Transparency issues for City of Melville

The state government inquiry into the City of Melville has highlighted transparency issues, following nearly 300 complaints made against the City since 2014.

Today, the government tabled a report in state parliament following the City of Melville authorised inquiry.

The inquiry began in 2017 to test the veracity of the unprecedented number of allegations made against the City since 2014.

The investigation, undertaken by the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries, made 17 findings and seven recommendations.

The state government said the report found that overall the City was providing good governance in the best interests of their community

“However, there was evidence to show that the City had not been as open and transparent as it could have been while dealing with requests from the public,” it said.

In the report, it was highlighted that the status of correspondence from residents, and how it would be dealt with, was not adequately explained by the City.

Local Government Minister David Templeman said the recommendations will be the catalyst the City needs to drive cultural change.

"In particular, the complaints management process needs to be improved to ensure all parties are better informed, have a clearer understanding of their roles and ultimately lead to more positive internal and external interactions,” he said.

"Serious consideration has been given to the appropriateness of the recommendations to ensure the utmost benefit is afforded to the City and ultimately the community.”