Oh! What a Tangled (World Wide) Web We Weave.

Thanks to the electronic archiving on-line of the Hansard records of parliamentary debates in Western Australia we can see some of the views expressed previously by the Premier of WA on local government.

On 9th November 1993, the Legislative Assembly debated the City of Perth Restructuring Bill, which had been introduced by the then Liberal Government. Colin Barnett was then Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party and Leader of the House in the Legislative Assembly - and hence responsible for ensuring the passage of the Bill through the lower house of the WA Parliament. Whilst he did not speak directly on the Bill, he made a number of interjections, including:

"Do you think it is equitable that the central city should cross-subsidise selected residential areas…? (Hansard, p6493). [By implication arguing that the about-to-be-created municipalities of Vincent, Victoria Park and Cambridge received subsidies from the CBD.]

"Sheer nonsense. What you are saying is that the dormitory areas of Perth are not viable, but suburbs everywhere else can pay for themselves." (Hansard, p6493) [By implication arguing that the about-to-be-created municipalities of Vincent, Victoria Park and Cambridge were viable.]

"Don't you believe in a capital city for Western Australia?" (Hansard p6496) [In response to comment from Diana Warnock that: "The Government has presented this report as justification for splitting up the city in this way and how it can be done economically. People simply are not able to believe the figures.]

"Where is the democracy in that?" (Hansard p6497) [In response to Diana Warnock's statement that : "Most of us want to see improvements in in the planning for the central city, and that is why we advanced the idea of a central city planning authority."]

"…of the 27 councillors only three represent the capital city. Little wonder that it is bereft of life, it lacks planning, it is visually unattractive, and it is empty at the weekends. That is a consequence of the imbalance of the Perth City Council structure, and that must be addressed. (Hansard, p6497). [Presumably this means that if Perth were to reabsorb the whole of Vincent, he would want to ensure that the 11,000 electors of the City of Perth would have more influence than the 20,000 electors of Vincent - a good old-fashioned gerrymander, reminiscent of Jo Bjelke Peterson in Queensland.]

"That is a very efficient council." (Hansard, p6514). [In response to mention of Peppermint Grove by Dr Geoff Gallop.]