The Western Australian government has recently unveiled its latest plans to drastically reduce the number of councils covering the Perth area.
The latest model reduces the number of councils in Perth from 30 to 15, with only three councils left without boundary changes. One council outside Perth (Murray Shire) expanded to cover parts of a neighbouring council that had been abolished.
The changes varied from the original plan, in particular with a Fremantle council remaining separate from Melville.
I have produced a Google Earth map covering the proposed Perth boundaries, which you can view and toggle between the current boundaries and the proposed boundaries. Download it here.
Below the fold you can also see the inner-Perth boundaries, before and after the proposed changes.
Some nice crooked boundaries for the expanded City of Perth there. That’s due to it taking UWA and Charles Gardiner hospital (but not the surrounding suburb of Nedlands), and the part of Burswood peninsula with the casino and future stadium, but not the other side (hence that near-exclave at the north end of the new South Perth / Victoria Park council, the only point anywhere between Fremantle and Guildford where a council crosses the Swan River). PCC’s justification for annexing the uni / hospital / casino was some waffle about “making Perth a true capital city”, but taking just those major ratepayers without the surrounding suburbia would financially ruin the current Vic Park and Nedlands councils. It’s all about rates. They’re now whinging about how having to take all of Vincent will make their rates go up.
Another thing that’s been reversed from the initial boundaries was the splitting of Vincent council between Perth and Stirling. The boundary would’ve gone right through the middle of Leederville, and created a tripoint in the heart of Mt Lawley. In the local elections in September, there were two questions on the matter: 77% voted against the abolition of Vincent, and (assuming abolition) 90% voted for Vincent to be entirely merged with Perth. Meanwhile, John Carey (Alannah MacTiernan’s endorsed successor) won the mayoral election with 87% of the vote. That’s all on a turnout slightly below 30%, but it’s still pretty astonishing.
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