Latest news with #NedlandsCouncil
ABC News
7 days ago
- 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.
ABC News
09-07-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Bunbury mayor backs amalgamations to reduce WA's 139 councils
The mayor of Western Australia's largest regional city says the state has too many local governments and is backing mergers as the way to reduce council numbers. With local government elections approaching and controversies engulfing the Nedlands, Coolgardie and Port Hedland councils, issues with the state's third tier of government have been in the spotlight in recent months. WA has 139 local governments, more than New South Wales (128) and Queensland (77), despite their larger populations. Bunbury Mayor Jaysen Miguel said it was an issue that required closer examination. "There are 139 local governments in WA. It's just too many," Mr Miguel told local podcast BLXCK INK. While emphasising the position was his view, not his council's, he said Bunbury's smaller neighbours, the shires of Capel, Dardanup and Harvey, should consider merging with Bunbury. All four councils have hiked rates in their latest budgets, with Bunbury, Dardanup and Harvey all raising their fees by more than 6 per cent. Mr Miguel said Bunbury ratepayers were copping a bad deal, as people from surrounding shires used their facilities. "We've got the sports centre, the entertainment centre, the art gallery, the museum … they're regional facilities, but our ratepayers, our 30,000 people, pick up the cost of that for 100,000 people," he said. While conceding there was no appetite for amalgamation, he told the ABC it was important to start conversations about the idea, before it was "inevitably forced upon local governments anyway". Dardanup Shire President Tyrrell Gardiner said local decision-making remained the best possible model. "Dardanup, Capel and Harvey are all experiencing rapid growth, and within a few years each will have populations comparable or exceeding Bunbury's," Cr Gardiner said. "Smaller communities like Burekup, Dardanup, Capel, Harvey and Brunswick will lose [their] voice in an amalgamated structure, where city politics often dominate conversations." He said further collaboration remained key to managing the region's growing population. "The mayor's focus on amalgamation appears more like an attempt to retain influence than a solution grounded in community benefit," Cr Gardiner said. As both a former Bunbury mayor and former local government minister, it is a familiar debate for John Castrilli, who oversaw the last round of attempted forced council mergers by then-premier Colin Barnett. While believing any amalgamation would eventually be led by the state government, he said councils should look at opportunities to unite and share resources. "If there's going to be any amalgamation at all, it'll be done by government, [who will] mandate it, full stop," he said. "How do we make things more efficient? How do we optimise opportunities? "If you had one council and 100,000 people [making it] straight away the greater Bunbury council, instead of the 27th largest council, it becomes the 19th largest council." Mr Castrilli also said previous studies he had facilitated between Subiaco and Nedlands councils in Perth showed amalgamation could lead to a reduction in rates. "That was just an administration [efficiency] that could save up to $4 million a year. Savings of a couple of hundred bucks a year to each individual household," he said. In 2008, the Shire of Douglas in Far North Queensland was forced by the Queensland government to amalgamate with Cairns City Council, as part of a statewide reorganisation that substantially reduced the number of councils in the state. The merger was widely unpopular with Douglas residents, who eventually voted to split from Cairns Regional Council in 2013. Former Douglas Mayor Julia Leu said the community's interests were often overlooked in the amalgamated Cairns Regional Council. "Rates went through the roof and services went down," Ms Leu said. She said any merger in the South West had to acknowledge the interests of the outlying towns. "[Mr Miguel] has to ensure the local characteristics of those other communities are respected in terms of any newly amalgamated council," Ms Leu said. "And if the other shires oppose amalgamation they just need to fight it." Local Government Minister Hannah Beazley said the Cook government wanted councils to work out potential mergers themselves. It is a position echoed by WA Local Government Association (WALGA) president Karen Chappel. "WALGA's position is that any structural reform of local government, including amalgamations, should only be undertaken on a voluntary basis, consistent with the state government's policy," she said. "Any forced amalgamation or boundary change is not necessarily an effective way to address individual challenges faced by local governments."
ABC News
09-07-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
City of Nedlands debacle continues, as former premier Colin Barnett revives amalgamation call
City of Nedlands Mayor Fiona Argyle has made a cryptic social media post as the fall-out continues from her council's spectacular implosion this week. Nedlands's council is in tatters after four councillors resigned on Monday, one describing it as "consistently toxic", leaving it without a quorum and unable to function. Local Government Minister Hannah Beazley intervened on Tuesday, confirming three commissioners will be appointed to run the council, with a full spill of all council positions — including the mayor — expected at the next local government election. But Ms Argyle told the ABC yesterday the Minister needed to "check her facts" about her Mayoral position being made vacant. "I'm not up for election for another two years, so I'll still be there — I'm not going anywhere," she said. Overnight, Ms Argyle posted to Instagram a screenshot of a book cover with the title 'All The Cool Girls Get Fired'. When asked about this post, Premier Roger Cook said the government has a "responsibility to ensure that we have stable and functional local government right across Western Australia". Mr Cook was also asked about the possibility of Ms Argyle and the remaining three councillors re-nominating for their positions. "The people of the City of Nedlands may entertain the idea of re-electing a particular councillor or Mayoral candidate," he said. "Our responsibility is to ensure that local governments provide stable and functional services to their local communities. Ms Argyle has been contacted for comment. Meanwhile, former WA Premier Colin Barnett said there was a "continuing need" to reduce the number of local councils in light of the recent City of Nedlands debacle, but the government said it is not on its agenda. Former Liberal Premier Mr Barnett thinks the focus needs to turn now to reducing the number of councils across the state to avoid future "embarrassing" incidents. "There are 137 local councils in Western Australia ... in my opinion, and I think many around even in the local council industry, believe that is far too many," Mr Barnett told the ABC. He said states such as New South Wales and Victoria operate with less councils — 128 and 79 respectively — despite having populations that are more than double WA's. "There's a continuing need [to reducing the number] and while I wanted to see amalgamations during my time to bring the number down to at least below 100, I thought that was fairly modest given there were so many small councils," he said. "There should be reform and it doesn't have to be done overnight, it can be a gradual process in reducing the number." Mr Barnett failed in his 2015 attempt to slash the number of Perth councils from 30 to 16 with an overhaul of laws and merger of the sector, and his government was booted from office two years later. While Premier Cook agrees there are too many local government areas in WA, he said the "system that we have is what it is" and indicated it's "not one of [his] government's polices" to reduce the number. However, he did note the reform the Barnett government tried to get through was "more the execution of their policy rather than the policy itself".
Daily Mail
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Unhinged mayor delivers extraordinary response after FOUR councillors quit within hours of each other - before she bizarrely talks herself up
The mayor of one of the wealthiest councils in Australia erupted into an unhinged rant after four of her councillors quit on the same day, claiming it was 'good news'. The City of Nedlands was thrown into turmoil after councillors Hengameh Amiry, Noel Youngman, Fergus Bennett and Ben Hodsdon resigned within hours of each other. Mayor Fiona Argyle told ABC Perth Radio on Monday it was 'a fantastic day' when the councillors resigned, including one who had served for more than two decades. In the train-wreck interview that spanned seven minutes, Argyle claimed the councillors had deliberately worked against her. 'I am the most popularly elected mayor since the 70s,' she boasted to host Geraldine Mellett. 'I welcome these resignations. I think it's really good news.' When pressed on her role in the collapse of the council, Argyle boasted about her achievements. 'I'm a globalised girl with almost three university degrees and can speak two languages,' she said. 'I have done nothing but work really hard for the ratepayers.' Her most controversial comments came when she responded to criticism over the council's push to retain Crown Land earmarked for a park as part of a $34million hospice for dying children in the plush coastal suburb of Swanbourne. The project, which sparked widespread backlash, was seen as a catalyst in the council's demise. She maintained opposition to the development was not about the children it was designed to serve, but rather giving away land belonging to the council. 'No one hates dying children, everyone loves dying children,' she said. 'But should Class A reserve land be handed over to private use? 'That is the city's land. It is like giving away Hyde Park, Jardin du Luxembourg, the Royal National Park in Sydney.' Western Australia does not currently have a dedicated children's hospice facility. Western Australian Lands Minister John Carey has moved to take part of the reserve out of the hands of the council, stating it had not maintained the space in 'any meaningful way' describing it as a treeless 'dustbowl'. He said last month he thought Nedlands was one of the 'worst councils in Western Australia'. 'This is NIMBYism gone mad,' he told the ABC. 'It makes absolutely no sense to want to keep a barren land there instead of a beautiful garden that will serve families and sick and dying children.' Perth Children's Hospital Foundation chair Ian Campbell said the City of Nedlands had 'made absolute fools of themselves'. Western Australian local government minister Hannah Beazley, the daughter of former deputy leader of the Keating government, will appoint a commissioner to oversee the dysfunctional council. Beazley cited 'repeated poor behaviour' and a breakdown in governance. These sentiments were echoed by the four councillors who all tendered their resignation on Monday, leaving the council without a quorum. But Argyle rejected the suggestion the dysfunction was of her making and labelled Nedlands one of the great cities of the world. Despite the turmoil, the council has been nominated for the prestigious Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize for creating a vibrant place to live. When pressed on allegations of poor leadership, Argyle remained defiant and committed to public service, despite admitting that the role had taken a personal toll. 'My family want me to quit. I have four kids,' she said. She dismissed claims the council's collapse would damage her political future, instead floating the idea of launching a new political party and running for higher office. 'I can do whatever. I have choice. I'm an educated, smart woman,' she said. Argyle said, 'If anyone says anything bad about me, I will sue them.' 'I am really a good mayor who is highly educated and works hard and has been nothing but honest,' she said. Argyle has also been involved in numerous controversies since she was elected in 2021, including a failed legal fight to stop her neighbours building a two-storey home next to her home in the well-heeled western suburbs. She was also found to have breached the city's code of conduct by using offensive language when referring to another person, which led to recommendations for her to undergo counselling.
ABC News
09-07-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Nedlands Mayor Fiona Argyle defiant as council dissolved
WA's local government minister says the entire Nedlands council will be sacked and be replaced by three commissioners after four councillors resigned within hours of each other. But the city's Mayor Fiona Argyle and another councillor are disputing the move, with Ms Argyle saying she was "not going anywhere".
