Perth Voice Interactive

VINCENT mayor John Carey says he’s been getting the cold shoulder from other mayors after asking their councils to adopt transparency reforms at last week’s WA local government association conference.

Mr Carey labelled it “The Day of Shame” when delegates from WA councils overwhelmingly rejected his proposals, 172 to 46, and says his peers haven’t been too kind since he stirred up the hornets’ nest.

He’d wanted WALGA to lobby for more accountability and transparency by pushing for changes to the local government act, to include:

• recording of council member contact with developers;

• a ban on developers donating to councillors and staff;

• reporting of travel by councillors and staff;

• rules to tighten CEO hiring procedures (some councillors vote on CEO contracts without ever seeing the document).

Stirling councillor David Michael spoke in support of the motion, but neither Perth city council’s Rob Butler nor Bayswater’s Terry Kenyon backed him. Mr Carey says he’ll happily publicly debate either to see if they can argue their stance that changes aren’t needed.

Mr Carey says excuses for voting against the motion were ridiculous: one person complained the font on the screen was too small. Someone else muttered it was too late in the day (5.30pm). Another took issue with “the negative tone of the motion”.

When Mr Carey was running out of time for his speech he asked to go longer: “someone said ‘no, we want to get food and drinks’.”

“Other local governments are scrambling for excuses,” he says.

Mr Carey says after he put up the motion, “I was given the cold shoulder, I was shouted at, it has made people very uncomfortable because you’re shining a light on the sector.

“People clapped when it lost. There was significant clapping when it lost, as if that’s a victory.

“I just find it extraordinary. Here’s Bayswater saying we don’t need any more changes — they don’t even record their meetings, and they’re lecturing us saying there are no changes needed.”

We asked Cr Butler his thoughts on the motion but didn’t hear back. Perth lord mayor Lisa Scaffidi likewise dodged the question.

Mr Carey says he won’t let it rest and he’ll be meeting with councils that did support the motion, like Bassendean, Fremantle and Victoria Park to see where to go from here.

by DAVID BELL