LOCAL Government Minister David Templeman is preparing to suspend the City of Perth council tomorrow.
Mr Templeman said on Wednesday the dysfunction in the council was evident and the ratepayers of Perth deserve better.
Some councillors took to social media after the announcement.
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READ NOW“Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi is hell-bent on burning the house down,” Councillor Reece Harley wrote on Facebook.
“The Lord Mayor said in a meeting I attended this afternoon with the minister that she was ‘satisfied’ with the minister’s intention to possibly suspend the council.
“This is exactly what she wants.
“The majority of councillors call on Minister David Templeman to work with us to deal with the serious issues the council is currently facing.”
Cr Steve Hasluck wrote on Twitter that he was elected by the people of Perth on the promise of change, and called on the Minister to allow the council to work through matters.
“Finally we have the majority of council working to sort out the City after two years of being the lonely voices,” Cr James Limnios tweeted.
The majority of councillors and Ms Scaffidi were not contactable today, with Cr Janet Davidson stating she had no comment, and Cr Hasluck waiting for the minister to give his own statement.
The method of suspension presented by Mr Templeman on Friday could be a ‘show cause’ notice, which gives the council 21 days to provide a response to the minister as to why they should not be suspended.
Suspension could also be immediate, with the minister suspending the council while an inquiry is held; the inquiry panel would have the powers of a Royal Commission.
The second option will be chosen if the minister thinks that the ‘seriousness or duration of a suspected failure of the council to ensure that the local government performs its functions properly’ makes it inappropriate for the council to continue as the governing body.
A statement released by the City this morning revealed there were a ‘substantial number’ of incidents where elected members behaved in a ‘concerning nature’, and chief executive Martin Mileham had requested a meeting with Worksafe in mid-2017 about ensuring a safe workplace.
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