❓ Mrs O'Malley asks about the consultation process for the Local Government Act review. The Minister details the extensive consultation, number of responses, workshops held, and stakeholders involved, while also taking a jab at the opposition.
AnsweredQoN 242Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACT REVIEW — CONSULTATION
242. Mrs L.M. O'MALLEY to the Minister for Local
Government:
(1) Can the
minister update the house on the extensive consultation that has been
undertaken as part of the second phase of the review of the Local Government
Act, including the submissions received and any workshops held?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house whether he is aware of anyone who is trying to
undermine the process?
242. Mrs L.M. O'MALLEY to the Minister for Local
Government:
(1) Can the
minister update the house on the extensive consultation that has been
undertaken as part of the second phase of the review of the Local Government
Act, including the submissions received and any workshops held?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house whether he is aware of anyone who is trying to
undermine the process?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Bicton for
her question and I acknowledge her contribution to local government.
The SPEAKER : Minister,
through the Chair.
Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN : I also
acknowledge in your gallery, Mr Speaker, the president of the Shire of Morawa,
Councillor Karen Chappel. I welcome her. She is watching with great interest
the debate currently before the house on our first phase of reforms.
(1)–(2) I am very pleased, member, that we have had a very
pleasing response to the consultation period on the second phase of the
local government reform process. I need to remind the house that on coming to
government, we made a very clear commitment that we believed very strongly that
the Local Government Act, which is over 20 years old, needed to be reformed for
a range of reasons, but particularly to assist the overwhelming number of
people in local government who are doing a tremendous job to do their job
within the modern context. I am pleased that we have already embarked on that.
A number of local government reforms have been passed through this house,
including, of course, the provisions giving the Auditor General responsibility
for financial reporting and performance reporting. We have passed the Local
Government Amendment (Suspension and Dismissal) Bill 2018 in this place, which
allows the minister, on rare occasions, to deal with individual councillors
rather than a whole council. They have been the reforms already in the two
years since the election of the McGowan government.
We are now into the second phase. We
have had 3 145 responses to date. Those responses have come from a very broad
area. They have included responses and submissions from elected members,
councils and stakeholders. Pleasingly, over half of them were from members of
the public, which is very important. We have had a very good cross-section.
Over 100 workshops, forums and meetings were held across Western Australia,
including 28 community workshops and pop-up stalls. We have had a very good
consultation process.
I congratulate the member for
Balcatta, who has done an outstanding job in his stewardship as the chair of
the reference group that was made up of a range of representatives from key
stakeholders such as the Western Australian Local Government Association, Local
Government Professionals WA, the regional chambers of commerce, the Western Australian
Council of Social Service, multicultural advisory groups, the Australian
Services Union and the Association of Mining and Exploration Companies. This
has been a very broad, but important, process.
Earlier today, we heard from the
person who probably should be the opposition spokesperson for local government,
the member for South Perth, who highlighted, as he does in his measured,
responsive and clear-thinking way, the response of local government—unlike
his counterpart, the member for Carine, who was all over the shop with his
often quite illogical responses.
We are on track to deliver quality
reform to the local government sector. I thank all those who have been involved
so far. We look to use the information that has been collected to begin to
discuss and draft responses and, indeed, formulate a green bill. We want to
make sure that we create a green bill that we can further consult on before we
bring landmark reform legislation to Parliament in the near future.
her question and I acknowledge her contribution to local government.
The SPEAKER : Minister,
through the Chair.
Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN : I also
acknowledge in your gallery, Mr Speaker, the president of the Shire of Morawa,
Councillor Karen Chappel. I welcome her. She is watching with great interest
the debate currently before the house on our first phase of reforms.
(1)–(2) I am very pleased, member, that we have had a very
pleasing response to the consultation period on the second phase of the
local government reform process. I need to remind the house that on coming to
government, we made a very clear commitment that we believed very strongly that
the Local Government Act, which is over 20 years old, needed to be reformed for
a range of reasons, but particularly to assist the overwhelming number of
people in local government who are doing a tremendous job to do their job
within the modern context. I am pleased that we have already embarked on that.
A number of local government reforms have been passed through this house,
including, of course, the provisions giving the Auditor General responsibility
for financial reporting and performance reporting. We have passed the Local
Government Amendment (Suspension and Dismissal) Bill 2018 in this place, which
allows the minister, on rare occasions, to deal with individual councillors
rather than a whole council. They have been the reforms already in the two
years since the election of the McGowan government.
We are now into the second phase. We
have had 3 145 responses to date. Those responses have come from a very broad
area. They have included responses and submissions from elected members,
councils and stakeholders. Pleasingly, over half of them were from members of
the public, which is very important. We have had a very good cross-section.
Over 100 workshops, forums and meetings were held across Western Australia,
including 28 community workshops and pop-up stalls. We have had a very good
consultation process.
I congratulate the member for
Balcatta, who has done an outstanding job in his stewardship as the chair of
the reference group that was made up of a range of representatives from key
stakeholders such as the Western Australian Local Government Association, Local
Government Professionals WA, the regional chambers of commerce, the Western Australian
Council of Social Service, multicultural advisory groups, the Australian
Services Union and the Association of Mining and Exploration Companies. This
has been a very broad, but important, process.
Earlier today, we heard from the
person who probably should be the opposition spokesperson for local government,
the member for South Perth, who highlighted, as he does in his measured,
responsive and clear-thinking way, the response of local government—unlike
his counterpart, the member for Carine, who was all over the shop with his
often quite illogical responses.
We are on track to deliver quality
reform to the local government sector. I thank all those who have been involved
so far. We look to use the information that has been collected to begin to
discuss and draft responses and, indeed, formulate a green bill. We want to
make sure that we create a green bill that we can further consult on before we
bring landmark reform legislation to Parliament in the near future.
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