❓ Hon Simon O'Brien asks about provisions to address employer influence on local government elected members, particularly when employment is threatened. The Minister's response refers to existing financial interest disclosure requirements and requests more specific details.
AnsweredQoN 674Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
LOCAL GOVERNMENT —
ELECTED MEMBERS — EMPLOYER INFLUENCE
674. Hon SIMON O'BRIEN to the
Leader of the House representing the Minister for Local Government:
(1) What
provision is there in statute, policy or practice to deal with a circumstance
in which an elected member of a local government, who is also in paid
employment, deals with a matter before council in a manner that is influenced
by the opinion of his or her employer?
(2) What
provision is there in statute, policy or practice to deal with such a circumstance
if the influence of the employer extends to a threat to the elected member,
whether direct, implied or anticipated, that they risk losing their employment
if that employee does not act in accordance with the employer's wishes?
ELECTED MEMBERS — EMPLOYER INFLUENCE
674. Hon SIMON O'BRIEN to the
Leader of the House representing the Minister for Local Government:
(1) What
provision is there in statute, policy or practice to deal with a circumstance
in which an elected member of a local government, who is also in paid
employment, deals with a matter before council in a manner that is influenced
by the opinion of his or her employer?
(2) What
provision is there in statute, policy or practice to deal with such a circumstance
if the influence of the employer extends to a threat to the elected member,
whether direct, implied or anticipated, that they risk losing their employment
if that employee does not act in accordance with the employer's wishes?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question.
(1)–(2) The
Local Government Act 1995, part 5, division 6, ''Disclosure of financial
interests'', sets out the disclosure of financial interests in matters
affecting local government decisions, including financial interests, proximity
interests, indirect interests, impartiality interests, interests not requiring
disclosure and exemptions granted by the minister.
The member's question is not
clear. If he were to provide specific details, the minister would be prepared
to consider further. Any threat made by an employer to an employee related to
their employment should be reported to the appropriate authorities.
some notice of the question.
(1)–(2) The
Local Government Act 1995, part 5, division 6, ''Disclosure of financial
interests'', sets out the disclosure of financial interests in matters
affecting local government decisions, including financial interests, proximity
interests, indirect interests, impartiality interests, interests not requiring
disclosure and exemptions granted by the minister.
The member's question is not
clear. If he were to provide specific details, the minister would be prepared
to consider further. Any threat made by an employer to an employee related to
their employment should be reported to the appropriate authorities.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.