❓ Mr Templeman questions the Minister for Local Government about potential rate increases in the City of Canning following forced council mergers. The Minister avoids a direct answer, emphasizing sustainability and economies of scale.
AnsweredQoN 691Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CITY OF CANNING — MINIMUM RATE INCREASE
691. Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN to the Minister
for Local Government:
I refer to the information provided
in the other place concerning the minimum council rate of $621 that currently
applies to 10 000 ratepayers in the City of Canning. In the event of forced
council mergers —
Mr A.J. Simpson : I have not forced any.
The SPEAKER : You are a bit quick off
the mark there, Minister for Local Government.
Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN : Mr Speaker, would
you like me to start again?
The SPEAKER : Start again, please.
Mr
D.A. TEMPLEMAN : I refer to the information provided in the other place
concerning the minimum council rate of $621 that currently applies to 10 000
residents or ratepayers of the City of Canning. In the event of forced council
mergers, can the minister categorically rule out that those ratepayers will not
have their minimum rates increase by more than $200, in line with the minimum
rate that applies in surrounding councils?
691. Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN to the Minister
for Local Government:
I refer to the information provided
in the other place concerning the minimum council rate of $621 that currently
applies to 10 000 ratepayers in the City of Canning. In the event of forced
council mergers —
Mr A.J. Simpson : I have not forced any.
The SPEAKER : You are a bit quick off
the mark there, Minister for Local Government.
Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN : Mr Speaker, would
you like me to start again?
The SPEAKER : Start again, please.
Mr
D.A. TEMPLEMAN : I refer to the information provided in the other place
concerning the minimum council rate of $621 that currently applies to 10 000
residents or ratepayers of the City of Canning. In the event of forced council
mergers, can the minister categorically rule out that those ratepayers will not
have their minimum rates increase by more than $200, in line with the minimum
rate that applies in surrounding councils?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question.
In the event of what? The shadow Minister for Local
Government said ''in the event''. Let us understand one very
important thing here: the most important thing about local government and the
reform process is to make sure—I will say this one hundred times over—that
local governments are sustainable now and into the future.
On the minimum rate of $621 for the 10 000 people in the City
of Canning, the important part is to make sure that the ratepayer gets good
service for their ratepayer dollar. The best way to put downward pressure on
rates is to create economies of scale. The important thing to note is that
rates will always go up. The only way that local government can generate income
is by pulling a rate lever. It is guaranteed that rates will always go up. What
is more important, as members may remember, on the front cover of The West Australian on 30 July this year
was a story about rate increases and by how much they had gone up. The
important part is that they are now increasing by up to seven, eight and 10 per
cent in some local governments. Quite clearly, the Mayor of Victoria Park said
that because they are only a small local council, there needed to be a 10 per cent
rate increase for it to continue to provide services. As the member can
understand more than I can understand, by creating the economies of scale, we
can put downward pressure on rates.
In the event of what? The shadow Minister for Local
Government said ''in the event''. Let us understand one very
important thing here: the most important thing about local government and the
reform process is to make sure—I will say this one hundred times over—that
local governments are sustainable now and into the future.
On the minimum rate of $621 for the 10 000 people in the City
of Canning, the important part is to make sure that the ratepayer gets good
service for their ratepayer dollar. The best way to put downward pressure on
rates is to create economies of scale. The important thing to note is that
rates will always go up. The only way that local government can generate income
is by pulling a rate lever. It is guaranteed that rates will always go up. What
is more important, as members may remember, on the front cover of The West Australian on 30 July this year
was a story about rate increases and by how much they had gone up. The
important part is that they are now increasing by up to seven, eight and 10 per
cent in some local governments. Quite clearly, the Mayor of Victoria Park said
that because they are only a small local council, there needed to be a 10 per cent
rate increase for it to continue to provide services. As the member can
understand more than I can understand, by creating the economies of scale, we
can put downward pressure on rates.
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