Latest news with #FionaArgyle
Perth Now
14-07-2025
- Business
- Perth Now
Ousted Nedlands boss sells house for $2.9m after court fight
Sacked Nedlands mayor Fiona Argyle has sold her Nedlands property as a development site, blaming neighbours who built next door for 'destroying' her privacy. Argyle sold the 1012sqm Kinninmont Avenue block for $2.9 million last month, with an advert that promised a 'compelling blank canvas' for a 'sought-after development offering'. Speaking while abroad yesterday, Ms Argyle said she sold the property — which included the separate sale of the weatherboard house structure — because her family did not want to live with the neighbouring home looking into her children's bedrooms. 'They destroyed our privacy,' she told House That!. She maintained the neighbouring house was an overdevelopment — a claim she made regularly during a year-long battle to prevent construction — because it did not strictly comply with the R Codes. But she rejected claims that it was a bit rich to play up the density potential in an appeal to developers, and at odds with her highly-publicised stance on promoting green space. Argyle's home in Nedlands sold as a development site. Credit: supplied Her property advert highlighted in-principal approval for three lots and the capacity to 'increase the density significantly' under the R60 zoning, which would allow the block to be carved into six 150sqm lots. 'The choice is yours as to how far you subdivide and how you develop the site,' the advert said. But Ms Argyle yesterday said the advert spoke only about what could be achieved under the planning code. Fiona Argyle house structure has been sold seperately to the block. Credit: supplied Her fight against the neighbours, however, was over breaching aspects of that code. 'I know it sounds ironic but (the advert discusses what is possible under) the planning laws,' she said. 'That is the zoning of the block, and the people who bought it can build what they want with it.' The house is set on a 1012sqm block on Kinninmont Avenue. Credit: supplied Back in 2022, the Argyle-led council rejected plans for the neighbouring home, despite advice from city planning staff that they should approve it. Councillors again refused the application months later after the design was altered during mediation. Ms Argyle had recused herself from voting due to her interest, but it was revealed she had texted a councillor who spoke in favour of the neighbour's application that her comments were 'appalling'. Inside the Nedlands home. Credit: supplied Argyle then applied to intervene as an interested third party when her neighbours took the matter to the State Administrative Tribunal, but her request was rejected. Taking the battle to epic proportions, she then appealed the SAT decision in the Supreme Court, but again failed, with the neighbours securing the right to build. Yesterday she said the failed bid had cost her $90,000 in legal fees. The council also had a costly legal bill of $30,000, while the neighbours had complained of their expenses too. At the time, Ms Argyle tole The West Australian it was her duty to fight. 'The Mayor should be setting the example,' she told The West Australian at the time. 'If I do not have the courage to defend my home from over-development and non-compliance, then what does that signal to the other people in the City of Nedlands?' Ms Argyle said. The family will move into another home in the city of Nedlands.
ABC News
13-07-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Observers reach for the popcorn as City of Nedlands crisis reaches dramatic climax
Four councillors resign, three commissioners to be appointed, and one explosive radio interview. It was some kind of week in the City of Nedlands, and for its Mayor Fiona Argyle. After the resignation of four councillors on Monday left Nedlands without the ability to form a quorum, it left an embarrassing mess for Local Government Minister Hannah Beazley to clean up, as most observers reached for the popcorn. Ms Beazley announced she would be dissolving the council and appointing three commissioners to take the reins. And with the ticking clock of local government elections looming in October, the spotlight is well and truly on Perth's wealthy western suburbs. Alleged in-fighting and inefficiency has plagued the City of Nedlands for years. "The city has not been on the right track for a very long time," Ms Beazley said on Tuesday. The spectacle kicked off on Monday morning when councillor of 23 years Ben Hodsdon formally resigned, describing the council as "consistently toxic and dysfunctional" — and another three councillors followed him out the door. He cited the recent children's hospice issue as one of his final straws — a situation that led Lands Minister John Carey to describe Nedlands as "one of the worst councils in Western Australia" last month. The council opposed plans to build a parkland for terminally-ill children on an A-class reserve near the new $34 million facility in Swanbourne, forcing the government to intervene. Protecting the reserve became a line in the sand for the council, despite vocal criticism, but Mr Hodsdon said there was tension bubbling below the surface. "There were four councillors that were in favour and five councillors plus the mayor that weren't in favour of the proposition," he told the ABC. "I think to a certain degree it was the idea that they were losing control … so I think people had their nose out of joint because of the fact it was going to be built at Swanbourne and they didn't like that idea." Nedlands Mayor Fiona Argyle sees it a different way. "Leadership is a really really lonely game, but I've learnt that it takes a team to win," she told the ABC on Friday. "That team voted unanimously for our council to proceed and try and protect that area. After the chaos of Monday's resignations, Ms Argyle took to the airwaves in an explosive interview during which she made several bold claims. "I am the most popularly elected mayor since the 1970s," she told ABC Radio Perth. Ms Argyle was first elected as mayor in 2021 and was re-elected in 2023 with a total of 2,670 out of 5,340 valid votes. According to the Western Australian Electoral Commission's website though, Laurie Taylor was elected mayor of Nedlands in 2003 with 3,790 votes — or 71 per cent — out of 5,319. "I was re-elected popularly … twice," she told the ABC. "I did that, I haven't taken any political donations I've done that with all my own money." In addition to alleging councillors "deliberately worked against [her]", Ms Argyle has said security was increased in the council chambers as a result of councillor behaviour. A City of Nedlands staff member confirmed to the ABC a ranger had attended several ordinary council meetings, but it "did not involve anything to do with the councillors". The staff member said the ranger was asked to attend because of concerns regarding members of the public. The mayor also said she wasn't able to meet with Ms Beazley to discuss several complaints about her colleagues' alleged behaviour. The ABC has seen an email sent by Ms Argyle in May this year requesting a meeting with Ms Beazley, which was denied in an email back from the minister's office citing her schedule. "While the council is under investigation, I didn't find it entirely appropriate for me to be communicating with the mayor," Ms Beazley said on Tuesday. As for what's next for Ms Argyle, she says that's up in the air. "Certainly all the options are on the table, but I'm not saying anything at the moment … I'm just trying to recover from what the government has done to a good mayor," she said. Commissioners will run the council until at least the October local government elections, but they can not stay beyond that. "We can only intervene though under the WA Local Government Act to make sure that the state government discharges its responsibilities," Premier Roger Cook said on Friday. With nothing stopping Ms Argyle and the remaining councillors from renominating, should they be elected, the council could return come October. Which means there might be a sequel to this local government blockbuster.
West Australian
11-07-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Nedlands mayor Fiona Argyle reveals why council's ‘political coup' against her happened
Sacked City of Nedlands mayor Fiona Argyle believes it was her response to stop a Perth-high rates rise for ratepayers 12 months ago that was the pretext for an uprising against her from within, which came to a council-imploding head this week. The ensuing year's bitter in-fighting culminated in four councillors quitting on Monday, with Local Government Minister Hannah Beazley confirming what remains of the council will be sacked and replaced by commissioners to run the city. One of the new commissioners' first tasks will be to determine the size of this financial year's rates bills for Nedlands ratepayers, along with its budget, like many other WA councils have already done in recent weeks. Former councillor Hengameh Amiry told PerthNow this week that was part of the reason for the timing of the quartet's exodus. 'We wanted to be sure that the budget was not set by this council,' Ms Amiry said. A year ago, the council wrestled with what would have been a proposed 9.5 per cent rates rise, which Ms Argyle and a majority of councillors railed against despite being told by staff the tough hike was necessary to keep up with required maintenance and development projects. In demanding the rise be no more than just 3.6 per cent, the mayor quipped her council was 'cutting the fat, not the muscle' out of its budget. The council slashed spending on bushland maintenance and closed the Point Resolution Childcare in Dalkeith — which is now allowed to reopen under new private management — and promised considerable cuts to its workforce. 'Every single operational cost will be coming under the microscope,' she said at the time. 'It's consultants and contractors we're cutting out, and we're going to engage the community at greater levels.' The City of Nedlands has since been the subject of a WorkSafe investigation amid reports more than 70 staff members had quit in the past 18 months. This week's turmoil and associated interruptions will likely make Nedlands among the last Perth councils to finalise and send out its annual rates notices. The council had gotten as far as advertising a proposed 4.8 per cent rise but after a series of meetings where it couldn't achieve a quorum, it had not deliberated the actual budget and rates rise to underpin it. Ms Argyle, who has been overseas in recent weeks and declared in a radio interview this week that the resignations had been 'fantastic news for all ratepayers', has not responded to PerthNow's questions since Monday. But she told a Post Newspapers reporter their act amounted to a 'political coup' and some councillors had turned on her over her opposition to last year's 9.5 per cent proposed rates rise. 'It really came to a head when that group wanted to put up the rates 9.5 per cent and I insisted it be 3.6 per cent,' Ms Argyle said. 'I've just tried so hard to be a good mayor for the people of Nedlands. 'I worked so hard on tree protection and the environment. 'Now the ratepayers have to pay for three commissioners. It will be a million dollars if they are there for a year.' Ms Beazley said the incoming trio of professionals, who are yet to be appointed, will effectively act as the council until at least the local government elections in October.
Perth Now
11-07-2025
- Business
- Perth Now
Argyle: Why Nedlands councillors turned against me
Sacked City of Nedlands mayor Fiona Argyle believes it was her response to stop a Perth-high rates rise for ratepayers 12 months ago that was the pretext for an uprising against her from within, which came to a council-imploding head this week. The ensuing year's bitter in-fighting culminated in four councillors quitting on Monday, with Local Government Minister Hannah Beazley confirming what remains of the council will be sacked and replaced by commissioners to run the city. One of the new commissioners' first tasks will be to determine the size of this financial year's rates bills for Nedlands ratepayers, along with its budget, like many other WA councils have already done in recent weeks. Former councillor Hengameh Amiry told PerthNow this week that was part of the reason for the timing of the quartet's exodus. 'We wanted to be sure that the budget was not set by this council,' Ms Amiry said. Hengameh Amiry (middle) was one of four Nedlands councillors to resign on Monday. Credit: Riley Churchman / The West Australian A year ago, the council wrestled with what would have been a proposed 9.5 per cent rates rise, which Ms Argyle and a majority of councillors railed against despite being told by staff the tough hike was necessary to keep up with required maintenance and development projects. In demanding the rise be no more than just 3.6 per cent, the mayor quipped her council was 'cutting the fat, not the muscle' out of its budget. The council slashed spending on bushland maintenance and closed the Point Resolution Childcare in Dalkeith — which is now allowed to reopen under new private management — and promised considerable cuts to its workforce. 'Every single operational cost will be coming under the microscope,' she said at the time. 'It's consultants and contractors we're cutting out, and we're going to engage the community at greater levels.' The City of Nedlands was thrown into chaos this week. Credit: City of Nedlands The City of Nedlands has since been the subject of a WorkSafe investigation amid reports more than 70 staff members had quit in the past 18 months. This week's turmoil and associated interruptions will likely make Nedlands among the last Perth councils to finalise and send out its annual rates notices. The council had gotten as far as advertising a proposed 4.8 per cent rise but after a series of meetings where it couldn't achieve a quorum, it had not deliberated the actual budget and rates rise to underpin it. Fiona Argyle believes councillors turned on her over her opposition to a rates rise. Credit: Andrew Ritchie / Perth Now Ms Argyle, who has been overseas in recent weeks and declared in a radio interview this week that the resignations had been 'fantastic news for all ratepayers', has not responded to PerthNow's questions since Monday. But she told a Post Newspapers reporter their act amounted to a 'political coup' and some councillors had turned on her over her opposition to last year's 9.5 per cent proposed rates rise. 'It really came to a head when that group wanted to put up the rates 9.5 per cent and I insisted it be 3.6 per cent,' Ms Argyle said. 'I've just tried so hard to be a good mayor for the people of Nedlands. 'I worked so hard on tree protection and the environment. 'Now the ratepayers have to pay for three commissioners. It will be a million dollars if they are there for a year.' Ms Beazley said the incoming trio of professionals, who are yet to be appointed, will effectively act as the council until at least the local government elections in October.
The Age
10-07-2025
- The Age
City of Nedlands under investigation for ‘inappropriate workplace behaviour' claims
WorkSafe is in the final stages of a long-running investigation into the City of Nedlands over alleged staff misconduct, coinciding with a tumultuous week when the entire 'dysfunctional' council was sacked. WAtoday and 9News Perth can reveal more than 70 staff have quit in the last 18 months, prompting the workplace watchdog to scrutinise the besieged council for claims of inappropriate workplace behaviour. One recently departed staff member, who spoke only on the condition of anonymity, said some of the claims related to bullying and harassment in the office. A WorkSafe spokesperson could only confirm the investigation was open, saying it was launched after the 'inspector [was] completing compliance checks relating to safe systems of work'. Its inquiries have been under way since at least January, and 9News Perth reported on Wednesday the investigation would be completed within weeks. The City of Nedlands was contacted for comment but did not respond. It comes as sacked Mayor Fiona Argyle defiantly took to social media, a day after a baffling tirade where she claimed everyone loved dying children. 'All the cool girls get fired', Argyle posted to Instagram from her overseas location, in a reference to a self-help book. The mayor was one of five councillors sacked by the state government, after another four resigned on the same day.
