❓ Mr. Templeman questions the Minister for Local Government about potential legal action from the Subiaco council regarding forced amalgamations and the funding of the state's response. The Minister expresses confusion about the specifics of the legal action.
AnsweredQoN 387Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
LOCAL
GOVERNMENT AMALGAMATIONS — SUBIACO
387. Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN to the Minister
for Local Government:
I refer to the reports that Subiaco
council will instigate legal action to oppose the minister's broken
promise on forced amalgamations, in direct opposition to his local amalgamation
agenda.
(1) Will the
state's response to this legal action be funded from the $15 million
put aside as grants for the amalgamations?
(2) Is the
minister confident that he will be able to break his promise and defeat the
legal action; and, if so, what is this confidence based upon?
GOVERNMENT AMALGAMATIONS — SUBIACO
387. Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN to the Minister
for Local Government:
I refer to the reports that Subiaco
council will instigate legal action to oppose the minister's broken
promise on forced amalgamations, in direct opposition to his local amalgamation
agenda.
(1) Will the
state's response to this legal action be funded from the $15 million
put aside as grants for the amalgamations?
(2) Is the
minister confident that he will be able to break his promise and defeat the
legal action; and, if so, what is this confidence based upon?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question.
(1)–(2) I
have heard about a couple of groups talking about legal action in regard to the
process of the local government reform. Unfortunately, to date—I will
use Subiaco as the example—I do not know what sort of action it is
taking. It says it is taking legal action, but I do not actually know what it
is doing. It has voted on it, and if members read the motion, they will see
that it is quite loose and does not actually define what part of the reform
process or my proposals to the Local Government Advisory Board it wants to take
legal action on. I have not actually received anything that states the parts it
wants to take legal action on. It is interesting to note that we have also
received a challenge from another group, and we have looked at that and I have
had State Solicitor's advice on it, and I am fine with the part that
that group raised with me.
In regard to the member's
question, until the documents relating to that legal action are sent to me, I
will have to wait and see what it is. I am a little confused because I am not
quite sure what the council is taking me to court over.
Several members interjected.
Mr A.J. SIMPSON : I
am not! The part of the process it relates to is not actually defined. The only
thing I can tell members is that reform is happening, as we all know, and it is
on its way to the advisory board. I am awaiting the release in July of the
Local Government Advisory Board report into the final outcome, and I am looking
forward to getting that out to the sector so that we can actually put this
little baby to bed and get it on its way because it has been a long process.
(1)–(2) I
have heard about a couple of groups talking about legal action in regard to the
process of the local government reform. Unfortunately, to date—I will
use Subiaco as the example—I do not know what sort of action it is
taking. It says it is taking legal action, but I do not actually know what it
is doing. It has voted on it, and if members read the motion, they will see
that it is quite loose and does not actually define what part of the reform
process or my proposals to the Local Government Advisory Board it wants to take
legal action on. I have not actually received anything that states the parts it
wants to take legal action on. It is interesting to note that we have also
received a challenge from another group, and we have looked at that and I have
had State Solicitor's advice on it, and I am fine with the part that
that group raised with me.
In regard to the member's
question, until the documents relating to that legal action are sent to me, I
will have to wait and see what it is. I am a little confused because I am not
quite sure what the council is taking me to court over.
Several members interjected.
Mr A.J. SIMPSON : I
am not! The part of the process it relates to is not actually defined. The only
thing I can tell members is that reform is happening, as we all know, and it is
on its way to the advisory board. I am awaiting the release in July of the
Local Government Advisory Board report into the final outcome, and I am looking
forward to getting that out to the sector so that we can actually put this
little baby to bed and get it on its way because it has been a long process.
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