A controversial Pilbara politician has been disqualified from holding office after he failed to apologise for alleging town staff were working to cover up an illegal brothel.
A controversial Pilbara politician has been disqualified from holding office for two months after he failed to apologise for alleging town staff were working to cover up an illegal brothel.
Camilo Blanco was a councillor for the Town of Port Hedland when he received an order from the Local Government Standards Panel to make a public apology to town staff.
The saga started when, in August 2023 (prior to Mr Blanco being elected to Council), a brief was provided to councillors with discussion around the potential of an at-home massage business on Jibson Close in South Hedland to be used as a brothel.
The discussion came after an anonymous allegation was made that an illegal business was operating out of the premises.
At the November 1, 2023 council meeting (at which point Mr Blanco had been elected a councillor) the Town's director of regulatory services provided a response to the allegation an illegal business was operating.
- Dodgy masseuse, IT conspiracies: WA polly loses appeal
- Port Hedland council fired, three commissioners appointed
- ANALYSIS: Inside the decade that broke the Town of Port Hedland's council
"Assessment of the (businesses' planning application), including an assessment of the property by two Town Planning Officers, found no evidence of activities of a sexual nature, therefore the officer's recommendation to council was to conditionally approve the application," the director said at the time.
At the November 29, 2023 ordinary council meeting, Mr Blanco lodged a motion to revoke planning approval for the massage business.
He said the motion was being moved because two councillors, Jan Gillingham and Renae Coles, had not been provided with the complaint which suggested it was being used as a brothel prior to voting to approve the planning application.
"While the officer’s recommendation states that there is not enough evidence to revoke the motion, there are issues with the item and the way the item was presented to the Council... it seems that there’s some sort of cover up going on here to minimise any reputational damage to the administration," Mr Blanco said at the November 29 council meeting.
"...The Mayor approved the media release suggesting the Council knew (about concerns regarding the business); so either some Council members are privy to all the documents and evidence and some are not, or someone is not being truthful..
"So I don't think the administration has been neutral on this subject. If Council members do nothing about this conduct you're effectively agreeing that this sought (sic) of behaviour is your standard and you're happy for it to continue."
It was those statements which drew the ire of the Local Government Standards Panel which, after an investigation, ordered Mr Blanco to issue a public apology to town staff, finding he had breached the Local Government Act.
Mr Blanco did not issue an apology; with the Town of Port Hedland instead publishing an apology on Mr Blanco's behalf on both its website and its social media in early September 2024.
Mr Blanco, using his own profile, then commented on the post and said the apology had been made without his knowledge, and that he did not apologise for his statements.
It meant he failed to complete the LGSP order, leading to the matter being referred to the State Administrative Tribunal.
Now, two years after the original statement were made, the State Administrative Tribunal dismissed Mr Blanco's suggestion he had not contravened the Local Government Act, and instead handed him a two-month disqualification from office.
That penalty, however, is effectively void given the entire Port Hedland council, including Mr Blanco, was dissolved in September and three Commissioners instead put in place.
The two-month disqualification will lapse on February 5, with the local government set to hold an election in March.
Mr Blanco still stands by his statements as well, telling the SAT he did not apologise because his statements "were true".
In the decision the Tribunal said a significant amount of time was spent reviewing materials Mr Blanco believed proved his statements were true.
"Mr Blanco could point to nothing which showed that the Mayor and/or members of the Town's administration covered up information to protect the town from reputational harm, that they failed to undertake an investigation into the matters complained of or had approved a media release which was not truthful," the decision said.
"The Tribunal does not have the power to review a finding by the (Local Government Standards) Panel that a person has committed a breach. The Tribunal will therefore disregard Mr Blanco's submission that he should not be sanctioned because his statements were factually true.
Three commissioners were parachuted in until March 2026 - Jessica Shaw, Martin Aldridge and Ron Yuryevich.
That suspension came amid infighting between two factions on the council. One led by Mayor Peter Carter, and the other led by Mr Blanco.
Four councillors and Mayor Carter resigned prior to the Minister coming in, citing a toxic workplace within council.
The four councillors which remained prior to the suspension had claimed disbanding council was a political hit-job aided by mainstream media because the Labor Party did not like Mr Blanco, and was acting out of the interests of miners - something Minister Beazley has denied.
Port Hedland was the third council to be removed in favour of commissioners this year, after the Shire of Derby-West Kimberley and the City of Nedlands.
