Latest news with #Swanbourne
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
07-07-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
City of Nedlands plunged deeper into crisis as three councillors resign
Three councillors have resigned from the City of Nedlands within hours of each other throwing the already-embattled council into chaos. The Nedlands council, which presides over one of Perth's wealthiest districts, was already under the threat of dismissal from the Local Government Minister Hannah Beazley over a series of highly public issues. If the council loses a forth member, it could be at risk of being put into administration because they will not have the numbers required to make decisions. On Monday morning, Ben Hodson abruptly resigned after more than two decades on the council, saying he could no longer serve in an environment he claimed was "consistently toxic". In his resignation letter, seen by the ABC, he detailed the "dysfunction" he said has swept through the administration. "I understand that we have seen the majority of staff leave over the last 12 months, a failed audit and an operative work safe review because of unspecified issues," he wrote. "The constant infighting, lack of productive dialogue, bullying behaviours, weaponising the code of conduct that has been rather vexatious in nature and the unwillingness to address serious concerns have made it impossible to effectively represent the community." The council has been under fire from some sectors of the community for actively opposing the construction of a nature parkland for dying children outside a hospice in beachside Swanbourne. The saga led Planning Minister John Carey to call for the Mayor Fiona Argyle to resign. Mr Hodson said that was one of the main contributors to his decision to leave. "The way that was handled in my opinion not the best outcome for both the hospice and the community," Mr Hodson said. Hengameh Amiry and Noel Youngman have also resigned, with Mr Amiry and Mr Hodson being wiped from the city's website.
ABC News
07-06-2025
- Health
- ABC News
WA government takes control of land next to children's hospice to allow development of 'a beautiful park'
The WA government has moved to take control of land next to the new children's hospice in Swanbourne from the City of Nedlands, after the council opposed plans to turn it into a parkland for terminally-ill children. The Perth Children's Hospital Foundation's plans to transform what it called a 'dust bowl' into a green oasis were blocked by the council, which owns Allen Park. The Lands Minister John Carey has moved to excise 3,000 square metres of land at Allen Park from council control, pending a motion in state parliament in the middle of this month. That would pave the way for the PCH Foundation's $4million plans to create a green space next to Boodja Mia, a $34 million respite and palliative care centre for children, due to be completed later this year. The City of Nedlands Council opposed the proposed park development, saying it wanted to build its own park on the A-Class reserve. A-Class classifications are used to protect areas of high conservation or high community value, but Mr Carey argued the council had not been maintaining the land in "any meaningful way". "It is a dustbowl. The Nedlands council have done nothing with this land and then right at the last minute they've said they do have a plan," Mr Carey said. "For the City of Nedlands to make some sort of claim that this land is of any significant or extraordinary value is simply false." The project will include the planting of up to 10,000 native plants, boosting tree canopy at the site to 62 per cent. Mr Carey said the park would be open to the public while also catering to patients and their families at the nearby hospice centre. The City of Nedlands has been contacted for comment.
