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Premier-elect Mark McGowan slams Lord Mayor on gag order on councillors

Brendan Foster

Premier-elect Mark McGowan has labelled Perth Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi's behaviour "unacceptable" after she demanded councillors fess up and sign a document saying they had not spoken to the The West Australian.

WAtoday understands elected members were handed the statutory declaration on Tuesday night before a council meeting and asked to declare whether councillors had spoken to a journalist at the newspaper about a question relating to City of Perth CEO Martin Mileham.

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McGowan on Perth City Council

The Premier elect says he's very unhappy with the Perth City Council.

It's understood deputy mayor James Limnios and Cr Jemma Green – outspoken critics of the Lord Mayor and her travel rorts – refused to sign the document.

Mr McGowan, who will be sworn in as WA's 30th Premier on Friday, said he would tackle the ongoing sagas at the City of Perth as a "matter of urgency".

"That is unacceptable behaviour," he told the paper.

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"I will take a personal interest in this as soon as we're sworn in to see what can be done as soon as possible.

"The City of Perth has been a law unto itself for too long."

Mr McGowan has told WAtoday on two separate occasions he would sack the Lord Mayor and the entire "dysfunctional" council if he became premier.

"We have a pretty dim view of that level of propriety at the City of Perth," he said in early March.

"If elected, that dim view, I think will be reflected in what we do." 

But Ms Scaffidi has made the extraordinary claim she was being "victimised".

The City of Perth has been a law unto itself for too long.

"The bottom line here is if anyone is being victimised here it is me, but I'm getting used to it," she told Radio 6PR.

"When the stat dec was thrown on the table I thought it was a no-brainer and the first person to sign it was councillor Reece Harley and every one signed it except councillor (James) Limnios and councillor (Jemma) Green.

"To be frank I was surprised they didn't sign it."

The Lord Mayor was adamant she did not issue the document to elected members.

"I did not issue that stat dec and again there are fake facts out there this morning," she said.

"Judy McEvoy has already twitted out that she issued the stat dec.

"Really the story is here there has been a breach of confidentiality."

Ms Scaffidi accused Mr McGowan of playing "politics" with his claims the council should be sacked.

"To hear all the talk the council is going to be sacked and all that and if that's how it plays out that's politics too," she said.

"I can assure you the council is operating the best it has ever operated.            

"Mark McGowan can say all of those things - he's entitled too as the Premier - but the fact is it would be very appropriate for Mark McGowan to give me a call and maybe come and have a meeting with me and let's talks some facts."

Deputy mayor James Limnios said he had never witnessed anything so "desperate".

He told WAtoday councillors were "ambushed" when Cr Judy McEvoy - a strong ally of the Lord Mayor - told elected members not to leave the briefing session and handed them the document to sign.

"I just laughed and put it in my pocket," he said.

"When you try to bully me or threaten me it has the opposite effect.

"The Lord Mayor and her supporters knew what was going on because they were all quick to sign it.

"It's just sad and desperate."

Ms Scaffidi has been at odds against Cr Limnios after he broke ranks in May and demanded she step down after calling her position "untenable".

The deputy mayor called for her to resign after damning reports by the Corruption and Crime Commission and the Department of Local Government into her expenses scandal around undisclosed gifts and travel.

A week after he called for Ms Scaffidi to be sacked, the City of Perth passed a vote of no-confidence motion against Cr Limnios.

In February, Ms Scaffidi admitted to five breaches for failing to declare trips, conceding she wasn't "very careful" submitting her annual expense reports as she gave evidence during a State Administrative Tribunal hearing. 

Ms Scaffidi is currently fighting allegations by Local Government she engaged in serious misconduct by accepting undeclared travel and gifts, including from companies and conglomerates with financial considerations before the council. 

TIMELINE: LISA SCAFFIDI - A LORD MAYOR UNDER FIRE

May 21, 2015
Australian Federal Police refer Perth mayor Lisa Scaffidi to the Corruption and Crime Commission after US investigators found BHP Billiton gave her flights and tickets to the 2008 Beijing Olympics worth up to $US36,000 as part of a wider probe into the firm's entertainment of foreign officials, for which it was later fined $32 million. 

May 22
Scaffidi tries to take control of Kings Park, UWA, Crown Casino, the new Perth Stadium and Oxford Street in Leederville among other lucrative landmarks by incorporating them into redrawn City of Perth boundary maps. The grab for greater cash and control later fails when Colin Barnett abandons amalgamation plans.

October 6
CCC declares she failed in her duties by accepting a raft of undeclared gifts and trips

October 6
Claims she "would've disclosed my underwear" if she knew she had to in relation to the CCC findings, despite being on council for almost 10 years

October 7
Scaffidi pledges to release crucial documents in her defence but claims CCC Act prevents it. CCC then urges her to release them – she doesn't

October 11
Deputy Mayor Rob Butler found to have also taken undeclared trip, later dumped by voters

October 12
City of Perth ratepayers told they can't change postal votes in wake of Scaffidi misconduct

October 14
Dumped from Local Government Standards Panel, which hears misconduct complaints against councillors

October 16
Documents reveal she and council spend $1m hosting parties and guests at Council House

October 18
Narrowly avoids defeat in council elections.

November 20
Forced to accept greater transparency measures to help City of Perth Act pass in Parliament

November 30
Threatens to quit after Local Government Department launches its own review into her conduct

January 20, 2016
Councillors sack City of Perth CEO Gary Stevenson, who pushed for greater transparency from council. The CCC found no evidence of serious misconduct by Mr Stevenson

Late January
Imposes unofficial media ban on City of Perth council and staff in wake of CEO sacking

January 27
Subiaco Mayor says Scaffidi and council are too unstable to take on Subiaco residents

March 1
Admits there are even more undisclosed overseas trips she has taken that are being probed

March 3
Tells those worried about safety of Jacob's Ladder to "get a grip" and they deserve a "working over" for raising concerns about its future. It was closed indefinitely for urgent repairs soon after.

March 15
Attacks respected Nine News journalist Liam Bartlett on social media about his "botox" and "bad breath"

March 16
WA Premier says Scaffidi's reputation is damaged and calls for department to finalise investigation

May 11
Local Government report into Ms Scaffidi recommends she faces disciplinary action over 45 alleged breaches of the Local Government Act between 2008-2015, with the matter later referred to the State Administrative Tribunal over allegations of "serious breaches" in disclosing travel-related gifts and contributions 

May 12
Deputy Lord Mayor James Limnios calls on Scaffidi to stand aside from her job, saying it had become untenable

June 2016
The Corruption and Crime Commission reveals it is investigating the City of Perth's abrupt, controversial sacking of CEO Gary Stevenson as well as non-disclosure of gifts and travel from other City of Perth councillors.

January 2017
A lengthy mediation process between the Department of Local Government and Ms Scaffidi fails, after the department pushed for the Lord Mayor to be suspended.

February 2017
The Lord Mayor fronts a State Administrative Tribunal, which will determine if she should be disciplined for the alleged 45 breaches.

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