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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2008-09-23 Daily Xml
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COPPER COAST DISTRICT COUNCIL

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for State/Local Government Relations, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises, Minister Assisting the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Energy) (14:21): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement about the Copper Coast council.

Leave granted.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: There has been considerable media attention in recent months about various issues concerning the Copper Coast council, and I wish to put on the record action that has been taken by me, my office and by officers with the Office of State/Local Government Relations, on my behalf, since concerns about council processes and the integrity of its decision-making were drawn to my attention.

As members would be aware, the Copper Coast council area is currently undergoing considerable development and growth in population; in fact, I understand that projections of a 40 per cent increase in population over the next 10 years has been predicted. It is evident that some community members are concerned about various developments under way or under consideration, and they feel that they have not been adequately consulted or listened to by their council.

As Minister for State/Local Government Relations, I receive numerous complaints about decisions made by councils and councils' decision-making processes. These complaints obviously vary in nature and in the seriousness of the complaint. I assure members that all complaints received by my office are given appropriate consideration and are assessed objectively and on their merit by officers within the Office of State/Local Government Relations who, in turn, provide advice and recommendations to me. To date the office has looked into several issues related to the Copper Coast council that have been the subject of complaints. Where appropriate information has been obtained from the council itself and Crown Law advice sought where necessary. From the information gathered to date it is evident that, while the council has generally made decisions that are within its remit to make, it has been lacking in the way it has kept the community informed and engaged in its activities and decisions.

Recently on my direction officers of the Office of State/Local Government Relations met with the Mayor and the Chief Executive of the Copper Coast council to gather information and discuss a range of concerns that had been drawn to my attention, either directly or through the media. An outcome of the meeting is that the Mayor and Chief Executive agreed to my request to have an independent legal due diligence and government audit undertaken to ensure that the council's decision-making processes are robust and compliant with the Local Government Act and other relevant legislation and to assure the community that this is the case.

The Office of State/Local Government Relations will be informed of the outcome of this audit and any resultant training, actions, process or changes required as a consequence, and obviously will monitor their implementation. I have also written to the Chief Executive, offering to assist the council to deliver an intensive community consultation and engagement workshop for its elected members and senior managers.

Whilst there are specific issues that my officers are still in the process of examining—and I await their advice on these matters—I assure the chamber that I have asked the council to ensure that their overall operations are appropriate, and that is why I have asked the Office of State/Local Government Relations to work with the council, so that I and the council's ratepayers can be assured that the council acts properly in carrying out its responsibilities. I will continue to look into complaints put to me to ensure that the council is acting appropriately.

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