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The City of Perth faces yet another inquiry as it battles to overcome “fractured working relationships” and “ongoing governance issues” plaguing the council
Local Government Inspector Tony Brown revealed the commencement of his formal inquiry after addressing councillors and city staff at a behind-closed-doors meeting on Monday evening, where he presented them with the findings of a five-month probe that began with the appointment of former Kwinana mayor Carol Adams as a monitor in January.
Brown told media the fresh inquiry would take about three months and cost about $120,000, however he was confident it would be a “short and effective way of providing an outcome for the City of Perth community”.
The council has been in the headlines constantly this year after Adams was appointed to monitor the local government amid a relationship breakdown between councillors and the city administration.
Brown said Adams’ report was not a public document, however the inquiry report would be, and could include recommendations for the council to implement.
“We could recommend to the minister for local government that the council be dismissed, or certain individuals be dismissed,” he said.
“So that’s the worst-case scenario, and I do not want to pre-empt what the inquiry will find.”
Legislatively, Brown cannot take action on Adams’ monitor’s report, which paved the way for his inquiry.
Brown listed breaches of confidentiality, a breakdown of public working relationships, and city officers “inundated with way too many questions and requirements” as issues raised during the monitor’s inquiry.
“The City of Perth is the flagship local government of Western Australia, so it needs to be the leader in governance,” he said.
“I don’t think it’s there at the moment, so we’re going to work through that, and we want the City of Perth to be able to return to providing good governance for its community.”
The local government inspector pushed back on suggestions bureaucracy was hindering meaningful action, noting the previous, well-publicised inquiry into the city ran for more than two years and cost $7 million, while his and Adams’ inquiries should be wrapped up within the space of nine to 12 months.
City of Perth chief executive Michelle Reynolds was suspended by the council in May after councillors and city staff received a briefing on Adam’s report from Brown, during which he put the council “on notice” regarding the monitor’s probe.
The development prompted an angry response from Local Government Minster Hannah Beazley who in turn raised the spectre of council amalgamations.
Last month, a motion to bring Reynolds back from suspension “effective immediately” was voted down, with councillors opting to defer the decision until after the completion of a workplace culture review.
The City of Perth was the first West Australian local government to be allocated a monitor, just two weeks into Brown’s role as the head local government watchdog at the start of the year.
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