The City of South Perth and Town of Victoria Park have opposed City of
Perth’s submission to absorb both suburbs, along with Vincent and parts
of Cambridge and Stirling into a greater City of Perth.
City of Perth recommended that the State Government ‘take a long-term strategic and holistic approach’ to reforming local government in Western Australia.
Perth Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi said the City’s local government area needed to expand if it was to effectively perform the role of a modern capital city and meet the needs of its growing population.
“The City of Perth has consistently advocated that it should be larger and that the State Government should carefully consider capital city scale in a strategic and global context,” she said.
“The fundamental question to be considered is, what is the system of local government that will be best for Perth through what promises to be a period of extraordinary growth over the next 30-50 years?”
In separate responses to the Metropolitan Local Government Review Panel report (the Robson Report), both the City of South Perth and the Town of Victoria Park asserted their opposition to the City of Perth’s submission.
City of Perth Mayor Sue Doherty said that despite City of Perth’s claim that it is willing to collaborate with affected local governments, her attempts to discuss the subject with the Lord Mayor had been unsuccessful.
“One of the most disturbing recommendations made by the City of Perth is that the CBD should be over represented on the new council simply because of its status as a Capital City.
“This would reduce the capacity of our suburbs to be equitably represented, which is a principle enshrined in the Local Government Act.
Councillor Doherty said other areas of concern in the City of Perth’s submission included their intention to direct revenue such as off-street parking into ongoing CBD investment.
“This move would effectively isolate funding from the surrounding residential suburbs, including South Perth, to the detriment of our ratepayers, and the services provided to them.”
Town of Victoria Park Mayor Trevor Vaughan said that when Town of Victoria Park was part of the City of Perth, little had been achieved.
“Now 19 years later there is more than $8 billion worth of development happening in our Town, and our community has become a vibrant, desirable place to reside, with a unique personality and so much to offer.”
The preferred option for both City of South Perth and Town of Victoria Park was an amalgamation between the two.
“Both the City of South Perth and the Town of Victoria Park are open to local government reform,” Councillor Doherty said.
“We are willing to work collaboratively to develop a sensible solution that reflects the best interests of our residents.”
Ms Scaffidi said residents and councils should not fear reform, as it was necessary in a metropolitan area that has undergone massive growth in the past decade.
“Reform should not be seen simply as one local government taking over another but as a coming together which benefits all concerned,” she said.
The City of Perth submission to the State Government also called for rationalisation of existing planning and project delivery authorities and agencies in the city to allow for more clearly defined and consistent processes.
“With the local government sector currently under review, the time is also right to formally recognize Perth’s capital city status by introducing a Capital City Charter, or similar agreement,” the Lord Mayor said.
“A proposal for a Forum of Mayors, chaired by the Lord Mayor, to facilitate regional collaboration and to provide a voice for Perth is also supported.”
