LGAB Proposal Phase 1 - City of Melville · 2013-10-03 · Proposal to Enlarge the City of Melville...

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SUBMISSION TO THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT ADVISORY BOARD

PROPOSAL TO ENLARGE THE CITY OF MELVILLE – Phase 1

Town of East Fremantle, City of Melville and the entire suburbs of Willetton, Rossmoyne, Shelley and

Riverton and parts of Leeming Not Already in Melville, Jandakot Airport and a small section of

Canning Vale.

September 2013

Submission to the Local Government Advisory Board Proposal to Enlarge the City of Melville Phase (Stage) 1

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Proposal Phase 1

This proposal shall be read in conjunction with the City of Melville’s Phase 2 proposal as

they are sequential boundary adjustments to be consistent with the State Government

Blueprint.

The City of Melville (Melville) propose to take a leadership role in effecting the State

Government Blueprint for local government reform by combining the Town of East

Fremantle, the City of Fremantle (excluding the residential area in North Fremantle), the

City of Melville, the western part of the City of Canning (Canning), a small

commercial/industrial section of Canning Vale and the remaining sections of the suburb of

Leeming currently in the Cities of Canning and Cockburn, through a sequential boundary

adjustment process. The combination will assist the implementation of State Planning

policies such as “Directions 2031 and beyond” and will create a strong, capable local

government.

The phased process will be more cost effective than the Governments single amalgamation

and boundary change proposal. It will also enable the retention of the elected Council and

key staff of Melville which will assist in maintaining corporate knowledge and key resources

to help undertake this very significant project. A phased approach also allows for

transitional arrangements to be implemented in a resource effective manner. From a

cultural change perspective it allows the 8 key integration stages to be managed well.

Stage 1: Create a sense of urgency building to a complete merger and one

community focused culture ensuring the pressure for change matches capacity,

Stage 2: Form a powerful coalition in the initial phase that can manage the change

process through to completion,

Stage 3: Create a vision for change by engaging staff and stakeholders in a managed

process that builds the common vision across the new entity,

Stage 4: Communicate the vision by building the case for action, and ensuring

capacity for change and reduce anxiety,

Stage 5: Removing obstacles will be much easier through a phased approach as the

number of issues will be lessened and better match the capacity of the organisation

to manage the change,


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Stage 6: Create short term wins and actionable first steps to better engage and give

confidence in the organisations ability to manage the change processes with the

City’s workforce and all stakeholders ensuring that the change process is not

encumbered or the desire for change starts to fall,

Stage 7: Build on the successes in the change which is achieved by a phased

transition over a longer period, ensuring that the process does not have haphazard

efforts and/or false starts,

Stage 8: Anchor the change in the new culture as one new entity.

This proposal outlines the first phase of boundary adjustments to be undertaken by July

2015 to enlarge the current boundaries of Melville.

The boundary adjustments to create the enlarged Melville include:

1. abolishing, via boundary change, the Town of East Fremantle

2. transferring the suburbs of Willetton, Rossmoyne, Shelley and Riverton in their

entirety from Canning

3. transferring the balance of the suburb of Leeming not already in Melville from

Canning and Cockburn

4. transferring the Jandakot airport from Cockburn to Melville

5. transferring the small section of the Canning Vale commercial/industrial area east of

Roe Highway bounded by

a. Melville’s current boundary with Canning at Clifton Road,

b. the Kewdale/Fremantle railway line in a north easterly direction from Clifton

Road to Ranford Road

c. Ranford Road South in a north westerly direction to Roe Highway and

d. Roe Highway in a south westerly direction to Clifton Road from Canning to

Melville.

Note to the LGAB: The suburb of Parkwood could be considered as a further boundary

anomaly adjustment beyond the ‘Willeri Model’ based on the historical links, transport

and sequence of development. It also matches the State electoral boundary for the seat

of Riverton with High Road and Nicholson being the eastern boundary, refer appendix 1.


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Parkwood option has not been included in Phase 1 or 2 as it was considered outside the

scope of what was deemed an allowable anomaly and would only be supported if there

were significant variations to the State Government Blueprint.

The scale of the new entity is shown in Table 1.

Table 1: Population for City of Greater Melville

Area 2012 Population1 2026 Population2

Melville 104 265 121 781

East Fremantle 7 579 8 600

Willetton 18 220 21 058

Riverton‐Shelley‐Rossmoyne 14 261 16 400

Leeming (Ex Canning)3 500 500

Leeming (Ex Cockburn)3 2 846 2 846

Canning Vale (part)4 0 0

Jandakot4 0 0

Total 147 759 171 185

Note: 1 2012 Population taken from ABS 3218.0 released August 30, 2013

22026 Population taken from WA Tomorrow Population Report 7 released February 2012. Melville has been

adjusted in accordance with actual growth being experienced and forecast being 15% from 2012 to 20026. Growth in Canning is 15% from 2012 to 2026 for Band C. Willetton and Riverton‐Shelley‐Rossmoyne estimated using 15% growth from 2012 to 2026. These figures are very conservative but are used to be consistent with the State Blueprint.

3 As the suburb of Leeming is in one ABS location the population numbers have been estimated using the

number of dwellings multiplied by the average population per dwelling of 2.9 in 2012 and 2.86 in 2026.

4 The boundary changes identified are a small part of the industrial areas of Canning Vale and all of

the Commonwealth Lands comprising Jandakot Airport which have no residential dwellings or

permanent residents.


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Rationale

The ultimate combination is the outcome of substantial review into the current and future

roles of local government in metropolitan Perth. The underpinning reasons for this

particular combination are:

1. The combined local government will ultimately be consistent with the scale sought

by the Metropolitan Review Panel Report (Robson Report) and the State

Government Blueprint. The listing of the new local governments in Table 2 shows

that the combination will be a medium sized local government in 2026.

2. Management, development and protection of the Swan and Canning Rivers will be

simplified by a single local government covering foreshore areas previously involving

three local governments.

3. The development of Murdoch Activity Centre will be better supported by the scale

and geography of the combined local governments and the inclusion of the entire

suburb of Willetton together with the suburbs of Shelley, Rossmoyne and Riverton.

4. The areas proposed as part of the combination are all impacted by the Perth Urban

Transport and Freight Corridor that links Kewdale to the Fremantle Ports.

Development of major transport infrastructure needed over the next 15 years will be

facilitated by the combination.

5. Long term transport planning has identified significant Tier 2 public transport routes

through the areas to be combined. The development of these routes will be made

simpler by the combination.

6. The combined local governments have common ecology, landforms and river

frontages with similar environmental challenges. The combined local government

will be entirely located on the Swan Coastal Plain with soil formations ranging from

thin sands over limestone, deep yellow sands and deep grey sands. Much of the area

was marginal for agriculture with market gardening limited to wetland areas.

7. The combined local government is expected to result in improved financial viability;

a broader rate base; improved economies of scale; reduced duplication; better use

of resources and facilities; a broader range of services for the community; expanded

organisational capacity; improved career paths for staff and greater capability.


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8. The addition of Jandakot airport and the small commercial/industrial section of

Canning Vale, will improve the economic viability of Melville by broadening its rate

base which is currently heavily weighted to residential rates (77%). The addition of

these areas will also provide a revenue stream that will compensate Melville

somewhat for the cost of taking on the Riverton Leisureplex which is currently

operated by Canning at an annual cost to ratepayers of in excess of $1.5 million.

Under this phase 1 proposal the asset (liability) would be included in Melville but

would continue to service a large part of the Canning/Gosnells community as it will

be located on the boundary line of the two local governments.

9. The addition of Jandakot airport will also enable the City to defray some of the costs

it incurs on its road network which is the predominant network utilised by traffic

accessing the airport via Karel Avenue.

10. The addition of the small section of Canning Vale identified in phase 1 will also

enable Melville to exercise regulatory and landlord responsibilities over the Southern

Metropolitan Regional Councils (SMRC) Regional Resource Recovery Centre. The

prevailing impacts of the SMRC’s RRRC facility are felt to the West in the residential

area of Leeming however due to it’s lack of regulatory control over the facility

Melville is unable to fully protect the interests of its residents who have invested

regionally over $100 million.

Name of Amalgamated Body

The City of Melville is an interim name until the next phase (Phase 2) of boundary

adjustment which will involve the City of Fremantle, less the suburb of North Fremantle and

including a small additional area currently in Cockburn north of Rollinson Road. As an

interim name there was no need to consider a range of options for the name of the new

combined local government.

Funding for Amalgamation

The cost of developing the combined local government will be determined by the Local

Implementation Committee. It is expected that adequate funding will be allocated by the

State Government to support the sequential boundary adjustment process.


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Principles and Key Actions

The proposed combination is one of the most complex metropolitan reform models and will

need to be carefully managed. The City of Melville, as the largest local government, some

two thirds larger than the merger partner areas, within the combination, proposes that it

takes a lead role and that the merger be achieved by a sequential boundary adjustment

process. The sequential changes will be completed by July 2017 after completion of the

second phase of boundary changes which will incorporate the bulk of the City of Fremantle

and a small section of Cockburn with the final outcome to be achieved in 2017.


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Table 2: Scale of Local Governments identified in the State Government Blueprint

NEW LGA POPULATION

NOW

POPULATION

2026

RANK

2026

Wanneroo 169,000 278,000 1

Stirling and part Vincent 205,000 225,000 2

Mundaring and Swan 157,000 218,000 3

Canning and Gosnells 184,000 215,000 4

Joondalup 164,000 188,000 5

Cockburn and Kwinana 132,000 183,000 6

Rockingham 114,000 173,000 7

East Fremantle, Fremantle, Melville and part

Canning1

157,000 164,000 8

City of Melville (enlarged) proposal

population (Phase 1)

147 759 171 185 8

City of Fremantle‐Melville proposal

population (Phase 2)

174 356 201 335 5

Armadale and Serpentine‐Jarrahdale 89,000 132,000 9

Western Suburbs 113,000 124,000 10

Bassendean and Bayswater 109,000 118,000 11

Belmont and Kalamunda 97,000 104,000 12

South Perth and Victoria Park 88,000 100,000 13

Perth and part Vincent 29,000 56,000 14

Note: 1 This is the State Government population estimate which understates the growth of the City of Melville.


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The following principles and key actions are recommended to support the efficient

combination:

1. The combination proceed as a sequential boundary adjustment process

2. The first boundary adjustment be the addition of the complete suburbs of Willetton,

Rossmoyne, Shelley and Riverton, the balance of the suburb of Leeming from

Canning and Cockburn not already in Melville, the Jandakot airport land, the part of

Canning Vale commercial/industrial land abutting the City of Melville’s current

boundary at the Clifton Road along the railway line to Ranford Road thence to Roe

Highway and back to Clifton Road, together with the Town of East Fremantle to the

City of Melville by July 1, 2015. This arrangement is identified as the Willeri Option

under Wards and Representation.

3. The method of electing the Mayor be by popular election.

4. There be an elector to elected member imbalance for up to two election cycles for

each new area added.

5. Adequate funding being allocated by the State Government to defray the costs of

undertaking the boundary change process.

6. The interim name of the new combined local government be the City of Melville.

Wards and Representation

The State Government Model for the combination of East Fremantle, Fremantle, Melville

and part of Canning also includes the loss of part of North Fremantle. The Government’s

proposed model does not align with ABS Statistical Boundaries making assessments of

current and future elector numbers difficult. The part of the City of Canning included in the

model aligns closely with their Beeliar Ward and splits the suburb of Willetton. All Models

considered include a popularly elected Mayor.


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Table 3: State Government Model LGA Ward Electors

July

2013

Councillors

2013

Electors

July

2015

Councillors

2015

Electors

July

2017

Councillors

2017

E/EM Ratio

% Deviation

Electors

July 2019

Councillors

2019 and

2021

E/EM Ratio

% Deviation

Electors

July

2021

East

Fremantle

4

Wards

5 139 8 5 312 1 5 485 5 658 5 831

Fremantle 6

Wards

19 215

less

1 603

(half of

North

Ward)

12 18 512 3 19 412

3

1:8 299

(+1.9%) 20 312

3

1:8 657

(+0.3%) 21 212

Melville 6

Wards

67 615 12 69 232 8 70 849 8

1: 8 856

(‐4.6%)

72 466 74 083

Canning Beeliar 14 640

less 640

3 14 148 2 14 286 2

1:7 143

(+15.6%)

14 434

10

1:8 690

(‐0.1%)

14 582

Mayors 3 1 1 1

Total 17

Wards

104 366 35+3 107 204 14+1 110 032 13+1

1:8 464

(0.0%)

112 870 13+1

1: 8 682

(0.0%)

115 708

Councillor Ratios exclude Mayors

Another approach is to preserve the suburb boundaries in the City of Canning by pursuing

the “Willeri option” which includes all of Willetton, Rossmoyne, Riverton and Shelley in the

combination.

These suburbs are also used by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in demography.

Table 4: Willetton, Rossmoyne, Riverton and Shelley Statistics ABS SA2

Area

2012

Estimated

Population

Area

Square

Kilometres

Population

Increase

2011 to

2012

Annual

Population

Growth

Rate

Electors

2012

Electors

2015

Electors

2017

Electors

2019

Electors

2021

Willetton1 18 720 8.8 345 1.9% 9 713 10 237 10 605 10 987 11 383

Rossmoyne‐

Shelley‐

Riverton

14 349 6.4 364 2.6% 7 389 7 943 8 340 8 757 9 195

Total 33 069 15.2 709 2.2% 17 102 18 180 18 945 19 744 20 578 1 Note the SA2 area of Willetton includes the portion of the suburb of Leeming in Canning.

The City of Canning has a 2012 population of 97,103 and in July 2012 had 50,245 electors.

This is an average of 1.93 persons per elector.


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Table 5: Willeri Model (Phase 1 – Excluding Fremantle) LGA Ward Electors

July

2013

Councillors

2013

Electors

July

2015

Councillors

2015

Electors

July

2017

Councillors

2017

E/EM Ratio

% Deviation

Comment

East

Fremantle

4 Wards 5 139 8 5 312 1 5 485 1

1:5 485

(+61.6%)

Imbalance resolved with

addition of City of Fremantle

in 2017

Melville 6 Wards 67 615 12 69 232 10 70 849 8

1: 8 856

(‐2.2%)

Canning Willetton

and RSR

17 461 3 18 180 3 18 945 2

1:9 473

(‐8.6%)

Mayors 2 1 1

Total 11

Wards

90 215 23+2 92 724 14+1 95 279 11+1

1:8 662

Councillor Ratios exclude Mayors

Fair Treatment of Existing Employees

All permanent employees whose place of employment is within the geographic area impacted by the boundary adjustment will be provided with a two year guarantee of employment as is required under the Local Government Act (1995) and Regulations, subject to continuing satisfactory performance from the date of creating the new local government expected in July 2015.

Employees who are under contract whose contract terms expire after the date of this submission should have a new contract for a minimum of one year and a maximum of two years under terms no less favourable than their existing contract.

Local Governance

The sequential boundary adjustment process will not need commissioners which will allow

for full local governance of the process by Council.

Local Implementation Committee

The Local Implementation Committee (LIC) for the first phase of boundary adjustments is to

operate from October 2013 to June 2014. The LIC is expected to meet monthly and its major

role will be incorporating the Town of East Fremantle and part of the City of Canning into

the new body. The LIC is expected to be comprised of the following members:

Chair and MetRIC Representative: Mayor of Melville

Deputy Chair: Mayor of East Fremantle

Members: One Community member from the area comprising Willetton, Riverton, Shelley,

Rossmoyne (nominated by the Member for Riverton), one councillor from the Town of East

Fremantle, one councillor from the City of Melville, CEO City of Melville and CEO Town of

East Fremantle and a representative from the Department of Local Government.


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Observers: Mayor City of Fremantle and CEO City of Fremantle.

As the boundary changes with the City of Cockburn are minor it is not considered necessary

to have them represented on the LIC.

Membership of Metropolitan Reform Implementation Committee (MetRIC) The Chair of the LIC will be the representative on MetRIC and will be the Mayor of the City of Melville.

Boundaries of Amalgamated Body and Anomalies

The boundaries of the combined body will ultimately be similar to those proposed by the

State Government Blueprint with adjustment for anomalies.

Anomalies for this phase of boundary adjustment have been identified as:

1. The remaining areas of Leeming in Canning and Cockburn. Leeming is split by the

Blueprint proposal. A comprehensive submission was made by the City of Melville to

the Local Government Advisory Board in 2009 which at appendix 2 (Pages 40 to 48 of

Melville’s submission) provided a detailed analysis of the proposed Leeming

boundary change against the Local Government Advisory Board criteria. The data

provided in that submission is still highly relevant.

2. The suburbs of Willetton and Riverton which are split by the Blueprint proposal.

3. The Commonwealth Lands comprising Jandakot Airport.

4. The small area of Canning Vale which includes the SMRC.

It is recommended that all of these anomalies be resolved by the LGAB agreeing to Phase 1

proposal in addition to the areas outlined in the State Government Blueprint.

Good Governance Arrangements 2014‐2017

The sequential boundary adjustment is proposed to ultimately create the City of Fremantle

– Melville by July 1, 2017. Between August 2014, when the Governor’s Orders set in place

the process to initiate the action, and 2017 there needs to be a framework to ensure “good

governance and government” . This framework will include a shared services agreement, a

governance agreement and a Memorandum of Understanding providing for consultation on

key decisions.


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The shared services agreement will be developed to operate from July 1, 2015 to provide for

cooperation on library, foreshore management, recreation, community facilities and

security services. The agreement will cover the existing use of any shared services including

the City of Fremantle library facilities by East Fremantle Residents.

The governance agreement will also be developed to operate from July 1, 2015 to assist

with the process of local government reform. The governance agreement will include

provision for both the enlarged City of Melville and the City of Fremantle to continue

membership and active participation in the South West Group. The governance agreement

will also include provision to establish the local implementation committee equivalent

working party, harmonised budget preparation, asset investment and approval processes as

well as mechanisms to work cooperatively on rating, statutory planning and asset

management.

A high level MOU is also to operate from July 1, 2015 to be an overarching document on

broad cooperation on human resources management, financial management, statutory

planning, strategic planning and advocacy.

Information relating to the Local Government Advisory Board Guiding Principles

The Board’s Guiding Principles form the basis for considering any changes to boundaries and takes into account the factors set out in the Act. Principle 1 ‐ Community of Interests

Community of Interests includes parts of a district that share common interests, values, characteristics and issues giving rise to a separate sense of identity or community. Factors contributing to a sense of identity or community include shared interest and shared use of community facilities. For example, sporting, leisure and library facilities create a focus for the community.

The City of Melville uses an asset based community development model. This model views places, different groups and organisations, facilities, and people as assets in a community context. It is also a strength based approach which views assets as strengths to build upon. It means we seek to optimize community strengths rather than ‘fix’ or focus on community deficits.

The City also adheres to a neighbourhood/place based approach and currently recognises four neighbourhoods within the City. We recognise that neighbourhoods are different, and have different assets and qualities. This is reflected in the City’s Neighbourhood Plans. This work was undertaken following our Strategic Community Planning process and acknowledges any differences in neighbourhoods determines different responses to community issues. In essence we ‘tailor‐make’ responses to fit each neighbourhood.


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In a sequential boundary adjustment process the City would use these approaches to recognise diversity in communities; respect these differences; map current community assets; work to strengthen such community assets to build community capacity. Where Melville has undertaken such work the identities of these communities are strengthened – Willagee and Palmyra are good examples of distinct communities rich in their individual community assets and with high levels of community engagement.

The City identifies and recognises community hub locations that are key places in each neighbourhood. Community hubs see several community functions operating from one location, either in shared facilities or close proximity. Such co‐location maximises community interaction and opportunities. In a merger context the City would determine and identify new community hubs respecting functions that already exist in different neighbourhoods. In a larger geographical municipality it will be preferable that the City’s Customer Service be available from community hub locations providing easy access to City services at convenient and recognised locations. This place‐based service delivery would serve to also enhance the connections within different neighbourhoods.

There are significant active sporting facilities spread throughout the proposed enlarged City of Melville. East Fremantle, Melville, Willetton, Riverton, Shelley and Rossmoyne residents place high priority on riverside and ocean amenities for active and passive recreation. All of the river foreshore and ocean have high recreation and sporting usage. Bull Creek is extensively used for moorings. Sailing clubs are located in East Fremantle, Melville and Shelley. Whilst there will be a major community facility near the proposed boundary it is felt that the high priority placed by the community on high school zones negates this aberration. One of the most important considerations for families relocating to the suburbs impacted by these boundary adjustments are the high school zones. Advertisements for housing in the Willetton, Riverton, Shelley and Rossmoyne areas identify the high school zones to which each property belongs. The catchment area for the Willetton Senior High School includes all of the suburb of Willetton and part of Bull Creek in the City of Melville (see Figure 2).


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Figure 1: Catchment Area for Rossmoyne Senior High School (White Area)


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Figure 2: Catchment Area for Willetton Senior High School (Area Bounded by Black and Red Lines)

The use of shopping areas and the location of schools also act to draw people together with similar interests. This can also give indication about the direction that people travel to access services and facilities. The external boundaries of a local government need to reflect distinct communities of interest wherever possible.

The major shopping area in the region is the Garden City Shopping Centre located in Booragoon in the current City of Melville. Whilst it is classified as a Secondary Centre in Directions 2031 it performs at a level well in excess of that classification. The owners of the centre are in the process of preparing a development application which will see the size of the centre almost double to 120,000m2. Figure 3 following shows the catchment area of this centre which shows the area of influence and the level of attraction to this major retail facility. The upcoming changes are expected to further enhance the centre so that it maintains and improves on its performance.


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Figure 3: Catchment Area for Garden City Shopping Centre Booragoon

Source AMP

Neighbourhoods, suburbs and towns are important units in the physical, historical and social infrastructure and often generate a feeling of community and belonging. The Board believes that wherever possible, it is inappropriate to divide the units between local governments.


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The boundary adjustment proposal does not split any suburbs and is an enhancement of the State Government Blueprint by avoiding splitting Willetton. It is also consistent with the Australian Bureau of Statistics recent assessment of community of interests that resulted in the suburb of Willetton and the combined suburbs of Riverton‐Shelley‐Rossmoyne being designated Statistical Areas Level 2 (see Figure 4).


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Figure 4: ABS Statistical Areas for the City of Canning


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Principle 2 ‐ Physical and Topographic Features Physical and topographic features may be man‐made and will vary from area to area. They may include: • Water features (such as rivers) • Catchment boundaries • Coastal plains and foothills • Parks and reserves, and • Man made features (such as railway lines or freeways). These features can form identifiable boundaries and can also act as barriers to movement between adjoining areas. In many cases physical and topographic features are appropriate district and ward boundaries. The Board supports local government structures and boundaries that facilitate the integration of human activity and land use.

There are strong, legible boundaries for in the eastern area of the boundary adjustment

including all of Willetton, Rossmoyne, Shelley and Riverton. The extension will include most

of the estuarine foreshore on the South Side of the Swan River and Canning Rivers. The Kent

Street weir which impounds the flow of the Canning River is only a short distance upstream.

Bannister Creek is also a logical topographic boundary. High Road, Willeri Drive and Roe

Highway also represent logical boundaries.

The Swan River is also part of the northern and western boundary of East Fremantle. East

Fremantle’s other boundaries will become part of the second phase of boundary adjustment

in 2017. The boundary adjustment reduces the number of local governments involved in

management of the Swan and Canning River foreshores and agrees with the movement of

the boundary to the middle of rivers.

The landform is all coastal plain with soils ranging from shallow soil over limestone to deep yellow and grey sands. The City of Melville has been a very competent manager of parks and reserves across this type of landform and its scattered wetlands.


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Principle 3 ‐Demographic Trends Local governments should consider the following characteristics when determining the demographics within its locality: • Population size • Population trends • Distribution by age • Gender, and • Occupation. Current and projected population factors will be relevant as well as similarities and differences between areas within the local government.

The demography of the areas proposed for boundary adjustment are similar although East Fremantle has a lower overseas born population, a higher average taxable income and a higher proportion of professionals and managers. All of the areas have had significant infill and greenfield development since the 1950’s. Projected population growth is shown in Table 1.

Willetton (1.9%), Rossmoyne, Shelley and Riverton (2.6%) currently have population growth nearly twice that of Melville (1.1%) and East Fremantle (1.1%) but are expected to have similar growth rates in the longer term. Table 6 below contains demographic information showing similar profiles for the areas impacted by the boundary changes.


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Table 6: Demographic Information extracted from 2011 Census EAST FREMANTLE WILLETTON RIVERTON SHELLEY

ROSSMOYNE

MELVILLE

Population 7 579 18 049 13 907 104 480

Median Age years 41.9 38.6 40.6 40.4

Indigenous

Population %

0.5% 0.4% 0.5% 0.6%

Managers and

Professionals

53.9% 39.3% 37.3% 43.9%

Technicians and

Trades

9.3% 13.0% 10.7% 11.7%

Clerical and

Administration

13.1% 15.9% 17.0% 16.1%

Post School

Qualification aged

15+

67.9% 59.6% 62.1% 62.1%

Born NW Europe 13.5% 10.3% 11.8% 11.7%

Born SE Asia 1.1% 13.6% 9.8% 7.9%

Born NE Asia 0.7% 5.0% 4.7% 2.7%

Born Sub Saharan

Africa

1.7% 3.2% 3.4% 3.0%

Born Overseas 30.2% 47.2% 47.8% 38.7%

Average Taxable

Income

$69 269 $49 995 $54 344 $60 642

Internet Access at

Home

79.1% 81.1% 80.7% 80.3%

Source: ABS National Regional Profile 2011


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Principle 4 ‐ Economic Factors Economic factors can include any factor that reflects the character of economic activities and resources in the area including: • Industries within the local area • Distribution of community assets, and • Infrastructure.

The area has a low proportion of industrial activity and a high proportion of service and retail related activity. Infrastructure is well established. Additional infrastructure is however required to be provided by the Government to enhance access to areas of economic activity such as the Fremantle Ports and Murdoch health and education precinct. As a City, Melville is conscious of the risk of economic activity being highly reliant on retail and wished to broaden the economic base to include more commercial/industrial activity in order to provide resilience against downturn in retail activity. Melville is aware of the challenges associated with the successful revitalisation of the Fremantle CBD and the substantial costs of restoring and maintaining the significant historical building stock in Fremantle. An increase in economic activity is required to assist with this revitalisation. This does not need to occur at the expense of one centre of activity over another. Ultimately the enlarged entity which after the completion of phase 2 of the City of Melville’s proposal will contain three major economic activity areas being

Fremantle’s strategic metropolitan centre The Melville City Centre/Booragoon secondary centre and the Murdoch specialised centre.

An enlarged single local government which has responsibilities will be capable of making policy and strategic decisions which will enhance the strengths of each of these centres. The economic activity will be further enhanced by strengthened public and private transport links between these centres including the implementation of rapid transit options such as light rail. The increased scale of the enlarged City will enable a higher level of expertise and political voice to be brought to bear on resolving these issues. Principle 5 ‐ History of the Area

The history of an area can be a relevant consideration, although the Board believes that in the majority of cases this will not be a primary justification for changing or retaining local governments and local government boundaries. The nature of historical ties between communities is important to understand, irrespective of where the local government boundaries lie.


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A community within a local government may have a strong historical identity; alternatively there may be strong historical links between two or more communities in adjacent local governments. It is important to note that historical identity is not lessened if an area does not have its own local government.

Most of the area adjacent to the Swan and Canning Rivers was taken up within 10 years of

establishing the Swan River Colony. The Arrowsmith Map of 1839 shows the large land

grants that covered most of the area.

Piggeries, dairies, stock paddocks, orchards, vegetable growing were the main agricultural

activities with some timber sawing, boat‐building and brick firing.

The area comprising the suburbs of Rossmoyne, Shelley, Riverton and Willetton were early

land grants in the development of the Swan River Colony and were held by less than a dozen

landowners. The area was valued for its timber, agricultural land and water frontage giving

barge access to supply Perth.

Tracks through the area were originally developed by indigenous occupants moving

between the mouth of the Swan River and the Darling Scarp.

One of these tracks was on the alignment of the current High Street‐Leach Highway‐High

Road was an important route for early settlers as it linked Fremantle and Guildford utilizing

Yule’s Rapids as the fordable crossing of the Canning River.

The land in the area was quite variable. John Morgan who was granted 3,000 acres in 1842

in the Riverton area described his land as “one tenth fair – the rest worthless” (Area marked

25 on Figure 5).

John Morgan’s land became the site of the convict “Fig Trees” settlement from which

convicts produced sawn timber, fired bricks and made roads.

Canning Highway had many sections of sandy track and was not a made road until motor

vehicles use became more prominent. In 1927 the newly formed Main Roads Department

rebuilt the road from Petra Street to Canning Bridge.

Rossmoyne, Shelley, Riverton and Willetton were originally all part of Riverton and

development of the area was sporadic until after the Second World War.


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Figure 5: Arrowsmith Land Grant Map

The WA Government sealed the first roads through the eastern area in the early 1950’s

(Bulls Creek Road and High Road) as part of a heavy haulage bypass linked to Nicholson

Road to assist the development of the Kwinana Oil Refinery.

The 1955 Land Use Atlas developed as part of the Stephenson Hepburn Plan at Figure 6

shows urban development along the river in East Fremantle and Melville but limited urban

development (Maroon) and scattered agricultural activity (Yellow) in the southern and

eastern areas.


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Figure 6: 1955 Land Use Atlas Extract

The first stage of the Kwinana Freeway stimulated urban subdivision of the Melville and

eastern areas in a similar way as it promoted growth in much of the City of Melville.

Much of the history of the area shows a connection to the balance of the combining local

governments with poor agricultural land being use for urban development once reticulated

water was available and with improved road connections to employment in Perth.

The first stage of the construction of Leach Highway in 1972 commenced in Melville, to link

with High Road, reinforcing this strong connection.

Principle 6 ‐ Transport and Communication

The transport and communication linkages between towns and other areas may be a significant barrier to movement and therefore an appropriate boundary between local governments. Consideration of the following factors is important in any assessment of local government boundaries:

• Port access • Neighbouring towns • Railways, and • Major roads.


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There are strong infrastructure links between East Fremantle and Melville with Canning Highway and Marmion Street and Stirling Highway passing through both local governments. Melville and the part of Canning comprising Willetton, Rossmoyne, Shelley and Riverton are linked through Leach Highway and South Street. The parts of Leeming being sought to be absorbed in are linked through South Street, Karel Avenue and Farrington Road. The principal transport and communication linkages run east west. These links are substantial in nature and include

The six lane Leach Highway The six lane South Street The four lane Roe Highway The four lane Canning Highway.

There are also more minor east west links such as Farrington Road and Burrendah Boulevard/Parry Avenue. The proposed configuration of the enlarged City of Melville benefits from these strong linkages making movement through the enlarged City efficient and effective. Most freight is generated outside the area and passes through Melville to access either the Fremantle Port or the Kewdale –Welshpool transport hub and airport. There is a passenger rail that runs north south through the City of Melville which is accessed at Bull Creek and Murdoch Rail Stations by residents from Willetton, Shelley, Rossmoyne, Riverton and Leeming whose use of public transport from these areas is increasing substantially. Murdoch is the busiest rail station outside of the Perth CBD. East Fremantle has a very low use of public transport. Other north south Links include the major Kwinana Freeway, Karel Avenue, North Lake Road and Stock Road. Principle 7 ‐ Matters affecting the Viability of Local Governments

Local governments should have a significant resource base: • To be able to efficiently and effectively exercise its proper functions and delegated powers and operate facilities and services • To be flexible and responsive in the exercise of its functions and powers and operation of its facilities and services • To employ appropriate professional expertise and skills, and • To be capable of embracing micro‐economic reform. Each local government should have a diverse and sufficient rate base to ensure that general purpose grants do not represent the major revenue source.


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The City of Melville is already regarded as being able to operate efficiently and effectively ranking highly for its financial management and capability as stated in the Metropolitan Local Government Review Panels Financial Position Review (30 May 2012). The combined local government is expected to result in improved financial viability; a

broader rate base; improved economies of scale; reduced duplication; better use of

resources and facilities; a broader range of services for the community; expanded

organisational capacity; improved career paths for staff and greater capability.

The transfer of the Jandakot airport (Commonwealth Lands) and associated ex‐gratia rate

revenue is considered an integral part of the proposed boundary changes. It provides

additional funds which will help offset additional costly facilities such as the Riverton

Leisureplex complex which would be taken on by Melville as a result of the proposed

boundary change. This transfer does not involve any residents and only one “ratepayer”.

Additionally, with the proposed Cockburn – Kwinana merger it would create a Local

Government with an unfair advantage due to significant commercial and industrial areas

being, and growing, within their district compared to other Local Government areas.

Principle 8 ‐ Effective Delivery of Local Government Services A broad range of factors can be relevant to the effective delivery of local government services and these are often directly relevant to those that also affect the viability of local governments. They include: • The size and geographical spread of the population • Management effectiveness and efficiency • The availability of staff expertise • Appropriate infrastructure and equipment, and Customer satisfaction and feedback.

The City of Melville will have the capability for effective delivery of a wide range of local government services. The population density of the additional areas is around 2,000 persons per square kilometre which is similar to the existing density in the City of Melville making it a compact local government. The process of sequential boundary adjustment will reduce the cost of local government reform and help sustain management effectiveness and efficiency. The distance from Bannister Creek in the further eastern most portions of the proposed phase 1 boundaries to the current City of Melville Civic Centre is approximately 9 km’s or 11 minutes by car. The Phase 2 distance to the current City of Fremantle Civic Centre is approximately 17 km’s or 25 minutes by car.


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As noted in the Community of Interest principle above in a merger context the City would determine and identify new community hubs respecting functions that already exist in different neighbourhoods. In a larger geographical municipality it will be preferable that the City’s Customer Service be available from community hub locations providing easy access to City services at convenient and recognised locations. This place‐based service delivery would serve to also enhance the connections within different neighbourhoods.

There will therefore be no need for residents in any part of the enlarged Melville to travel the above distances in order to have access to the full range of services provided by the City.

Other Matters for Consideration

The City of Melville is supportive of the State Government’s structured approach with

regards to metropolitan Local Government Reform. Whilst the debate around the right size

of “local” government continues and conclusive data is not available to answer that

question the City of Melville considers that this proposal will enable good government of

the persons in this enlarged district to occur. The City of Melville is confident that the due

diligence analysis that will be undertaken by the LGAB will verify the City of Melville’s

proposal whilst supporting a holistic approach to metropolitan reform.

The City of Melville is conscious that there are already local governments in metropolitan

Perth providing good government to a district population and diversity that is in excess of

the ultimate size that the enlarged City of Melville and eventually City of Fremantle‐Melville

will take.


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Appendices

Appendix 1


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Appendix 2


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LGAB Proposal Phase 1 - City of Melville · 2013-10-03 · Proposal to Enlarge the City of Melville...

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