Perth Voice Interactive

WE’RE hearing strong indications the final boundaries of council mergers will be announced this coming week.

The Voice understands WA local government minister Tony Simpson will announce his call on options presented to him by the WA local government advisory board on Wednesday.

Mr Simpson has the power to accept or reject the WALGB’s recommendations, but no power to amend them.

The most likely look for Perth and Vincent is a full merger. That could trigger a referendum under the Dadour Amendment, which allows a majority vote from residents to block mergers provided they get at least a 50 per cent turnout.

The minister’s been hoping to steer clear of that by classifying it not as a full amalgamation but a minor “boundary adjustment”.

Attempting to do that could spark its own legal challenge.

Perth council, which only wants to nab a sliver of southern Vincent, has been campaigning to get its citizens to join the voting rolls, concerned that Vincent voters will otherwise have too much power in a merged entity.

The PCC’s latest slick A3 newsletter features a front page exhortation to “get your name on the roll,” telling people to have their say in important decisions about how ratepayers’ money is spent. The campaign’s timing is raising eyebrows given the next election isn’t for 13 months, but a Dadour vote could be much sooner.