‘Hands Off Cockburn’ amalgamation protest 2013-2015
When the State Government attempted to divide up Cockburn and hand control to surrounding city councils, the community fought back.
In July 2013, the Barnett Liberal Government proposed a range of radical local council mergers that would reduce the 30 existing councils across the Perth metropolitan area to just 14. The plan included the amalgamation of the City of Cockburn into the City of Kwinana – a proposal Cockburn swiftly rejected.
In October 2013, the City of Kwinana put forward a new resolution. It wanted to bring a significant portion of the City of Cockburn under its jurisdiction and rename itself the ‘City of Jervoise Bay’. Once again, Cockburn rejected this proposal.
Hands Off Cockburn Rally, Parliament House 28 November 2013, photo Paul McGovern. Allan Seymour, whose tee-shirt is on display, is standing to the left of the photo with his arm in the air
In response, the City of Cockburn carried its own resolution on 24 October 2013. It suggested changing its boundaries to include the whole of the City of Kwinana in a new district called the ‘City of Cockburn Sound’.
A revised amalgamation plan released by the State Government in early November 2013 suggested abolishing the City of Cockburn altogether. The new proposal suggested integrating 60% of the City of Cockburn into Kwinana with the remaining suburbs being divided between Melville and Fremantle.
At this point a group of Cockburn locals, concerned about the future of their home, launched the ‘Hands Off Cockburn’ campaign.
Hands Off Cockburn poster, Cockburn Local History Collection
Mayor Logan Howlett got the ball rolling by inviting representatives from local community groups to a public meeting on 14 November 2013. At the meeting, he informed them about the amalgamation plans, and a decision was subsequently made to form a Cockburn Community Steering Committee.
The committee included Darryll Smith (Chairperson), Norm Dale (deputy chair), Tony Romano (from Melville Chamber of Commerce, former Cockburn Councillor), Serene Anderson (Friends of the Community), Geoff Sachs and Shogo Williams-Matsuoka.
The Committee’s aim was to lodge a community proposal to the Local Government Advisory Board in relation to changing the boundaries, by 30 November 2013.
Council provided a donation of $50,000 to the Cockburn Community Steering Committee for costs relating to advertising, printing and distribution of publicity material for a community campaign.
While many Cockburn community groups supported the ‘Hands Off Cockburn’ campaign, the Banjup Residents’ Group chose not to support the City of Cockburn.
According to the Fremantle Herald, the group’s committee openly stated it wanted ‘to play no part in the council’s survival campaign’.
On 28 November 2013 over 200 people gathered at a ‘Hands Off Cockburn’ protest rally on the steps of Parliament House.
The Reverend Sealin Garlett from Coolbellup spoke at the rally, as well as the then Shadow Minister for Local Government, Hon David Templeman MLA and Cockburn Mayor Logan Howlett.
Serene Anderson from the Committee presented a petition with 12,000 signatures to the Minister for Local Government, Tony Simpson.
‘“Cockburn stays! Barnett goes!” chanted hundreds of angry Cockburners’ rallying outside the WA parliament…’ reported the Fremantle Herald.
Hands Off Cockburn banner at Parliament House 2014, photo Diane Stewart, Historical Society of Cockburn
This proposal not only had community support – it was also estimated to cost significantly less than the three way carve up suggested by the State Government.
In July 2014, The Local Government Advisory Board recommended the City of Cockburn be split between the City of Kwinana, the City of Fremantle, and the City of Melville. In response, Cockburn Mayor Logan Howlett described the recommendation as “extremely disappointing” and blasted the process as "appalling".
As Howlett told media at the time: “People have chosen to live in Cockburn, they haven't chosen to live in Fremantle or Melville… It'll have a significant impact in that respect by dividing up our community and of course our community assets".
They arrived in busloads dressed in the city’s blue and orange, shouting “Hands off Cockburn!” and waving anti-merger signs, “If it ain’t broke, keep Cockburn”.
At the protest, Committee spokesperson Darryl Smith told the media the ‘fight would continue until the Local Government Advisory Board came back with its recommendations’. He went on to say that, “a lot of the Committee's focus has been on putting together the proposal to meet statutory requirements. We had to put the 100-page proposal in 10 days, so it has been a great effort”.
In February 2014 the City of Cockburn reopened discussions with the City of Kwinana on possible amalgamation. The members of the Cockburn Community Steering Committee facilitated approximately 11,000 submissions to the Local Government Advisory Board during the public comment period, in support of a community and council proposal, favouring a new amalgamation of the Cities of Cockburn and Kwinana.
Reform Billboard 2014, Photo City of Cockburn Media Library
In October 2014 the State Government announced its final decision on the City of Cockburn’s fate. It intended to merge the cities of Kwinana and Cockburn into a new council area called the City of Jervoise Bay.
Cockburn Mayor Logan Howlett described the outcome as ‘bittersweet’ for the community as they would lose a significant number of residents. Cockburn was also poised to lose some of its most socially, culturally and historically significant areas and community assets, including the Memorial Hall, Davilak Reserve, the Jean Willis Centre and the Coolbellup Hub.
I Heart Cooby event to raise awareness of the proposed amalgamations 2014, Photo City of Cockburn Media Library
However, there was one last avenue of appeal. In December 2014, the City of Cockburn and four other councils lodged a petition with the state government demanding the right to hold a Dadour poll under the provisions of the Western Australia Local Government Act.
According to the Dadour provision, introduced in the 1970s by MP Tom Dadour, local councils could demand a poll of affected residents on any proposed boundary changes and, provided one third of eligible residents voted, the results would be binding.
In February 2015 the state government confirmed a number of councils had decisively voted against the planned amalgamations, including the City of Kwinana, forcing it to scrap its merger plans.
Kwinana ratepayers returned 52.93 per cent of the voting packages, with a whopping 87.98 voting ‘no’.
As a result, the proposed amalgamation between the City of Kwinana and the City of Cockburn were abandoned.
Social Media Share Links below open in a new window