Panel appointed to review Perth LGAs

Outgoing University of Western Australia vice chancellor Alan Robson will head review of local government boundaries in the Perth metropolitan area.

Local Government Minister John Castrili announced today that an independent panel would be appointed to recommend appropriate boundaries and governance models for the metropolitan area, taking into consideration social, economic and environmental challenges.

The panel will be chaired by Professor Robson, and other members include former Notre Dame University vice chancellor Peter Tannock, and Leadership WA chief executive Sue van Leeuwen.

The panel will submit its recommendations optimal local government structures, boundaries or governance to Mr Castrilli by June 2012.

The panel will also draw on the expertise of two advisory groups, one consisting of the directors general of the departments of Local Government and Planning, and the president and vice president of the WA Local Government Association would also be invited to advise the panel.

Committee for Perth chief executive Marion Fulker welcomed the announcement as a positive step towards establishing a strong and effective 21st century governance structure for metropolitan Perth.

"Perth is facing an unprecedented population growth with government predicting that we will be a metropolis of 3.5 million by 2050," Mrs Fulker said

"It is therefore vital that we have an effective governance structure if the city is to remain highly liveable and globally competitive while doubling in size".

"Local Government reform has been a long standing area of focus for the Committee for Perth because we believe that the current system of some 30 local governments across the metropolitan region will hinder our potential to address our future challenges particularly in relation to an increasing growth in population."

The review's terms of reference are pasted below:
 
-         Identify current and anticipated specific regional, social, environmental and economic issues affecting, or likely to affect, the growth of metropolitan Perth in the next 50 years
-         Identify current and anticipated national and international factors likely to impact in the next 50 years
-         Research improved local government structures, and governance models and structures for the Perth metropolitan area, drawing on national and international experience and examining key issues relating to community representation, engagement, accountability and State imperatives among other things the panel may identify during the course of the review
-         Identify new local government boundaries and a resultant reduction in the overall number of local governments to better meet the needs of the community
-         Prepare options to establish the most effective local government structures and governance models that take into account matters identified through the review including, but not limited to, community engagement, patterns of demographic change, regional and State growth and international factors which are likely to impact
-         Present a limited list of achievable options together with a recommendation on the preferred option.