Latest news with #DavidCaddy
ABC News
24-07-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Problem-plagued City of Nedlands referred to Corruption and Crime Commission
A trouble-plagued Perth local government has been referred to the state's corruption watchdog following years of turmoil in its ranks. The City of Nedlands made headlines this month when four councillors resigned, leaving it without a quorum and prompting the local government minister to remove those remaining and appoint commissioners in their place. An ABC investigation can now reveal separate concerns about the City of Nedlands have been referred to the Corruption and Crime Commission (CCC) by the Public Sector Commission. The ABC understands the referral took place earlier this month. This step is in addition to recent concerns about governance, audits and workplace complaints that have formed the basis of investigations by the Department of Local Government and Worksafe. A referral to the CCC does not mean it will launch an investigation and the ABC is not suggesting that a referral implies any findings of wrongdoing. On Wednesday, three commissioners were appointed to run the council until a special election is held on March 28, circumventing scheduled elections in October. Local Government Minister Hannah Beazley said this was to give the trio time to ensure the next budget was passed. Financial irregularities at the council were highlighted by the auditor-general last year. In a damning report, he found the council failed to keep accurate enough records needed to complete an annual audit. Commissioner chair David Caddy said he and his colleagues were committed to bringing trust and integrity back into the governance systems at the council. A separate investigation has been running by the Department of Local Government into the council since May. The minister said that investigation was examining "the functioning of the council, how they were operating, the behaviours that were on display and how that was affecting good governance at the council". It is now finished but not finalised, but the minister said the results of such investigations were not usually made public, although they would be provided to the newly-appointed commissioners. She said it was possible the outcome could provide grounds for an inquiry by her office, which would invoke broader powers under the Local Government Act. Controversy also haunted the council in recent months after it refused to give up land to the Perth Children's Hospital Foundation for a parkland for sick and dying children. Mayor Fiona Argyle issued a statement on Wednesday saying she had been "rolled" by the state government for doing her job "protecting A-class nature reserves from property developers". "If I do run again, I can assure the community there will be no property developer getting their hands on the most protected lands in our nation," Ms Argyle said. The Perth Children's Hospital, a registered charity, wanted to transform Allen Park into a parkland for terminally ill children. In a now-infamous interview on ABC Radio Perth earlier this month, Ms Argyle defended that decision, saying it was like "giving away" Hyde Park or Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris. "No one on this planet is against dying children, no one hates dying children, everyone loves dying children," she said. "What I don't like and the city doesn't like, it was a unanimous decision, that is the city's land." The state government took control of the land in early June in order to progress the children's hospice.
ABC News
23-07-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Nedlands election delayed after council sacked, as mayor Fiona Argyle says she was rolled
Nedlands council will remain in the hands of commissioners for longer than anticipated following the sacking of its mayor and elected councillors, after the election of a new council was delayed. Local Government Minister Hannah Beazley has appointed three commissioners to run the council after last month sacking all of the elected councillors, including the mayor Fiona Argyle. The move came after four councillors resigned within hours of each other, leaving the council without a quorum, with Ms Beazlley describing the situation as an "embarrassing" saga of "dysfunction and disunity". The council was already under investigation by the Department of Local Government over claims of governance breaches, and Ms Beazley said that probe was expected to conclude in coming weeks. Local government elections are slated to be held in October this year, but Ms Beazley said on Wednesday the Nedlands election would be rescheduled for March, to give the commissioners time to investigate the issues leading up to the sacking. Former WA Planning Commission chair David Caddy, a former Nedlands deputy mayor, has been appointed chair of the council, assisted by commissioners Bianca Sandri and Cath Hart. Mr Caddy said he and his fellow commissioners were "committed to bringing trust and integrity back into the governance system in the City of Nedlands." "We have a huge task ahead of us," he said. Mayor Fiona Argyle told the ABC she was not under investigation from the department and believed she had been targeted for political purposes. "I was elected mayor two times by a popular vote of the community and have ben rolled by the WA state government for doing my job," she said. Ms Argyle said this included "protecting Class A nature reserves from property developer." The City of Nedlands has been under scrutiny over its opposition to a proposed park for terminally ill children and their families next to WA's first children's hospice. The park was to be built on a class-A reserve, set aside for high conservation areas, but the land had significantly deteriorated over years. Council argued it wanted to develop the site itself, but the state's planning minister stepped in and took control of the land. One of the councillors who resigned last month cited the hospice park issue as one of the main reasons for quitting.
