❓ Mr. Healy asks about reforms to the Local Government Act and how they support local representatives and address past failures. The Minister outlines three reforms: Auditor General oversight, councillor suspension legislation, and measures for CEO reviews, gift transparency, and universal training.
AnsweredQoN 144Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
LOCAL GOVERNMENT — REFORMS
144. Mr T.J. HEALY to the Minister for Local Government:
I refer to today's delivery of another McGowan Labor
government election commitment—to reform the Local Government Act.
(1) Can the
minister advise the house how these reforms will support local government
representatives in their role to serve the community?
(2) Can the
minister outline to the house how these changes will add to the government's
record of reform in the sector and address the previous Liberal–National
government's failure?
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member, I know it is going to be a long
speech, so I want to settle everyone down. Members, be quiet, please.
144. Mr T.J. HEALY to the Minister for Local Government:
I refer to today's delivery of another McGowan Labor
government election commitment—to reform the Local Government Act.
(1) Can the
minister advise the house how these reforms will support local government
representatives in their role to serve the community?
(2) Can the
minister outline to the house how these changes will add to the government's
record of reform in the sector and address the previous Liberal–National
government's failure?
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member, I know it is going to be a long
speech, so I want to settle everyone down. Members, be quiet, please.
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the
member for his anticipatory question; it is good to have an anticipatory
question.
(1)–(2)
After question time, I look forward to introducing a third reform.
Point of Order
Mr S.K. L'ESTRANGE :
I seek your clarification, Mr Speaker.
The SPEAKER : Sit down, minister. That is you!
Mr S.K. L'ESTRANGE : We are hearing about an
announcement that has not yet been made. It is misleading if it has not been
brought to Parliament.
The SPEAKER : No, it does not have to be brought to
Parliament to be an announcement.
Mr S.K. L'ESTRANGE : That is what he just said.
The SPEAKER : It is not a point of order. You are
confusing me even more.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN : With great anticipation, I thank
the member for Southern River, who was a distinguished councillor before he
entered this place. I would also like to acknowledge the Mayor of South Perth,
and the deputy mayor and the chief executive officer. In answer to the second
part of the member's question. The only disappointing thing for me
personally that came out of the former government's reform of local
government was the failure to amalgamate Victoria Park and South Perth, only on
the point that we could have attracted worldwide attention had we ended up with
the ''City of South Park''. That would have been a very
interesting marketing tool for tourism, Minister for Tourism.
Mr P. Papalia : I'd support it.
Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN : I was at a function only recently
with the Mayor of South Perth and I indicated to her that that was the only
disappointing factor and that that could have been the only saving thing out of
the failed reform program of the previous government. As members know, the
previous government's only attempt to reform local government in any
significant way was a failed and botched process of forced amalgamations upon
local governments in the metropolitan area. The people spoke during that
process, as we are aware. However, the highly anticipated local government bill
that I am looking forward to introducing—we were a bit distracted this
morning, as you know, Mr Speaker —
The SPEAKER : Yes, mainly by you.
Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN : We spent about four and a half
hours on a motion that the opposition had some disagreement on. It is very
important to note that the third piece of legislation that I will introduce to
the house shortly will do some very important and significant things in the
overall reform of local government in Western Australia. The member knows that
we introduced the bill that set up a key role for the Auditor General to have
auditing oversight of local governments across Western Australia, including
performance audits. That process is ongoing; it was an important reform. The
second, of course, was the suspension and dismissal legislation amendment,
which allows the minister of the day to address individual councillors when
there is a serious breach of behaviour and competency. Of course, that is an
important reform because, under the current act, I, as the Minister for Local
Government, can deal with only serious malfunctions of a council and deal with
the entire council. That is unfair, because if an individual is causing issues,
we should be able to deal with the individual.
The reform that I will read into the
house later today will do a couple of important things. Firstly, it will
introduce measures to support council members in the transparent employment and
performance review of chief executive officers, making sure that all
councillors have a role in that very important process. Secondly, it will
ensure that there is a revised gift provision for transparency, which of course
we know caused a whole range of issues over a period of time for many elected
members. One key aspect of the legislation is a regime of universal training.
This is really important. It is universal training for both candidates who are
seeking to be elected and, of course, those who are successful at an election.
This is based upon the principle that essentially we want to make sure that all
councillors, upon their election, are well versed—there will be a training
requirement in those first 12 months—in the important role and
responsibilities that they hold and that, indeed, they have a good
understanding of their financial responsibilities, the financial
decision-making they will make on behalf of ratepayers, the strategic planning
responsibilities they will have and, of course, the appropriate governance
responsibility they will have as elected members. Universal training was talked
about for over a decade. The previous government, of course, did nothing. We
are moving to deal with it. In two years, we have already had two pieces of
legislation go through; this is the third. In the former government's
eight and half years, not a thing was done—not a thing did it do! All
it did was a bit of windbagging. There were, I think, four Ministers for Local
Government under the former regime, and none of them were very successful,
except for the former member for Bunbury —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members, a bit
of quiet. Minister, you have been going for six minutes now, other ministers
want to get a question in.
Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN : I will
conclude. The former member for Bunbury, who used to sit over there, his answer
to most questions of him would start with ''Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.''
That was his response to any question made to him.
We are already moving through the
reform. I hope that the opposition will support these reforms. They have broad
support across the sector. They are focused on ensuring greater transparency in
the sector. Of course, I remind members that the second phase of the review of
the Local Government Act is currently underway. We are getting submissions from
all spectrums; it is creating a lot of interest. Those submissions close at the
end of this month. I encourage people of all persuasions and from all
backgrounds to have their say, because this is a very important moment in time
for reforming a very significant level of government in Western Australia that
we want to see delivering high-quality decision-making and governance to the
people of Western Australia.
member for his anticipatory question; it is good to have an anticipatory
question.
(1)–(2)
After question time, I look forward to introducing a third reform.
Point of Order
Mr S.K. L'ESTRANGE :
I seek your clarification, Mr Speaker.
The SPEAKER : Sit down, minister. That is you!
Mr S.K. L'ESTRANGE : We are hearing about an
announcement that has not yet been made. It is misleading if it has not been
brought to Parliament.
The SPEAKER : No, it does not have to be brought to
Parliament to be an announcement.
Mr S.K. L'ESTRANGE : That is what he just said.
The SPEAKER : It is not a point of order. You are
confusing me even more.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN : With great anticipation, I thank
the member for Southern River, who was a distinguished councillor before he
entered this place. I would also like to acknowledge the Mayor of South Perth,
and the deputy mayor and the chief executive officer. In answer to the second
part of the member's question. The only disappointing thing for me
personally that came out of the former government's reform of local
government was the failure to amalgamate Victoria Park and South Perth, only on
the point that we could have attracted worldwide attention had we ended up with
the ''City of South Park''. That would have been a very
interesting marketing tool for tourism, Minister for Tourism.
Mr P. Papalia : I'd support it.
Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN : I was at a function only recently
with the Mayor of South Perth and I indicated to her that that was the only
disappointing factor and that that could have been the only saving thing out of
the failed reform program of the previous government. As members know, the
previous government's only attempt to reform local government in any
significant way was a failed and botched process of forced amalgamations upon
local governments in the metropolitan area. The people spoke during that
process, as we are aware. However, the highly anticipated local government bill
that I am looking forward to introducing—we were a bit distracted this
morning, as you know, Mr Speaker —
The SPEAKER : Yes, mainly by you.
Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN : We spent about four and a half
hours on a motion that the opposition had some disagreement on. It is very
important to note that the third piece of legislation that I will introduce to
the house shortly will do some very important and significant things in the
overall reform of local government in Western Australia. The member knows that
we introduced the bill that set up a key role for the Auditor General to have
auditing oversight of local governments across Western Australia, including
performance audits. That process is ongoing; it was an important reform. The
second, of course, was the suspension and dismissal legislation amendment,
which allows the minister of the day to address individual councillors when
there is a serious breach of behaviour and competency. Of course, that is an
important reform because, under the current act, I, as the Minister for Local
Government, can deal with only serious malfunctions of a council and deal with
the entire council. That is unfair, because if an individual is causing issues,
we should be able to deal with the individual.
The reform that I will read into the
house later today will do a couple of important things. Firstly, it will
introduce measures to support council members in the transparent employment and
performance review of chief executive officers, making sure that all
councillors have a role in that very important process. Secondly, it will
ensure that there is a revised gift provision for transparency, which of course
we know caused a whole range of issues over a period of time for many elected
members. One key aspect of the legislation is a regime of universal training.
This is really important. It is universal training for both candidates who are
seeking to be elected and, of course, those who are successful at an election.
This is based upon the principle that essentially we want to make sure that all
councillors, upon their election, are well versed—there will be a training
requirement in those first 12 months—in the important role and
responsibilities that they hold and that, indeed, they have a good
understanding of their financial responsibilities, the financial
decision-making they will make on behalf of ratepayers, the strategic planning
responsibilities they will have and, of course, the appropriate governance
responsibility they will have as elected members. Universal training was talked
about for over a decade. The previous government, of course, did nothing. We
are moving to deal with it. In two years, we have already had two pieces of
legislation go through; this is the third. In the former government's
eight and half years, not a thing was done—not a thing did it do! All
it did was a bit of windbagging. There were, I think, four Ministers for Local
Government under the former regime, and none of them were very successful,
except for the former member for Bunbury —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members, a bit
of quiet. Minister, you have been going for six minutes now, other ministers
want to get a question in.
Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN : I will
conclude. The former member for Bunbury, who used to sit over there, his answer
to most questions of him would start with ''Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.''
That was his response to any question made to him.
We are already moving through the
reform. I hope that the opposition will support these reforms. They have broad
support across the sector. They are focused on ensuring greater transparency in
the sector. Of course, I remind members that the second phase of the review of
the Local Government Act is currently underway. We are getting submissions from
all spectrums; it is creating a lot of interest. Those submissions close at the
end of this month. I encourage people of all persuasions and from all
backgrounds to have their say, because this is a very important moment in time
for reforming a very significant level of government in Western Australia that
we want to see delivering high-quality decision-making and governance to the
people of Western Australia.
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