Perth Voice Interactive

PERTH city council is campaigning hard on its merger stance in the final days before submissions to the local government advisory board close, rolling out an expert lineup to spruik its message.

The PCC favours a minor expansion of boundaries to take in surrounding infrastructure and hubs like UWA, King’s Park, QEII medical centre, and the casino.

To sell its argument it’s called upon former Victorian local government board chair Leonie Hemingway to weigh in.

She says the WA government’s (current) favourite plan to merge all of Vincent with Perth is a mistake.

“This only causes conflict and it really takes away from the main game of the capital city,” she says in a promo video by the PCC. “These sections of low density residential areas are much better in a neighbouring municipality where they can focus on residential issues.”

Queensland local government commissioner Greg Hoffman also offered his thoughts, having worked on mergers in Queensland between 1992 and 1997.

“Inclusion of the whole of the City of Vincent within the City of Perth, I believe poses serious problems to the important focus of the capital city,” he says.

PCC media wrangler Peter Jackson says neither Ms Hemingway nor Mr Hoffman were paid for their involvement.

The Voice did receive calls from local spin outfit PPR requesting we include the PCC’s position, however, and we’re pretty sure they don’t work for gratis.

Meanwhile Burswood locals have overwhelmingly backed lord mayor Lisa Scaffidi’s plans to bring them into Perth’s fold. Ninety-four per cent of residents surveyed by the Burswood Peninsula property owners say they support going over to Perth city council and not sticking with councils south of the Causeway.

As for Perth’s phone polling of Vincent residents, the PCC is yet to release the results. CEO Gary Stevenson hints “the city’s survey (not unexpectedly) showed that Vincent residents prefer to be merged with City of Perth, but that in the northern part of Vincent there was a somewhat higher level of neutrality of ambivalence about this than in the southern part”.

by DAVID BELL