As the specific decisions on local government structure gradually sink in, there is increasing concern about the effects of 'boundary adjustment' (instead of amalgamation) on the fairness of representation.
Take the case of Swan and Mundaring or Belmont and Kalamunda or Bayswater and Bassendean or Cambridge and Subiaco, for example - in fact all of the LGAB recommendations accepted by the Minister where there is a 'continuing council' irrespective of whether a ward structure is put in place.
The 'continuing council' (Swan, Belmont, Bayswater, Cambridge, etc) governs the whole new entity from July 2015 to October 2015. The people of the subsumed entity (Mundaring, Kalamunda, Bassendean, Subiaco, etc) have no representation at all on Council for that period.
Come the election of October 2015, half the councillors of the 'continuing council' still go on, as they have two years left in their elected term. The other half of the elected positions come up for election and one might expect them to be filled with some candidates from each of the areas, even without a ward structure.
However, the fact remains that the 'continuing council' has a guaranteed majority of elected members for the first two full years, which is precisely the time when key decisions will be made about the form, functioning and policies of the new entity.
The people of the subsumed Council area will be grossly under-represented for that same period.
This might not look like a gerrymander - but the result is the same - at least for the critical first two years.
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Yes, and as I repeated tried to impress upon the dismissed former commissioner of Canning, not only would the above have applied at Canning, there would not have been any councillors for years for that local govt area, nobody with any experience, any incumbency of knowledge, to go on to a new council. That disadvantage could have been alleviated by bringing in an Advisory Panel of Community Members, as other Commissioners had done.
ReplyDeleteGovernmental deceit, deception and destruction of ratepayers democratic rights continues. When do, we the people, stand up and say enough is enough? Canning may have no 'real' representation for 5 years. The fault rest solely with the Barnett government. Viva la Belgium!!
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