LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACT —
REVIEW
139. Hon SIMON O'BRIEN to the Leader of the House representing the
Minister for Local Government:
I refer to the paper recently
presented to a local government forum at the Town of Cambridge by former Labor
MLA Larry Graham criticising the McGowan government's approach to the
review of the Local Government Act.
(1) What action is the minister
taking to modify the process of review of the act?
(2) What action,
if any, is the minister taking to address the allegations of conflict of
interest held variously by the Department of Local Government, Sport and
Cultural Industries, the Western Australian Local Government Association and
Local Government Professionals WA?
Hon SUE
ELLERY replied:
I thank the
honourable member for some notice of the question.
(1)–(2) The
McGowan government has committed to a comprehensive review of the Local
Government Act, which includes an extensive consultation process with
stakeholders, including ratepayers, community organisations, local businesses,
the Western Australian Local Government Association and Local Government
Professionals WA. Best practice requires this level of consultation during such
reforms.
Feedback
received will be considered following the close of the public submission period
on 31 March 2019. To date, more than 1 500 responses have been received,
with more than 100 workshops, forums and stakeholder meetings held across Western
Australia to engage with the community on the future of local government. WALGA
and LG Pro, along with ratepayers, community organisations and local
businesses, are key stakeholders in this process. It is unclear how the member
considers this to be a conflict of interest.