By Paul Hemsley Councils in New South Wales and Queensland have mounted a hard-fought campaign to stop forced amalgamations of local governments, but it’s a very different story in the West where mayors are backing a push to merge municipalities. The voluntary push for amalgamations from councils in WA has been highlighted by City of […]
15 April, 2013
By Julian Bajkowski Western Australian Local Government Minister John Castrilli’s crackdown on sloppy management has yielded another casualty after he suspended the Shire of Ashburton in the state’s iron-rich Pilbara region and ordered councillors into governance rehabilitation. The WA government announced last night that the suspension “was effective immediately” and named Ron Yuryevich, Mayor of […]
12 December, 2012
A group of ten shires in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia has become the state’s largest regional collaborative group. Local Government Minister John Castrilli announced on Thursday that the shires of Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Laverton, Leonora, Dundas, Coolgardie, Esperance, Menzies, Ngaanyatjarraku, Ravensthorpe and Wiluna have signed an agreement formalising the formation of a regional collaborative group. […]
18 February, 2011
The Western Australian Government has launched a round of community consultation sessions in the Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CaLD) communities of Karratha, Port Headland and Broome. Held from Wednesday to Friday, the consultation sessions were organised by the Office of Multicultural Interests in collaboration with the shires of Roebourne and Broome and the Town of Port […]
1 September, 2010
The Government of Western Australia has announced that a further 16 councils have signed agreements to form regional groups as part of the local government reform process. WA Local Government Minister John Castrilli said twelve councils had agreed to form regional transition groups, four signed up to regional collaborative groups and another eight agreed to amalgamate […]
13 August, 2010
By Staff Writer The cost of amalgamating West Australia’s councils has come under attack in the State Parliament. The Opposition spokesman for local government, Paul Papalia, rejected claims by Minister for Local Government John Castrilli that the move to amalgamate councils – which has cost the state $1 million so far – was worth it […]
26 February, 2010
By Angela Dorizas West Australian Local Government Minister John Castrilli today denied claims that the new local government reform transition process has disregarded submissions made by councils. The WA Local Government Association (WALGA) president Bill Mitchell said the new reform transition process had “little to no regard” for councils’ submissions. Mr Castrilli said through the submission process, […]
21 January, 2010
By Angela Dorizas The West Australian Local Government Association (WALGA) has demanded consultation with the Minister for Local Government over what it claims is a shift in the State Government’s approach to local government reform. WALGA president Bill Mitchell said the new reform transition process, announced by Local Government Minister John Castrilli, has little to […]
18 January, 2010
By Staff Writer Western Australia’s Local Government minister has praised the first-past-the-post (FPTP) voting system used in local government elections as a successful transtion from proportional representation (PPV). “It is a fairer, simpler system which makes the electorate process easier to understand and more accessible to the wider community,” Mr Castrilli said in […]
26 October, 2009
By Staff Writer Local Government Minister John Castrilli has urged Western Australians to get to the ballot box for next Saturday’s local government elections. “It’s important for residents to have a say in who runs their community. Your vote can have a powerful influence on decisions being made where you live,” Castrilli said. […]
13 October, 2009
By Staff Writer Western Australian councils have had their say on the future of local government in the state. More than 115 councils and shires have made submissions to the Department of Local Government by the September 30 deadline. Local Government Minister John Castrilli said he was encouraged by the response and anticipated that more submissions […]
2 October, 2009
By Staff Writer Four shires in Western Australia have responded to the State Government’s call for voluntary amalgamations by agreeing to form one new local government. In February, Local Government Minister John Castrilli asked the state’s 139 councils to voluntarily amalgamate and to reduce the total number of elected members of each council to between […]
18 September, 2009
By Staff Writer The Mayor of the City of Swan in Western Australia, Charlie Gregorini has been killed in a tractor accident on his Swan View property. The 62-year-old father of five was moving bricks on Saturday afternoon when the tractor rolled over. His body was discovered by his wife, Sandra. Cr Gregorini started his community […]
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