Perth Voice Interactive

STIRLING mayor Giovanni Italiano says his new Mercedes cost no more than his old Holden Caprice.

“This car did not cost any more than the previous Holden that I drove for two years,” he told ABC News during the week, having refused an earlier interview with the Voice, which broke the story (November 14, 2015). The sticker price for the mayor’s Merc is $75,000 but the council told the ABC it beat Benz down to $65,000, the same price as the old Holden.

The Voice called the Australian HQ of Mercedes Benz to ask whether its status as a luxury marque was therefore misplaced. Laughter filled the receiver, “of course, Mercedes is more special!”

WA premier Colin Barnett — no stranger to criticisms of publicly funded extravagance — says council officials have no place behind the wheel of a ratepayer-funded Benz.

“That is not appropriate at a local government level, state or federal level,” the premier told the ABC. “I don’t know the details of the vehicles that they’re driving, but the prime minister of Australia doesn’t drive around in a Mercedes.”

Cr Italiano and Stirling CEO Stuart Jardine are driving a C250 and CLA250 respectively. The council says they are within guidelines and meet or beat various ratings for emissions and safety. The pair was seen driving the cars soon after last month’s council elections.

by EMMIE DOWLING