchanged since last year, and a $2500 taxi and hire-car allowance.

They get a $15,000-a-year allowance for communications, to pay for mobiles, laptops, and printing non-party political material. It, too, remains unchanged.

The tribunal also awarded a big increase to Assembly Clerk Tom Duncan, whose salary rises by 10 per cent, from $196,100 to $216,100. The tribunal noted the Clerk's increasing responsibilities with the big increase in the size of the Assembly this year from 17 to 25 politicians.