And The Losers Are…

The City of Perth Bill has passed the Parliament thanks to collusion between most Liberals and the ALP.

Remember this when it comes to the 2017 State Election.

Thanks to Hon Simon O'Brien, MLC, for his spirited, eloquent and principled statements, right to the end, and to Hon Robin Chapple, MLC, for tilting at windmills by moving amendments - but we are bemused at the absence of any amendment dealing with the boundary change affecting Subiaco.

Thanks also to the Hon Martin Aldridge and the Hon Rick Mazza, and Rob Johnson in the Legislative Assembly, for speaking against the Bill and asking some awkward questions many of which remain unanswered.

The Upper House voting speaks for itself, with only the Greens, the Nationals, the Hon Simon O'Brien and the Hon Rick Mazza voting against the Bill - and the Hon Nigel Hallet effectively doing so by having a 'pair' with an ALP member.

And now, in the tradition of the Oscars, the LOSERS are:

- The 3000 residents of Subiaco who will be forcibly relocated into the City of Perth without any say in the matter - their local MP (Bill Marmion) was worse than useless.

- The remaining ratepayers and residents of Subiaco, who will be faced with increased costs as a result of losing the Subiaco 3000.

- Nedlands Liberal MLA, Bill Marmion, who abandoned and refused to represent his constituents in Subiaco and should pay the price at the 2017 election.

- The Governance of WA, as a result of the collusion between the two major parties.

- The dignity of the Legislative Council, as a result of its being unwilling to investigate not only the substantial detail of the Bill in committee but also the transitional provisions which give the Executive power to change the legislation without the approval of Parliament.

- The people of WA for all of whom Perth is the capital city and who deserve better than the "draft second-rate press release" (thank you Simon O'Brien) that masquerades as the City of Perth Act.

And the WINNER is ……… no one.

This Act does nothing constructive for anyone. It simply feeds the vanity of the Premier and the Lord Mayor of Perth.

As the Hon Simon O'Brien said in Parliament: [I can't understand] "why all of this is necessary, beyond some vague representation that 'Some other cities have got a capital city legislation, so we should have it, too.' … The community as a whole has not been involved in it, and we cannot identify anything that it will produce. … It is pointless legislation—totally pointless."

Post amended 28th February to correct voting list.

The Ancient Chinese Curse Strikes Again

Well, we certainly hope that Barnett and Co feel they are living in interesting times - but this one is entirely of their own making.

They could have consulted before introducing the City of Perth Bill into the Parliament, which would have reduced the time needed to massage it through the Parliament.

Alternatively, having introduced the Bill (in May 2015), they could have managed Parliamentary business so that its passage (should it be passed) was consistent with the timelines specified in the Bill.

As it is, surely the Legislative Council cannot pass a Bill which cannot be complied with. At the very least, it should amend the offending dates to something that the City of Subiaco can comply with and to ensure an internally consistent timeline for implementation. This would not be an easy task if the Government wants to stick to its 1st July 2016 date for the new boundaries to take effect.

These amended timelines, themselves, would, of course, have to allow for the time required to send the Bill back to the Legislative Assembly for approval and then return to the Legislative Council.

The bottom line is that the City of Subiaco cannot start the review of wards and ward boundaries required by the City of Perth Bill until it has been passed by both houses of the Parliament and has been proclaimed by the Governor.

Click to enlarge

WA Today, 3rd February, 2016