Perth Voice Interactive

VINCENT mayor John Carey is furious Perth City Council has gone behind his back to secretly poll his ratepayers.

Perth-appointed pollsters have been phoning Vincent residents asking a series of questions about amalgamations, including whether they wanted their small council’s suburbs to be kept together, and how they’d feel about being in Perth.

Mr Carey said he recently met with Perth lord mayor Lisa Scaffidi and CEO Gary Stevenson who told him they wanted “a positive, constructive relationship,” and the next thing he knows they’re doing cross-border patrols.

The PCC for its part told Mr Carey it kept mum in case Vincent tried to use the polling to gain publicity and skew the result.

“I think it’s extremely disappointing,” Mr Carey says. “It’s a desperate measure. They are now desperately seeking out any tactic they can to stop Vincent going into Perth.”

Vincent wants to be taken lock, stock and barrel into Perth instead of being split down the middle.

Perth council only wants Vincent’s business areas, hoping the northern half will go into Stirling.

“They don’t want 21,000 voters coming into a new electoral system that, quite frankly, is going to shake things up in a good way because they’re going to have to be accountable to an active residential base,” Mr Carey says.

We’re waiting on a response from Perth city council.

The poll questions:

• Are you aware of the current debate in WA about the state government’s plan to change local government?

• How important is it to you that all suburbs currently in the City of Vincent remain together within the same local government area?

• If the entire area currently defined as the City of Vincent were to be assigned to another local government area, which of the following would you prefer: City of Perth, City of Stirling, another local government or it doesn’t matter.
• How would you feel  if your household was to become part of the City of Perth?

• Why do say you are in favour/against to becoming part of the City of Perth?

by DAVID BELL