Council merger process 'failed'; Premier Colin Barnett gave it 'best shot'

Updated

Plans to overhaul the local government sector have failed, concedes WA Premier Colin Barnett, as questions remain about whether the state will dump the entire reform process altogether.

The Government's plans to slash the number of Perth councils from 30 to 16 have been dealt a double body blow in recent days, with the WA Local Government Association (WALGA) yesterday withdrawing its support for the reforms and a poll at the weekend rejecting amalgamation plans.

Ratepayers in East Fremantle, Kwinana and South Perth voted against amalgamation, killing off three planned new districts in the Government's city-wide local government reform master plan.

Mr Barnett told 720 ABC Perth while he was disappointed by the result, he accepted it.

"I've got a responsibility to do all that we can to provide good government, we gave it and I gave it my best shot," he said.

"We failed and I concede that, we'll now focus on the City of Perth. I've failed, I've put up the white flag, move onto the next issue."

The ABC understands plans to amalgamate the cities of Perth and Vincent appear doomed, with the two failing to reach agreement on elements of the proposal.

There's a whole lot of loose ends here, it's symptomatic of a policy direction which I don't think should have been embarked upon, and it suffered the fate it had at the hands of voters that it deserved. Simon O'Brien

The Premier's office yesterday declined to respond to questions over whether the Government would now dump the reform process entirely in the face of mounting opposition.

This morning the Premier told the ABC he was yet to determine what will happen to the remaining metropolitan councils.

"We'll decide what we'll do with the others, I don't think the argument has changed," he said.

However, this afternoon he said he had put the entire process "on hold" for the foreseeable future.

Mr Barnett said local government was incapable of reforming itself and the process had been personally frustrating.

"I've spent an enormous amount of time and effort on this, as has the minister, as have various government departments," he said.

"I note people were claiming this morning a lack of consultation. You couldn't have consulted this issue more. There was meeting, after meeting, after meeting, including in my office."

'What's he run up with white flag on?'

Liberal backbencher Simon O'Brien said there were a number of unresolved questions.

"When I hear the Premier say he's run up the white flag, that's it, he'll just look at the City of Perth from now on, to me that's not clear what that means," he said.

"What is it that he's run up the white flag on and agreed not to continue with? Does it relate to the City of Canning where people weren't allowed a vote?

"What happens now that we're not going to have an amalgamation of South Perth and Vic Park to those people to the City of Canning that have been hived off?"

Mr O'Brien said he would be following up with the Premier.

"There's a whole lot of loose ends here, it's symptomatic of a policy direction which I don't think should have been embarked upon, and it suffered the fate it had at the hands of voters that it deserved," he said.

"There's been a lot of political goodwill and a lot of political blood spilt, for no good reason."

Kwinana mayor Carol Adams said she was "quite taken aback" by the Premier's comments.

"I had anticipated that the Premier would still proceed with those boundary changes, especially as they have already been gazetted," she said.

"I think we would probably just like to have a bit more dialogue from the Premier's office about exactly what that means for the sector, and where it leaves a lot of the councils who are still facing a little bit of uncertainty now."

Ms Adams said councils had spent a lot of money on the amalgamation process.

"We did a quick tally-up, and from 2009, we've put in about five reports, notwithstanding council officers' time, you'd have to be looking at $1.5 million conservatively," she said.

Ms Adams said the council would be writing to the Government seeking some reimbursement.

Attention turns to City of Perth Act

Mr Barnett said the only way to change the council merger process was to change the Local Government Act itself.

"At the end of the day the Act is too cumbersome, people argued to keep the Dadour provisions [right to vote] and that basically brought about this result, but that's life, we move on," he