‘The Government, without losing any credibility whatsoever, can have a residents’ vote on a G5 and not risk getting the 50 per cent turnout under the poll provisions needed to kill it,’ Claremont Mayor Jock Barker said, after G7 mayors met last Wednesday.
‘But on a G7, there would be resistance from at least a couple of councils.’
The G7 proposed by the Government would also include Wembley Downs, Churchlands and part of Woodlands from the City of Stirling, while the G5 idea comprises Claremont, Cottesloe, Peppermint Grove, Nedlands and Mosman Park, complemented by a Subiaco-Cambridge merger.
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READ NOWMr Barker said opposition from Stirling to losing its suburbs would make creating a G7 difficult for the Government.
Mosman Park Mayor Ron Norris said: ‘If the Government indicated it was a G5, then the deal could be done very quickly, from Mosman Park’s point of view.’
His council will consider a proposal to the Local Government Advisory Board (LGAB) of a G5 this month.
However, Mr Norris failed to get his mayoral colleagues to jointly meet the LGAB about a G5 without North Fremantle.
The meeting group did not formally respond to recent revelations that residents of Perth’s 22 other councils will not have a vote on boundary changes, but western suburbs residents may get to use the Local Government Act’s poll provision allowing voters to stop an amalgamation if there is a 50 per cent turnout.
The LGAB is considering 26 proposals for new council borders.