This month Local Government Focus catches up with the City of Cockburn’s Mayor Logan K. Howlett, JP.
Tell us about your area: what makes your council special or different?
The City of Cockburn is a magnet for families and lifestyle hunters who want to live, work, play and invest here. It’s a place where you can have it all.
Cockburn is centrally located south of the Perth CBD, on Whadjuk Nyungar Boodjar (the traditional country of the Whadjuk Nyungar First Nations people) between the Cockburn Sound coast and Jandakot Airport, WA’s major general aviation airport.
It’s home to 125k+ people across 24 vibrant, diverse communities, old and new, where you can experience everything from pristine beaches and internationally significant wetlands to theme parks and world-class recreation facilities.
This includes the headquarters of an AFL and AFLW team in the emerging strategic centre of Cockburn Central where a $1b transformation of Cockburn Gateway Shopping City will take place over the next decade.
Cockburn is a place of opportunity, providing around a third of all employment in the Perth southern metro region and generating $6b in domestic and international exports.
We have more than 9200 businesses, and host five of WA’s most successful industrial and commercial hubs, covering defence to manufacturing and employing about 18,000 people.
Do you have a favourite part/aspect/attraction in the council area?
The Cockburn coast holds a special place in my heart with its crystal clear waters offering an abundance of recreational opportunities. I’m also attracted to the wetlands and banksia woodlands that form a chain of natural beauty north-south in our district and beyond, again offering amazing places to explore all that nature has to offer.
How long have you been on council and why did you become involved in local government?
I was an elected Councillor from 1990 to 1999 and since March 2009 have been the popularly elected Mayor with my current term ending in October 2025. My wife Pat and I are at a time in our lives where we can commit ourselves to representing the city by being out and about in the community usually seven days and six nights a week. We love immersing ourselves in all things community and actively listening to its dreams and aspirations.
What activities do enjoy outside of your work as an elected member?
Family is very important, so spending as much time as possible with them is important. I am also very committed to long established volunteering roles including as a Justice of the Peace, member of the Royal WA Historical Society and Cockburn Historical Society, involvement across the community and the responsibilities of patron of many organisations.
What are they key challenges facing you and your council?
The legacy of the pandemic is still evident with rising costs for scant labour, skills shortages, inflated cost for materials, insurance and risk mitigation combined with high inflation. More than ever, this requires careful setting of priorities going forward.
What innovative projects or policies is council working on?
Council has recently endorsed a request to the WA Minister for Planning to grant approval to update our Town Planning Scheme to include specific orders to provide greater protection for trees on our Significant Tree List.
We will also receive a report in the next 12 months to investigate further amendments to our TPS that would require development approval for the removal or substantial pruning of trees in areas of the city where it has development control.
These decisions are in line with our desire to provide extra protection for trees in our city.
Tell us about a specific success you have had in Local Government.
Having spent a total of 24 years on council there is a long list of achievements resulting from council decisions. This includes the very successful Cockburn ARC (Aquatic and Recreation Centre) project. The $12.5m facility opened in May 2017 after five years of planning and decision making. This state-of-the-art integrated aquatic, recreation, education and elite athlete training facility attracts over 1.3m visitors a year. Cockburn is just one of 18 local governments around Australia to host AFL and AFLW teams, with the Fremantle Dockers’ HQ located at the award-winning Cockburn ARC facility, which is on target to undergo a $12m expansion in the future.
What is the best part about being an elected member?
The opportunity to be out and about talking ‘face to face’ with our community. I regularly attend business forums, sporting and community events, schools and faith groups. I am motivated by understanding the dreams and aspirations of those who choose to call Cockburn home, or as a place to run a business, recreate and invest as we strive to make Cockburn the best place to be.
What do you hope to accomplish in the future?
I will continue to lead our organisation as elected member, ensuring that we deliver on the range of services using the resources of our staff and volunteer base. We will remain responsive and alive to the challenges of the pandemic and how best to address the current economic climate where labour, skills, materials and risk mitigation currently influence our decision making.
