❓ Mr. Love questions the Minister for Local Government about supporting a recommendation to disclose political party membership for local government representatives. The Minister responds by highlighting the government's commitment to local government reform and transparency, stating the recommendation will be considered.
AnsweredQoN 653Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
LOCAL GOVERNMENT —
POLITICAL PARTY MEMBERSHIP
653. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Minister for Local Government:
Mr Speaker —
Mr D.J. Kelly : Hey, Shane,
what's your koala policy?
Mr R.S. LOVE : Koalas are very
cuddly.
Mr D.J. Kelly : Are you for or
against koalas?
Mr R.S. LOVE : I love koalas!
They are wonderful things.
Several members interjected.
Mr R.S. LOVE : Do members know
that a koala's fingerprint is very close to being the same as a human
being's fingerprint? They are very, very similar.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : I think there is a bit of a preamble
here, guys! I am not sure.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members on my
right! I need to hear this.
Mr R.S. LOVE : My question is
not about koalas.
I
refer to recommendation 55i of the recently released ''Local Government
Review Panel Final Report'', which states —
Primary and Annual Returns should
include disclosure of membership of political parties and associations likely
to be seen as exerting an influence on decision-making.
Does the minister support this
recommendation, which will publicly and openly politicise local government, an
outcome never wanted before in Western Australia?
POLITICAL PARTY MEMBERSHIP
653. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Minister for Local Government:
Mr Speaker —
Mr D.J. Kelly : Hey, Shane,
what's your koala policy?
Mr R.S. LOVE : Koalas are very
cuddly.
Mr D.J. Kelly : Are you for or
against koalas?
Mr R.S. LOVE : I love koalas!
They are wonderful things.
Several members interjected.
Mr R.S. LOVE : Do members know
that a koala's fingerprint is very close to being the same as a human
being's fingerprint? They are very, very similar.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : I think there is a bit of a preamble
here, guys! I am not sure.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members on my
right! I need to hear this.
Mr R.S. LOVE : My question is
not about koalas.
I
refer to recommendation 55i of the recently released ''Local Government
Review Panel Final Report'', which states —
Primary and Annual Returns should
include disclosure of membership of political parties and associations likely
to be seen as exerting an influence on decision-making.
Does the minister support this
recommendation, which will publicly and openly politicise local government, an
outcome never wanted before in Western Australia?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question.
I particularly thank the member for his comments about koalas. I must look that
up. I am not aware of that, but I am sure it is very exciting. I did not
realise koalas had fingers!
Several members interjected.
Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN : I have not
got up close and intimate with a koala—maybe you have!
As the member is well aware —
The
SPEAKER : Minister, you have to
realise that Hansard cannot hear you when you are looking up to your crowd.
Mr
D.A. TEMPLEMAN : As the member is
aware, the McGowan government has embarked upon a very important review of the Local Government Act, something that
the opposite side refused and failed to do in its eight and a half years in government. Reviewing the Local
Government Act was not a priority of the then government, except, of course , to attempt to force amalgamations, which was a huge
failure—a disaster, indeed—of penultimate circumstances.
We set a course to review the Local
Government Act. The Local Government Act needs reviewing. It is over 20 years old. It is not fit for purpose anymore.
It is not delivering, in my view, a solid and effective framework for local governments to function into the future. We are about reform. That is why we
have introduced a range of legislation and passed it in our three and a half
years in government, including, of course, legislation that now sees local
governments, with transparency firmly in mind, subject to audits, performance
audits also, by the Auditor General.
We
also have legislation that ensures greater transparency on declarations of
gifts. We now have mandatory training in place. We have all these things in
place, and it was all done in three and a half years. In four and a half years,
very little was done by members
opposite, apart from trying to separate and destroy, and in fact undermine,
local governments . As members
are aware, we had a two-stage process of consultation to reform the Local
Government Act. We had widespread consultation across the sector, including
other key stakeholders—I mentioned this last night during private
members' business—that I believe should be consulted, including
a business, the authorities that represent workers
in local government, there are over 20 000 of them, and people who have direct
input with local g overnments every day. We have done all that. Then,
with all the data, information and submissions collected, I appointed the very,
very effective member for Balcatta to oversee a panel to distil what was
garnered from the sector and from other
important stakeholders. The panel has made some recommendations. There is a whole
range of them, a lot more than just the issue around political parties.
It made a recommendation, and the government will, in the lead-up to the next
election, focus on framing a new green bill that it will take forward into a new
Parliament if the Labor Party is elected in March next year that will include a
range of issues we will be considering. We will present those issues to the
sector and put them out to other interested parties to make their comments.
In terms of whether there is
representation of political parties, the panel's arguments were that
this will be an important transparency measure, and we will consider that. But
we will consider a whole range of other matters, including, of course, that
ongoing training continues for elected members, and that there is a clear
delineation between the roles and
responsibilities of local government elected members and administration, which
is something that the opposition is opposing in the other place, with
regard to very simple but very important amendments to regulation 9 now subject
to a disallowance motion. We will do all that. We will keep talking to the
sector. We will keep talking to people and aspiring their views. But we are
about reform. Unlike the member and his side of politics, we are about reform,
because the sector needs it.
I particularly thank the member for his comments about koalas. I must look that
up. I am not aware of that, but I am sure it is very exciting. I did not
realise koalas had fingers!
Several members interjected.
Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN : I have not
got up close and intimate with a koala—maybe you have!
As the member is well aware —
The
SPEAKER : Minister, you have to
realise that Hansard cannot hear you when you are looking up to your crowd.
Mr
D.A. TEMPLEMAN : As the member is
aware, the McGowan government has embarked upon a very important review of the Local Government Act, something that
the opposite side refused and failed to do in its eight and a half years in government. Reviewing the Local
Government Act was not a priority of the then government, except, of course , to attempt to force amalgamations, which was a huge
failure—a disaster, indeed—of penultimate circumstances.
We set a course to review the Local
Government Act. The Local Government Act needs reviewing. It is over 20 years old. It is not fit for purpose anymore.
It is not delivering, in my view, a solid and effective framework for local governments to function into the future. We are about reform. That is why we
have introduced a range of legislation and passed it in our three and a half
years in government, including, of course, legislation that now sees local
governments, with transparency firmly in mind, subject to audits, performance
audits also, by the Auditor General.
We
also have legislation that ensures greater transparency on declarations of
gifts. We now have mandatory training in place. We have all these things in
place, and it was all done in three and a half years. In four and a half years,
very little was done by members
opposite, apart from trying to separate and destroy, and in fact undermine,
local governments . As members
are aware, we had a two-stage process of consultation to reform the Local
Government Act. We had widespread consultation across the sector, including
other key stakeholders—I mentioned this last night during private
members' business—that I believe should be consulted, including
a business, the authorities that represent workers
in local government, there are over 20 000 of them, and people who have direct
input with local g overnments every day. We have done all that. Then,
with all the data, information and submissions collected, I appointed the very,
very effective member for Balcatta to oversee a panel to distil what was
garnered from the sector and from other
important stakeholders. The panel has made some recommendations. There is a whole
range of them, a lot more than just the issue around political parties.
It made a recommendation, and the government will, in the lead-up to the next
election, focus on framing a new green bill that it will take forward into a new
Parliament if the Labor Party is elected in March next year that will include a
range of issues we will be considering. We will present those issues to the
sector and put them out to other interested parties to make their comments.
In terms of whether there is
representation of political parties, the panel's arguments were that
this will be an important transparency measure, and we will consider that. But
we will consider a whole range of other matters, including, of course, that
ongoing training continues for elected members, and that there is a clear
delineation between the roles and
responsibilities of local government elected members and administration, which
is something that the opposition is opposing in the other place, with
regard to very simple but very important amendments to regulation 9 now subject
to a disallowance motion. We will do all that. We will keep talking to the
sector. We will keep talking to people and aspiring their views. But we are
about reform. Unlike the member and his side of politics, we are about reform,
because the sector needs it.
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