Perth Voice Interactive

FIVE of the seven Perth city councillors who were signatories to a letter supporting lord mayor Lisa Scaffidi when the corruption and crime commission released a report into her travel troubles have run into gift issues of their own.

Councillors aren’t allowed to accept gifts of more than $300 if the donor is undertaking (or seeking to undertake) an activity involving local government discretion.

Last October during the election councillors Rob Butler, Jim Adamos, Lily Chen, Janet Davidson, James Limnios, Judy McEvoy and Keith Yong signed a letter declaring “united and full support for Lisa Scaffidi… she is a woman of integrity and a strong leader”.

Two days later it was revealed then-Cr Butler took a free trip to Malacca on the Malaysian government’s dime without declaring it in his annual return.

He argued the law didn’t require him to declare it given it was a government-sponsored trip, though the legislation says it applies to “Commonwealth, State and local governments”. He wasn’t voted back in.

Now the city’s finally put its gift register online (as required by new changes in the law), it’s been revealed Crs Chen, Davidson and Yong accepted gifts worth more than $300 from companies the city was either in a sponsorship or partnership with.

Cr Davidson got $550 of tickets for Business News’ 40under40 awards. The West Australian reports Crs Adamos, Yong and Chen also accepted tickets above the limit for sponsored events, with Ms Chen explaining councillors had a duty to go to sponsored events to ensure they’re worth spending ratepayers’  money on.

But the West quotes local government minister Tony Simpson saying sponsorships do constitute an activity involving local government discretion: “Gifts worth more than $300 or more in these circumstances are prohibited,” he said. If there’s been any wrongdoing it’s down to the local government standards panel to sort it out. Since the tickets were accepted the council’s changed its policy of accepting bulk tickets as a condition of doling out sponsorship (Voice, April 9, 2016).

by DAVID BELL