Suspend council petition hits 1400 signatories

A petition calling for the State Government to suspend the Bunbury City Council and initiate an inquiry into its operations attracted 1400 signatures and will be presented to WA Parliament.

The petition was spearheaded by Withers Action Group convenor Glen Willetts, who said he would have gathered more signatures if he had more than three days.

“We went to Minninup Forum and the Parks Centre and almost everyone we asked was happy to sign,” he said.

The petition asks the Upper House to recommended Local Government Minister Tony Simpson suspend the council pending an inquiry.

It calls for the inquiry to look at the council’s dysfunction, performance, transparency, management of complaints and implementation of council decisions.

The petition also asks the minister to look into the council’s decision to gag Mayor David Smith and appoint City of Bunbury CEO Andrew Brien as the council’s official spokesman.

A number of Bunbury residents questioned the council on its decision to muzzle the Mayor at last week’s council meeting, sparking an emotional walkout by two councillors.

The councillors’ behaviour at the meeting prompted a ratepayer to ask if they were comfortable about the way they behaved in front of a public gallery.

Mayor David Smith said he was not and he hoped the behaviour was not repeated in the future.

Mayoral candidate and councillor Brendan Kelly hit back at the “negative round of stories” criticising the council.

He said calls for an inquiry were misguided and people had been “sucked into the politics of the negative”.

“So far they have not given any specific explanation about what they want from an inquiry,” he said.

“They have no terms of reference.”

Mr Willetts said the petition had given the reasons for an inquiry which could be drafted into terms of reference if the minister decided to act on the council.

South West MLC Adele Farina said Cr Kelly’s comments showed a “wilful blindness to the serious dysfunction and governance problems engulfing the council”.