Western Australian councils have rejected the State Government’s rigid focus on amalgamations as the only solution for Local Government reform.
More than 400 Local Government representatives expressed their dissatisfaction with the Minister for Local Government’s reform program at a Statewide forum in February.
Representing more than 100 Western Australian councils, the forum reinforced the vote of no confidence in the State Government’s reform process passed by the WA Local Government Association (WALGA) at its State Council meeting a week prior.
The meeting overwhelmingly endorsed the research conducted during the Systemic Sustainability Study and the need to continue on the path of reform.
However it demonstrated extreme dissatisfaction with the process that is being used by the Minister.
WALGA President Councillor Bill Mitchell said the one sided approach being used by the Minister and Department of Local Government effectively ignores the wishes of Local Government and the local communities they were elected to represent.
“The current process merely pays lip service to engaging with representatives of Local Government,” he said.
“The Minister is truly mistaken if he believes the reform process is ‘on track’, and unless he provides the means for genuine discussion and planning, there is a danger the process will entirely derail.”
Councillor Mitchell said Local Government is committed to a reform process that provides flexibility in solutions and does not lock councils into a process that only offers wide scale amalgamations as a result.
“Local Governments have invested time and money in addressing the Minister’s requests, consulting with their communities to establish their wishes and the best opportunities for change,” he said.
“The Minister’s preoccupation with amalgamations, however, has shown little regard for this work, and is misrepresenting the wishes of many local communities and their voices through a democratic process.
“While we commend those Local Governments that have identified amalgamation as the correct path for reform in their particular circumstances, the application of a one size fits all solution across the bulk of the State simply isn’t feasible.
“Councils need the flexibility to apply a variety of solutions to reform that suit their individual needs.”
WALGA has called for an urgent meeting with the Minister seeking a commitment to genuine dialogue and planning on behalf of their members.
