Melville Shadow Council

Governance Audit References

CONSOLIDATED PRIMARY STATUTORY, REGULATORY, AND MUNICIPAL REFERENCES

A. Primary Western Australian Legislation & Subsidiary Regulations

  1. Local Government Act 1995 (WA):
    • Section 1.3(1)–(2): Content and intent of Act (better decision-making, greater community participation, greater accountability, efficient and effective local government).
    • Section 2.6 & Section 2.7(2)(b): Role of Council; exclusive statutory power of Council to “determine the local government’s policies.”
    • Section 3.25, Section 3.27, Section 3.53, Section 3.58: Notices to owners/occupiers, thoroughfare/verge control, and property dispositions.
    • Section 5.4 & Section 5.36: Power to employ CEO and staff.
    • Section 5.8–5.18: Establishment, membership, Mayoral representation (s.5.10(4)), and delegation limits (s.5.16) of Council committees.
    • Section 5.22–5.24: Committee and Council minutes, public access to meetings (s.5.23(1)–(2)), and Public Question Time (s.5.24(1)).
    • Section 5.41(2)(c)(i)–(ii): Exclusive statutory limitation of CEO to “determining procedures and systems” for implementing Council-determined policies and managing operations.
    • Section 5.42–5.44: Delegations to CEO and sub-delegations to employees.
    • Section 5.51A & Section 5.104: Statutory separation between Employee Code of Conduct and Council/Committee Member Model Code of Conduct.
    • Section 5.74: Designated employees required to lodge Primary and Annual Financial Interest Returns.
    • Section 5.92(1) & Sections 5.92A–5.92C: Councillor statutory right of access to local government information and Communications Agreements.
    • Section 5.94: Public right to inspect local government agendas, minutes, policies, and registers.
    • Section 6.4, Section 6.10, Section 6.12: Annual financial report submission deadline (30 September), financial management regulations, and debt concessions/write-offs.
    • Section 7.1A & Part 7: Audit Committees and statutory audit independence.
    • Section 8.3(2): Ministerial/Departmental Authorised Inquiries.
  2. Local Government Amendment Act 2024 (WA): Establishment of the Local Government Inspector and reconstitution of Audit, Risk and Improvement Committees (ARIC).
  3. Local Government (Audit) Regulations 1996 (WA) & Local Government Regulations Amendment Regulations (No 4) 2025 (WA): Regulation 16 (Audit Committee functions) and Regulation 17 (CEO triennial review of appropriateness and effectiveness of risk management, internal control, and legislative compliance systems and procedures).
  4. Local Government (Financial Management) Regulations 1996 (WA): Regulation 5(2)(c) (CEO review of financial management systems and procedures) and Regulations 12–13 (Payments from municipal/trust funds).
  5. Local Government (Functions and General) Regulations 1996 (WA): Regulations 11–18 (Tenders and Expressions of Interest) and Regulation 21A (Contract variations).
  6. Local Government Regulations Amendment Regulations 2025 (WA) & Default Communications Agreement Order.
  7. Planning and Development Act 2005 (WA) (Section 214 compliance directions) & Planning and Development (Local Planning Schemes) Regulations 2015 (WA) (Deemed Provisions Clauses 64, 67, and 82).
  8. Building Act 2011 (WA) (Sections 20, 22, and 110 – building/demolition permits and building orders).
  9. State Records Act 2000 (WA) & Work Health and Safety Act 2020 (WA).

B. State Government Inquiries, Departmental Interventions & Audit Records

  1. Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (DLGSC): Report of the Inquiry into the City of Melville (Authorised Inquiry under s.8.3(2) of the Local Government Act 1995, originally tabled in Parliament 27 June 2019; digital publication record updated 23 June 2026).
  2. DLGSC Governance Intervention Correspondence (February–November 2023): Formal governance warning and monitoring letters issued to the City of Melville under the signature of Mustafa Yildiz (Director Local Government Support and Engagement / Executive Director Local Government).
  3. Office of the Auditor General (OAG) & KPMG (2025/2026): 2024/25 Annual Financial Audit Exit Findings (reported in City of Melville ARIC Minutes, 11 May 2026, Item M26/82, finding financial statements “not audit ready” by 30 September).
  4. Parliament of Western Australia – Joint Standing Committee on Delegated Legislation (2026): Scrutiny findings necessitating emergency drafting amendments to City of Melville local laws.
  5. Local Government Insurance Services (LGIS WA): Managing Volunteers: A Guideline for WA Local Governments (July 2025).

C. City of Melville Primary Corporate, Governance, Financial & Policy Records

  1. Corporate & Strategic Planning:
    • Council Plan for the Future 2024–2034 (incorporating Part B: Corporate Business Plan 2026–27 – 2029–30, service-level FTE and net cost tables pp. 28–63, cash operating expenditure p. 67).
    • City of Melville Leadership Team Directory (Tiers 1–3).
    • City of Melville Freedom of Information Statement.
  2. Statutory Registers & Delegations:
    • Register of Statutory Delegations and Authorisations 2026–2027 (including DA-035 EFT payments and s.5.42/s.5.44 sub-delegation conditions).
    • Register of Annual and Primary Returns – Elected Members and Staff (September 2026).
  3. Governance Frameworks & Improvement Plans:
    • Governance Improvement Plan 2023/2024 (adopted August 2023) & Updated Governance Improvement Plan 2023/2024 (adopted February/March 2024).
    • City of Melville Governance Framework (inaugural version adopted 19 March 2024; Biennial Review adopted 16 September 2025, Item C25/313).
    • City of Melville Response to the Authorised Inquiry Recommendations (Report 5790).
    • Elected Member Communication Agreement (adopted 16 April 2024, Item C24/137) & Officer Advice Note: Motion with Notice – Creation of New Council Policy: Elected Member Access to Information.
  4. Council & Committee Agendas and Minutes:
    • Ordinary Meeting of Council Agenda & Minutes – 19 March 2024 (Adoption of inaugural Governance Framework).
    • Ordinary Meeting of Council Agenda & Minutes – 16 April 2024 (Item C24/137 – Elected Member Communication Agreement).
    • Ordinary Meeting of Council Agenda – 17 September 2024 (Committee charter restructure).
    • Special Meeting of Council Minutes – 25 June 2025 (Item C25/289 – Confidential Report on CEO Regulation 17 & Financial Management Reg. 5(2)(c) Reviews).
    • Ordinary Meeting of Council Minutes – 16 September 2025 (Item C25/313 – Governance Framework Biennial Review 2025 and 8 September 2025 Elector Petition).
    • Agenda Briefing Forum Confirmed Notes – 10 March 2026 (Admission regarding elevation of OP-011 CCTV to Council Policy).
    • Ordinary Meeting of Council Agenda & Minutes – 21 April 2026 (Item M26/75 – Local Government Reform: Committee Review; abolition of Governance, Policy & Legislation, and Conduct Committees; adoption of updated ARIC Terms of Reference).
    • Audit, Risk, and Improvement Committee (ARIC) Minutes – 11 May 2026 (Confirmed November 2026; Item M26/80 Governance Activities Update & Policy Work Group; Item M26/82 2024/25 OAG Financial Audit Readiness Findings).
    • Ordinary Meeting of Council Agenda – 21 July 2026 (City of Melville Policy Framework review).
    • Audit, Risk, and Improvement Committee (ARIC) Minutes – 31 August 2026 (Regulation 17 Risk, Internal Control & Legislative Compliance tracking, p. 49).
    • Ordinary Meeting of Council Minutes – 15 September 2026 (Public Question Time deflection records and Compliance Audit Return entry on C25/289, p. 28).
  5. Council Policies (CP-), Local Planning Policies (LPP), and Operational Policies (OP-):
    • Council Policy CP-014: Public Question Time at Council and Committee Meetings (adopted February 2019).
    • Council Policy CP-021: Advisory and Management Committees (adopted 19 February 2019).
    • Council Policy CP-023: Procurement Policy.
    • Council Policy CP-101, CP-107, CP-114: Customer Feedback/Complaints, Unreasonable Customer Conduct, and Compliance & Enforcement.
    • Local Planning Policy LPP 1.1: Planning Process and Decision Making.
    • Operational Policies & Administrative Manuals: OP-003 (Workplace Bullying/Harassment), OP-004 (Historical Risk Management Policy), OP-006 (Community Use of Facilities & Reserves), OP-011 (CCTV), OP-014 (Light Vehicles), OP-015 (Records Management), OP-022 (Customer Feedback), OP-027 (Employee Code of Conduct), OP-039 (Customer Complaints Handling), OP-040 (Busking & Street Entertainers), OP-042 (Managing Unreasonable Customer Behaviour), Volunteer Handbook & Volunteer WHS Induction (unlinked on City web portal), Volunteer Customer First Charter, and Volunteer Melville! Portal Rules.

D. Independent Civic Research & Media Documentation

  1. Melville Shadow Council (2026): About Melville Shadow Council – Independent Public Policy & Legislative Reform Think Tank; Ontological Incoherence in Public Law: The Case for a Foundational Definition of Local Government; Governance Failure Case Study; and Committee Review M26/75 Analysis.
  2. Fremantle Herald (17 April 2026): “Shadowing council” (Reporting on Melville Shadow Council governance analysis and regulatory transition).