City of Perth Act – It s Time

City of Perth Act – It’s TimeThe Property Council of Australia endorses the introduction of a City of Perth Act to correspond with new City of Perth boundaries in the reformed local government framework proposed for the Perth metropolitan area.A City of Perth Act is proper recognition of the enormous investment going on in the Perth CBD and the economic benefit that will flow to the rest of the State.The Property Council of Australia welcomes the WA Government’s strategy to implement local government reform in Perth following the release of the Local Government Advisory Board’s final report. The report recommends that Perth’s 30 councils be reduced to 16.This announcement will clear up a lot of uncertainty in the property sector with local government reform. It is now crucial that the Government meets its 1 July 2015 deadline for implementing the majority of the new local government framework.The new local government framework, with larger and better resourced councils, will mean property businesses and the community can expect more timely and effective services like local planning and building approval processes, and greater support for the growth of local economic centres.The Property Council recognises that it will take longer for the formation of the new City of Riversea, including five western suburb councils, however the full benefits of local government reform in Perth will only occur if this matter is also resolved as soon as possible after 1 July 2015.The broader property sector in WA calls on the State’s Parliament, including the Nationals and the Opposition, to support local government reform in metropolitan Perth, which is fundamentally necessary for the continuing growth of the State as WA transitions from a resource-centred economy to a more broad based economic footing.