Kwinana Council Track Record
What’s Really Going On?
We all pay our rates, so we expect local council to do their job, spend our cash properly, and actually listen to us. But over the last few years, all we’ve been getting from Kwinana Council is spin, excuses, and closed doors.
When locals ask basic questions about huge rate hikes or slashed services, council gives us the runaround or hides behind red tape.
“The elected City of Kwinana Council representatives. Many of these members have served for over 10 years and hold responsibility for the key policies, rate increases, and decisions detailed on this page.”
Check out the list below that would make any resident, anywhere in Australia, angry:
Kwinana Council Checklist
21% Rate Hike for Worse Services: Rates skyrocketed 21% over 5 years while services went backward—we got smaller waste bins, rubbish left rotting on verges, and an Aquatic Centre so neglected that staff had to set out buckets on the floor to catch roof leaks.
Golf Course Lease Takeover & Ratepayer Bailout: Council took over the Kwinana Golf Course lease without genuine community consultation, exposing ratepayers to the ongoing financial risk of funding expensive maintenance, upgrades, and unapproved future development plans out of council coffers.
20-Year High-Rise Plan Turning Kwinana into Cockburn: Pushing the draft Kwinana City Centre Precinct Structure Plan to dump 933 high-density apartments and 4-to-6-storey buildings along Robbos Way and Chisham Avenue—risking turning Kwinana into another overbuilt concrete jungle like Cockburn, while ignoring resident warnings about severe traffic gridlock, loss of green space, and suburban overcrowding.
Demolishing Heritage at 156 Medina Avenue: Council deliberately starved funding for the historic First Municipal Roads Board Office at 156 Medina Avenue until it was declared “beyond repair,” clearing the path to demolish and sell off a heritage asset just to grab extra administration funds.
The $3.5M Loop Trail Money Pit: Scored $3.5 million in state funding for the Kwinana Loop Trail, but after Stage 1, there’s been little to no actual improvement to the track—yet council still managed to put a full-time Loop Trail Ranger on the payroll.
The 3-Bin Rip-Off: Council shrunk our main rubbish bins from 240L to 140L, cut back the service, and then jacked up rates anyway. We are literally paying more to get less.
Fake “Consultation”: They asked less than 900 people about the new 3-bin setup, then forced it on all 45,000 of us without giving anyone a real say.
Ignoring a 97% “NO” Vote: A massive 97% of locals voted NO to the Maccas at the Aldi carpark. Council ignored everyone and pushed it through anyway.
Hiding the RAP Bill: Council refuses to give us a clear, itemised breakdown of what their Reconciliation Action Plan actually costs ratepayers.
Secret Committees: Committees like Boola Maara operate in the dark—most Kwinana locals don’t even know they exist, let alone what they’re deciding.
Passing the Buck on Bins: When people got angry about tiny bins, council blamed the State Government instead of admitting they chose the most restrictive, annoying option.
Ditching the Aussie Flag: They took the Australian Flag off the official City of Kwinana website and ignored locals who asked to put it back up.
All Talk on Crime & Hooning: Smashed car windows and dirt bikes keeping suburbs awake all night, and all council offers is cheap talk instead of pushing hard for 24/7 police coverage
Blockades on Basic Info: Try asking for basic financial ledgers or meeting notes, and council buries you in Freedom of Information paperwork instead of just being honest.
Verge Collection Mess: Scrapped the regular suburb verge sweeps for tricky pre-booked pickups, leaving piles of uncollected rubbish rotting on street verges.
Screwing Over Rural Blocks: Dumped standard suburban bin rules on semi-rural areas like Wandi where tiny green bins are totally useless for large properties.
Had Enough of Being Ignored?
Tired of Seeing Your Rate Dollars Wasted?
Send a message to your councillors now and demand clear answers on these decisions. If there’s nothing to hide, we should all expect a prompt, transparent easy to understand reply.
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