Port Hedland council passes ‘no confidence’ motion against mayor Peter Carter

Port Hedland councillors have passed a motion of no confidence against mayor Peter Carter while delivering a scathing assessment of his leadership style. Moved by Cr Lorraine Butson at the February 7 ordinary council meeting, the motion highlighted discord within the council about personal dealings, accountability and transparency. It’s a move that would have no real impact on the council or the mayor’s position. The Local Government Act provides no powers for a no confidence vote to remove a mayor from office. Town of Port Hedland councillor Ash Christensen, who supported the motion, said despite the vote not meaning a termination of the mayor’s position, it still held some validity. “While I don’t think the vote of no confidence was the best option, I am hopeful it has allowed councillors to have an open conversation and highlight concerns in front of the people who have voted us into these seats,” he said. “There has been a noticeable lack of clear and transparent communication, including non-respondence to emails relating to councillors’ concerns.” Many councillors spoke of meetings mayor Carter had held throughout Asia, in which they alleged he represented himself as mayor without the knowledge or support of the council. Cr Camilo Blanco said the mayor was prioritising international interests above those of locals. “I’m interested in finding out how the mayor can travel to Vietnam and Korea without council approval and talk to Vietnamese people and companies . . . about immigration to Port Hedland,” he said. “When did (the) council resolve to actively support this approach over the local population and business?” Mr Blanco said the council knew nothing about several alleged meetings that took place in Asia, and despite requests for information, had not been provided an explanation. “The idea that the mayor is promoting foreign business over our local and State companies to build the housing and social infrastructure we need, I don’t agree with that.” In response, Mr Carter said meetings were done on personal trips, paid for out of his pocket, and that any discussions about Hedland were born out of love for the town. “Being the mayor of Port Hedland is a tough gig. We’ve heard (councillor) Blanco say many times he hates FIFO, he hates the camps,” he said. “So as the mayor, when I’m travelling around Asia, I’m promoting Hedland 24/7. I’ve been trying to encourage businesses to come to the town and for people to come live here. “It’s a hard place to live. Not a lot of people want to come and live in this town. If we can grow the town and grow our community then that’s what we’re here for. And whether those people come from interstate or overseas, it doesn’t matter, it’s about giving everyone the full story.” Cr Sven Arentz said as someone new to the political landscape he felt the mayor had not made efforts to accommodate new members of the council. “Coming into this position as someone with zero political or government experience I was expecting some sort of guidance or communication from the mayor,” he said. “In those three and a half months (since being elected) I’ve had zero phone calls, messages or one-on-one meetings with the mayor, and only seven emails from the mayor. Six were generic group replies with only one being a direct response from the mayor to me. “Trust is a massive quality that a leader of any team or group needs to operate. So many unanswered questions, uncommunicated leaves of absence and the unknown overseas meetings.” Mr Carter and deputy mayor Tim Turner were the only councillors to vote against the motion, with councillors Ambika Rebello, Arentz, Blanco, Butson and Christensen voting for it. Cr Turner said he would have liked to see the council engage the mayor before “going to the nuclear option” of a no confidence vote. “What is disappointing for me is that prior to tonight there has not been a specific sharing of information, consultation about those concerns,” he said. “Can we honestly say as a team we’ve worked to resolve these issues around leadership, around performance and around transparency?” “Can the mayor improve his performance? Absolutely. The community deserves to have a mayor that is accessible, transparent and accountable. “We need to work towards making that happen, but I think there could have been more done prior to bringing this to a vote of no confidence, and that is why I will vote against the motion.”