The Melville Shadow Council works on the belief that residents and ratepayers are intelligent people and should be treated as such.

Shadow Council is an ‘unfunded’ Volunteer, Community-driven NFP charitable organisation totally reliant on donations, grants and its member’s in-kind resourcing.

Shadow Council was created after the Community suffered a chronic loss of trust in their City and Council following many years of residents and ratepayers having their views, opinions, struggles or complaints prejudiced, discriminated against or simply dismissed.

The City of Melville Council has to date had no effective or substantive “opposition” to challenge; inefficiencies, substandard financial management or substandard function performance.

Intending to be a registered charity, Shadow Council must remain apolitical, meaning it does not and will not support any single political party, though it may publish relevant local government views from multiple parties either in or out of election times.

Despite continuous lobbying of council, administrators, and various stakeholder government agencies responsible for compliance management, this local government has maintained and expanded its power of control imposed over the community in stark contradiction to the Intent of the WA Local Government Act prescribed at section 1.3. and other prescriptions.

These issues have been compounded by there being two funded legislated bodies supporting the Local Government administrations and no legislated body for supporting ratepayers. With further compounding from CCC., PSC., and Ombudsman being either legislatively impeded or being nepotistic-ally encouraged to prejudice against complaints of substandard conduct and performance intent for Local Government.

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Just as State and Federal parliaments have Shadow Cabinets to scrutinise the actions of their Government Cabinets; so has Shadow Council been created to aid the community to scrutinise and improve the actions of the Local Government and to train and educate to community standards, alternative councilors-in-waiting.

Key Functions

The Key advocacy Functions of the Melville Shadow Council are drawn from the WA Local Government Act section 1.3(1)

1. This Act provides for a system of local government by —
2. providing for the constitution of elected local governments in the State; and
3. describing the functions of local governments; and
4. providing for the conduct of elections and other polls; and
5. providing a framework for the administration and financial management of local governments and for the scrutiny of their affairs.

The Key Community Engagement Functions of the Melville Shadow Council are drawn from the WA Local Government Act section 1.3(2)

1. This Act is intended to result in —
   • better decision-making by local governments; and
   • greater community participation in the decisions and affairs of local governments; and
   • greater accountability of local governments to their communities; and
   • more efficient and effective local government.

• Advice and Integrity:
• A principal role of Shadow Council will be to closely examine and appraise the integrity and balance of advice and proposals tabled before Council to ensure, cost-benefit analysis, legislated integrity, and other merit based documented assessments are provided to Council to ensure Council receives information by which Council’s informed, merit based vote can be measured.

• Scrutiny and Accountability:
• A principal role of Shadow Council’s will be to closely examine and appraise the proposals and actions of the Local Government, State Government Minister, Department for Local Government and WALGA for their community benefit. As the concept of a Shadow Council is currently alien to the WA State Government and Local Government Act, Shadow Council’s role will be entirely volunteer managed through activities such as public question time, deputations, petitions, elector meetings and direct lobbying.

• Scrutinize Policies or Procedures and propose or lobby for improved alternatives:
• The Shadow Council will develop through community engagements and publicize its own proposed new or amended policies and present them to the council as viable alternatives to the local government’s inadequate adopted policies.

• Shadow Council will similarly endeavor to ensure all administrative functions are performance measured and supported by effective and measured Procedures as prescribed in section 5.41(2) of the Act., which prescribes that;

• The CEO’s executive role includes the following —
  • causing council decisions to be implemented;
  • managing the provision of services and facilities that the council has determined the local government is to provide in the district;
  • determining procedures and systems for —
    • implementing the local government’s policies as determined by the council; and
    • otherwise managing the local government’s administration and operations;

• “Council-in-Waiting“
• Members of the Shadow Council will prepare and promote themselves to take on elected Councillor positions should they win their next council election. This structure aids in ensuring a smooth transition of knowledge when councilor positions change hands.

• Public Spokespeople:
• Shadow Council will serve as the community’s main opposition spokespeople to the media and publication to the public, articulating Shadow Council’s position on key issues and substandard local government performance.

• Organisational Tactics:
• The Shadow Cabinet will manage community issues-lobbying, provide training, education, publication to the public and will hold public meetings and other communication forums.