Harvey Shire votes to reduce number of councillors and have popularly-elected Shire president amid reforms

The Shire of Harvey will reduce the number of councillors and hand control of its president position to the voting public amid changes to local governments across the State. Councillors voted at their meeting on October 25 to voluntary agree to the State Government’s local government reforms amid reluctance over one of the changes. The reforms, announced in July, will see the introduction of optional preferential voting in future elections, a limit of the number of elected members each council can have based on population and the requirement for all large councils to let the voting public elect the mayor or shire president. The Shire of Harvey will propose to reduce the number of elected members including the shire president from 13 to nine by 2025 as part of its Ward and Representation Review initiated at Tuesday’s meeting. Councillors have proposed to see three councillor positions eliminated at the 2023 local government elections and two in the 2025 elections, which will be outlined when the review goes to public consultation. Cr Robyn Coleman spoke for making the number of positions abolished at both elections more equal. “It seems like a more equitable way of doing it rather than four (positions in 2023) and one (in 2025),” she said. While there was little argument on the change, things were more heated when it came to voluntarily agreeing to popularly elect the Shire president from 2023 onwards. Cr Craig Carbone spoke against the move, describing it as a “stupid idea”. “I think it is one local government will live to regret,” he said. “Why should the person with the most money who can do the advertising campaign become president of the Shire with no experience?” Mr Carbone argued the current system, which sees elected members choose the president among themselves, ensured the person in the position had experience in local government. Councillor and former Shire president Tania Jackson also spoke against the move. “To have the support of the room as president and to feel like you have to answer to them rather than independent of them is a very important thing,” she said. Chief executive Annie Riordan said the staff were unsure whether taking the voluntary pathway for the reduction in elected members and the reform pathway for the Shire president election arrangements mitigated each other. WA councils had until Friday to notify the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries of their intentions with local government reforms. If the Shire did not voluntarily agree to the changes, the DLGSC would force the reforms in February. Mr Krispyn said the voluntary pathway at least provided the Shire an opportunity to choose the way forward. Cr Wendy Dickinson also urged councillors to agree to the change voluntarily. “While I don’t agree with a publicly elected Shire president for the reasons that have already been given, I feel that we have no option but to support this recommendation,” she said. Cr Amanda Lovitt said she was the first to have concerns about a popularly elected president, but noted a number of similar councils already had a popularly elected presiding member. “Whether it works well or it works badly, that’s something we haven’t experienced in our Shire as yet,” she said. “What we have at the moment gives us the greatest amount of control we can possibly hope for under the voluntary system.” The vote to voluntarily implement the popular election of the Shire president was carried 7-6. Harvey is one of three councils in the South West which will be required to make the change, along with the shires of Augusta-Margaret River and Manjimup.