The City of Nedlands, in metropolitan Perth, and the Shire of Murchison, around 700 kilometres to its north, are two very different Local Government areas. Murchison has 1,719 km of unsealed roads and only 2.5 km of sealed roads. It has a population of 150, with 69 dwellings. By contrast, Nedlands has 137 km of sealed roads and more than 380 hectares of parks and gardens. Its residential population is 21,000.
But according to the Western Australian Department of Local Government, these differences are the basis of a working partnership proposal between urban Nedlands and remote Murchison.
Nedlands CEO, Dr Shayne Silcox, said that while the City seemed large compared to Murchison, it was smaller than many other metropolitan Councils.
“This will allow us to give more personalised attention to the partnership,” Dr Silcox said. “We look forward to this mutual arrangement and being able to assist our remote Local Government partner.”
Staff from each Council will spend time in their reciprocal Local Government area to receive training and gain experience in a wide range of operations. Officers on exchange with the partner Council will face completely different issues from those they deal with in their usual work. Each Council hopes to benefit from staff developing an understanding of the other Council’s operating environment: for example, Murchison is expected to gain business and administration expertise from Nedlands.
For further information contact Dr Shayne Silcox, email council@nedlands.wa.gov.au, or telephone (08) 9836 6900.
