❓ Mr. Templeman questions the Minister for Local Government regarding the removal of conflict-of-interest provisions for Local Government Advisory Board members during council amalgamation deliberations. The Minister defends the decision, citing legal advice and process.
AnsweredQoN 665Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
LOCAL
GOVERNMENT ADVISORY BOARD — CONFLICT-OF-INTEREST PROVISIONS
665. Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN to the
Minister for Local Government:
Before I ask my question, I
acknowledge, on behalf of the member for Albany, Jess Bassett and her family
who are in the Speaker's gallery. Jess is from Albany Senior High
School, and is on her way to Hong Kong for the CLSA economic forum.
I refer to the Minister for Local
Government's removal of the requirements for Local Government Advisory
Board members to excuse themselves from deliberating on council amalgamations
when they have a conflict of interest.
(1) Did the minister seek any legal
advice before instituting that change?
(2) If yes to (1), what was that
advice?
(3) Given the
chaos that has erupted following the government's removal of
conflict-of-interest measures on the Environmental Protection Authority board,
does this not imperil the whole amalgamation process?
GOVERNMENT ADVISORY BOARD — CONFLICT-OF-INTEREST PROVISIONS
665. Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN to the
Minister for Local Government:
Before I ask my question, I
acknowledge, on behalf of the member for Albany, Jess Bassett and her family
who are in the Speaker's gallery. Jess is from Albany Senior High
School, and is on her way to Hong Kong for the CLSA economic forum.
I refer to the Minister for Local
Government's removal of the requirements for Local Government Advisory
Board members to excuse themselves from deliberating on council amalgamations
when they have a conflict of interest.
(1) Did the minister seek any legal
advice before instituting that change?
(2) If yes to (1), what was that
advice?
(3) Given the
chaos that has erupted following the government's removal of
conflict-of-interest measures on the Environmental Protection Authority board,
does this not imperil the whole amalgamation process?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question. I also take the
opportunity to acknowledge the year 11 politics and law students from Carey
Baptist College who are in the public gallery this afternoon.
(1)–(3) The
Local Government Advisory Board has gone through the whole process of the 43 proposals
without there being a conflict of interest. Each member of that board has a
deputy member, so they worked through the whole process without having a
conflict of interest. The board wrote to me to ask me to seek State Solicitor's
advice on whether we could remove that conflict of interest to come up with a final
plan. Even now, while we are working through some other proposals, councillors
or chief executive officers who are near or in that local government cannot sit
in on the deliberations of their local government. But when the final jigsaw
puzzle of the final report was put together, that is when we removed the
conflict of interest so that the whole board could sit together and look at the
bigger picture. I am confident, from legal advice I have, that I have done
everything correctly. I have actually gone through the State Solicitor's
Office to get this advice. In fact, every decision I have made in this reform
process has been checked off by SSO.
opportunity to acknowledge the year 11 politics and law students from Carey
Baptist College who are in the public gallery this afternoon.
(1)–(3) The
Local Government Advisory Board has gone through the whole process of the 43 proposals
without there being a conflict of interest. Each member of that board has a
deputy member, so they worked through the whole process without having a
conflict of interest. The board wrote to me to ask me to seek State Solicitor's
advice on whether we could remove that conflict of interest to come up with a final
plan. Even now, while we are working through some other proposals, councillors
or chief executive officers who are near or in that local government cannot sit
in on the deliberations of their local government. But when the final jigsaw
puzzle of the final report was put together, that is when we removed the
conflict of interest so that the whole board could sit together and look at the
bigger picture. I am confident, from legal advice I have, that I have done
everything correctly. I have actually gone through the State Solicitor's
Office to get this advice. In fact, every decision I have made in this reform
process has been checked off by SSO.
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