Government parking perk 'paid for by public'
City of Sydney councillors have been found to be using free inner city parking at the public's expense, an exclusive 7News report has found.
The generous allowance comes in the form of free parking spots underneath Sydney's centrally located Town Hall in a secretive 24-hour personalised area.
7News says the spots are intended for the councillors to use for work purposes, but because they don't attend council every day the car areas often sit empty.
Each councillor also receives $6000 worth of taxis per year, according to the report.
Comparatively, regular Sydney motorists are required to pay high prices to park their car in the same vicinity.
Privately owned parking lots can range from between $4 to $11 an hour, and between $30 and $82 for parking for over four to six hours in a day if you miss the earlybird entry rate which can cost between $9 and $27.
On the city streets in Sydney parking meters abound, as do parking officers ready to hand out fines.
The high expense is all part of the council's overall plan to encourage people to use bikes and public transport, rather than drive cars into the city.
The ten parking spots are paid for by the Sydney City Council through a $2000 levy to the state government, but according to 7News that bill is picked up by the public.
