HONESTLY DISHONEST –

Lisa Scaffidi, the Local Government Act and what they spell out for York and the Wheatbelt.

Ensconced on her throne, covered in mayoral bling looking like it came straight from Tiffany’s Jewellers, New York, coiffure reminding  many of ‘Miss Piggy’s’ haircut in ‘The Muppet Show’, she exudes confidence and oozes a presumed degree of arrogance within and without her council chambers.

She had no problem in telling a harsh media critic that his breath stank, and everyone that she will not resign.

Despite the Government and now the Opposition both baying for self-sacrificial blood, the Lord Mayor of Perth, Lisa Scaffidi, says she ain’t goin’ anywhere, which could have some seriously adverse effects for Local Government in WA.

The route pattern of the list of free flights she has taken looks like the regular, yearly overseas flight paths of Qantas, and her 45 State Administrative Tribunal charges and being found guilty by the WACCC, is a sizable record a hardened criminal might be proud of. She knew what she was doing was wrong as she had sat and held a senior position on that same SAT.

Mrs Scaffidi excuse is the claim she has been out and about touting Perth’s charms to the world at the expense of big business and at no cost to the City of Perth and its community -other than to its integrity, dignity and her disclosure obligations.

Has her efforts been worthwhile? That is a matter of opinion and perception with 90 % of a public survey now saying, no-she has to go.

Has Mrs Scaffidi ensured Perth is considered as a world-class city? That is also debatable. But- the current reality is untenanted offices, closed restaurants and shops, failed events and a major slump in tourism.

Sounds a lot like York- on a grander scale!

The claim by the former State Government that Elizabeth Quay had more visitors than Rome’s Colosseum was an extreme flight of farcical political fancy. What it did was include a daily count of the public and office workers walking passed the place with no intention of viewing it or using its facilities. It is stark testimony of what politicians and public officials will do to retain office.

So what has allowed Dacre Alcock, Bill Price, Ray Hooper and so many others, both councillors and local government officers to emerge, and then get away with murdering probity and ensuring the demise of local community trust in rural and regional councils in particular?

It is The Local Government Act 1998, and its interpretation by the Department of Local Government that makes it just an act, a sham, a toothless tiger.

The last State Government, over two terms in office, was unwilling to interfere in the running of local government, by failing locals, for fear of being accused of encroaching on and undermining the independence of communities in administering their own affairs- and upsetting the Nationals partnership.

This has allowed for nepotism, cronyism, little accountability, local government corruption and criminal activity to balloon over the past nine years.

The Nationals have had ministers representing rural areas such as the Central Wheatbelt all through this time. They were extremely reluctant to be involved and have their Shire Councils’ inadequacies, exposed, blamed and shamed because it would not be to their political advantage.

Yet the Shire of Toodyay has taken a Chief-Executive-Officer to court for misuse of council funds, the Shire of Dowerin’s CEO is in jail for stealing, York’s Council was suspended, with allegations against its former CEO allegedly investigated by the WACCC and the Major Fraud Squad for credit card chicanery, Mukinbudin accepted this CEO who was the cause of the contentious Fitz-Gerald Report and Mt Marshalls’ CEO left -abusing his council colleagues on Face Book. The list goes on.

All tawdry, all should have never happened if the Local Government Act 1998, had clearly defined penalties for explicitly described acts that are unacceptable in the court of public opinion, in the public interest, the interests of the majority of ratepayers or are just downright wrong.

Any claim of ignorance by councillors and shire staff of their obligations under the LGA 1998, should be accepted as in a criminal court- ‘so sad-too bad’.

In Lisa Scaffidi’s case she has been found guilty of accepting ‘prohibited gifts’. Prohibited cannot be misinterpreted, it means forbidden and banned and is therefore totally unacceptable behaviour.

It has now come to the stage within Shire Councils that any Conflict of Interest, including cronyism should have penalties from severe fines to removal from office. Lax or lack of administrative accountability should not be tolerated with heavy penalties including dismissal of individuals, both councillors and administrators.

Every Shire Council should undergo a rigorous mandatory third-party performance review and financial audit, annually, with any attempt at deception or non-disclosure greeted by heavy fines and dismissals.

Every Asset Register should be up to date and all shire record keeping should meet all standards set under the State Records Act, 2005. No acceptable excuses- just open condemnation and severe penalties for non-compliance.

All Local Government Area statutes, by-laws and principals should be state-wide and standardized. The principle that Principles can be turned into just Guidelines is absolute bullshit.

If their key elements are to be changed to suit individuals, rather than the whole communities interest, than the council vote must be an absolute majority with no dissenter’s and no abstentions.

Shire President, David Wallace and CEO, Paul Martin, have been advised of what may happen in the future.

Already the main metropolitan print press has launched an unprecedented attack on what they have called ‘Bush Shires mired in Corruption’ which is an extremely derogatory and blunt assessment.

No-one has made a defensive public statement saying that it is not entirely true, including Local Member, Mia Davies.

As the Nationals Leader sitting on the Opposition benches she will have no power to assist her electorate. That is not negatively politicizing her role- it is the political game of winners and losers.

There are relatively few Labor voters in the Wheatbelt and the ‘Famers Union” is not an affiliated union member of the Labor Party.

There are two million people in Perth, and columnists’ in the Press, who dislike Royalties for Regions believing that it has been a total waste of $5 billion. That was even in the boom times, so just imagine how they feel now, when Perth and WA has become the poorest State in Australia.

The Avon Valley will not get its Super Town, Northam, and the Wheatbelt can look forward to a total lack of empathy by most of the WA public.

What will happen in the future? The DLG will stringently oversee all governance compliance in Local Government Areas, the WACCC will toughen-up on any perceived corruption, while the Auditor General will go through annual financial reports like a dose of salts.

There is an extreme likelihood that the Local Government Act, 1998 will be amended to prevent any form of ‘corruption’ in Local Government Areas and specify much harsher penalties for any form of corrupt act.

So whose fault is this potential Wheatbelt Shire turmoil? Obviously the DLG- and the Local Government Act, 1998.

However in York’s case its problems are of its own making. The CEO in the dark days was no fool and the Shire Presidents of that time not so stupid that they did not know right from wrong, legally ethically, morally, commercially and what their Local Government Area obligations were!

They chose to ignore it all as there were no penalties to suit the crime.

David Taylor.