Have your say on Fremantle Council changes

Fremantle residents are invited to have their say on options for changes to wards and the number of elected members on Fremantle Council.

The changes are required in response to proposed local government reforms announced by the state government earlier this year.

Mayor Hannah Fitzhardinge said the biggest impact of the reforms on Fremantle was the need to reduce the number of elected members on the council.

“The proposed local government reforms set limits on the number of councillors based on the total population of the local government area,” Mayor Fitzhardinge said.

“Because Fremantle has a population of around 32,000, we fit into the tier that allows for a maximum of nine elected members, including the Mayor.

“We currently have 13 elected members – two for each of the six wards, plus the Mayor – so we’ll need to reduced the number of councillors by at least four.

“To work out the best way to do this, the council has initiated a Ward and Representation Review and produced a discussion paper which outlines some of the possible options.

“Those options include reducing the number of wards from six to four with two councillors each, or scrapping wards altogether.

“I encourage all Fremantle residents to jump on the My Say Freo website, have a look at the discussion paper and provide their feedback.”

To provide feedback on the review residents can complete the online survey at mysay.fremantle.wa.gov.au/ward-and-representation-review.

Paper copies of the survey are also available at the Fremantle Library and the customer service desk at the Walyalup Civic Centre. 

Public submissions will close at 5pm on 12 December 2022.