Minutes of Annual Electors Meeting - Thursday, 6 February 2025

Minutes – Annual Electors Meeting 6 February 2025 Page 0 of 1

The Chairperson outlined the process for the Annual Electors Meeting and welcomed members and electors and declared the meeting open at 4:00PM.

2. Attendance and Apologies

ATTENDANCE

Members:	Shire President C Mitchell	Shire President
	Cr D Male	Deputy Shire President
	Cr S Cooper
	Cr J Mamid	Arrived at 4:03pm
	Cr J Lewis
	Cr P Matsumoto
	Cr M Virgo
	Cr P Taylor
	Cr E Smith	(via electronic attendance in accordance with Administration Regulation 14C, 14CA)

Apologies:	Nil


Leave of Absence:	Nil


Officers:	Mr J Watt	Acting Chief Executive Officer
	Mr J Hall	Director Infrastructure
	Ms N Roukens	Acting Director Development and Community
	Ms R Doyle	Manager Governance, Strategy and Risk
	Mr A Waters	Acting Manager Health, Emergency and Rangers
	Ms T Pomery	Marketing and Communications Coordinator
	Mr A Clark-Hale	Special Projects Coordinator
	Ms H Toikander	Special Projects Coordinator
	Ms K Cookson	Senior Administration & Governance Officer
	Ms E Hallen	Senior Procurement & Risk Officer
	Mr R Machell	Senior Project Engineer
	Ms L Blunt	Property and Leasing Officer

Electors:	A Paice	Elector
	C Leahy	Elector
	C Lother	Elector
	C Shaw	Elector
	C White	Elector
	D Bennett	Elector
	D Galwey	Elector
	E Cochrane	Elector
	E Locke	Elector
	E Manera	Elector
	H Hansen	Elector
	H Koureskas	Elector
	J Carpenter	Elector
	J Curran	Elector
	J Gooden	Elector
	K Brockenshire	Elector
	K Simpson	Elector
	K Weatherall	Elector
	L Morris	Elector
	L Taylor	Elector
	L Tyler	Elector
	L Westlake	Elector
	M Chi	Elector
	M Teoh	Elector
	R Nelson	Elector
	S Fimmel	Elector
	S McManus	Elector
	V Bridgeman	Elector
	V Westwood	Elector

3. Shire President Report

The Shire President’s report is contained on page 10 of the Shire’s Annual Report 2023/24.

Resolution: Minute No. /0225/001

Moved: Cr M Virgo Seconded: Cr P Taylor

That the 2023/24 Shire President’s report be received.

CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

4. Annual Report

Annual Report 2023 - 24

The Shire of Broome Annual Report for the financial year 2023/24 is available on the Shire of Broome website via this link: Annual Report 2023/24.

Supplementary Information

Minutes from the 2022/23 Annual Electors Meeting held 15 February 2024, are available via this link: Minutes of Annual Electors Meeting. These minutes were received by Council at the Ordinary Council Meeting held 29 February 2024.

Resolution: Minute No. /0225/002

Moved: P Hansen Seconded: Cr D Male

That the Shire of Broome Annual Report for the financial year ended 30 June 2024 be received.

CARRIED UNAMINOUSLY

5. General Business

Elector Motions:

Lesley Westlake submitted two (2) Elector Motions prior to the meeting

ELECTOR MOTION 1: Minute No. /0225/003

Moved: L Westlake Seconded: E Cochrane

That the Shire of Broome consult with the Broome community to identify the parts of town where there is an unmet demand for public transport and quantify the subsidy that would be required from the Department of Transport for the current bus service provider to meet the demand identified.

CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

ELECTOR MOTION 2: Minute No. /0225/004

Moved: L Westlake Seconded: H Koureskas

That the Shire of Broome provide a report on the 2024 Community Scorecard on measures taken and their perceived effectiveness, to be tabled at Shire meetings in 2025 and 2026 on a quarterly basis.

CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

Michelle Teoh submitted two (2) Elector Motions prior to the meeting:

ELECTOR MOTION 1: Minute No. /0225/005

Moved: M Teoh Seconded: L Westlake

That the feasibility study to upgrade the Broome Library considers all possible locations within the Broome townsite and as part of that process the Shire consultants undertake true and sincere consultation with all community members and organisations who use the facility and the findings from which are sincerely considered by the Council when making a final transparent decision on location here.

CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

The Acting Chief Executive Officer commented that the relocation of the Broome Public Library has been a desire of Council for a number of years and has been included in several informing strategies including the Old Broome Development Strategy and Chinatown Development Plan, which contain actions regarding the potential relocation of the Library to Chinatown.

The Old Broome Development Strategy includes the following actions:

1. Relocate the Municipal Library to Chinatown near the Visitors’ Centre

2. Extend the Shire Administration offices to incorporate the existing Library building once the new Library has been constructed.

The following action is contained in the Chinatown Development Strategy:

1. Investigate infill options on Short Street including potential Library site.

Past community and Council consultation guided the development of these strategic planning documents (including the supporting actions) which have subsequently been used by officers to guide project development.

The Male Oval Masterplan will, amongst other things, assess the suitability and viability of relocating the Public Library to the Male Oval Precinct. This assessment will be used to inform Council’s future decision on the location of the new Library however will not determine the location. A Community Engagement Plan will be prepared for this project, which will outline consultation strategies for this project.

Officers appreciate that not all community members may agree with the consultation outcomes of past planning strategies in relation to the relocation of the Library, however can only assure all parties that no decision has been made by Council on the location of any new Library facility.

ELECTOR MOTION 2: Minute No. /0225/006

Moved: M Teoh Seconded: J Curran

That the Shire of Broome investigate establishing a Broome dinosaur coast interpretive centre and palaeontology research facility within the next 5 years.

CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

Elizabeth Cochrane submitted Two (2) Elector Motions prior to the meeting

ELECTOR MOTION 1: Minute No. /0225/007

Moved: E Cochrane Seconded: L Westlake

That the Shire of Broome includes the following matters in the MOU currently being negotiated with the Broome International Airport (BIA):

1. Rerouting of helicopters conducting training flights after dark so they do not fly over residential areas;

2. Inclusion of the 6am ‘curfew’ in BIA’s Fly Neighbourly policy;

3. Clarification that the 6am ‘curfew’ means no engine noise before 6am rather than no take-offs before 6am;

4. Development of a mechanism for monitoring and publicly reporting adherence by planes and helicopters to BIA’s Fly Neighbourly policy; and

5. Establishment of a Complaints Committee which includes the Shire of Broome and community representation to consider public complaints about airport noise.

CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

ELECTOR MOTION 2: Minute No. /0225/008

Moved: E Cochrane Seconded: V Bridgeman

That the Shire of Broome addresses the following matters over the next 3 years and regularly reports progress back to the Seniors community, as an interim until a comprehensive Age-Friendly strategy can be prepared:

1. Continue and increase lobbying of the WA government for appropriate housing options for seniors;

2. Annually review the number, location & signage of disabled parking bays & repair bays where necessary;

3. Regularly inspect all footpaths to ensure they are safe for seniors and disabled people to use;

4. Continue providing a subsidy for seniors to improve home security;

5. Promote information provided by organisations such as Consumer Protection on how seniors can protect themselves from scammers;

6. Work with the Department Transport to ensure the town bus service is funded to access where seniors live;

7. Explore the options for building/using a Shire-owned building to operate as a Seniors Centre for organised activities and drop in;

8. Identify aged care support workers as Key Workers when planning for key worker housing;

9. Use ways of consulting and providing relevant information to seniors that do not rely on social media;

10. Use age & dementia-friendly design guidelines for all Shire developments/redevelopments;

11. Create a new priority in stream 1 of the Community Development Fund grant programme to enable community organisations to implement positive ageing strategies;

12. Improve the listing of senior's activities on the Shire website by the creation of a specific seniors page; and

13. Deliver at least 1 seat in a shaded area in each Public Open space area in the town-site.

CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

David Galwey submitted one (1) Elector Motion prior to the meeting:

ELECTOR MOTION 1: Minute No. /0225/009

Moved: D Galwey Seconded: C Shaw

That the Shire of Broome acknowledge the importance of tourism, the cruise industry, and oil and gas to the economic wellbeing and future prosperity of the Broome Shire.

LOST

James Carpenter submitted one (1) Elector Motions prior to the meeting

ELECTOR MOTION 1: Minute No. /0225/010

Moved: J Carpenter Seconded: V Westwood

That the Shire of Broome create an Indigenous Reference/Advisory Group for the purposes of better two-way engagement with the Indigenous community.

CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

Carmel Leahy submitted three (3) Elector Motions prior to the meeting:

ELECTOR MOTION 1: Minute No. /0225/011

Moved: C Leahy Seconded: M Teoh

That the Urban Renewal Strategy final report of 2017 be made publicly available on the Shire website.

CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

The Acting Chief Executive Officer commented that the document is not available on the Shire’s website. The development of the Urban Renewal Strategy was led by the Department of Communities with support from the Shire and other State and community groups. Towards the end of its development concerns were raised about the Department of Communities commitment to funding its implementation and as a result the document was never formally endorsed by the Shire of Broome.

It is not appropriate for the Shire of Broome to publicly release the document.

ELECTOR MOTION 2: Minute No. /0225/012

Moved: C Leahy Seconded: M Teoh

That the Urban Renewal Strategy be made a priority of the Shire of Broome in 2025.

CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

The Deputy President, Cr Male, commented that Council have been advocating for this for years however the current Minister has no interest. His current interest in Urban Renewal is upgrading street lights, street scapes and thoroughfares but we will continue to advocate for this.

ELECTOR MOTION 3: Minute No. /0225/013

Moved: C Leahy Seconded: M Teoh

That the Shire of Broome lobby the State Government for funds to support the Urban Renewal Strategy.

CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

Kylie Brockenshire submitted two (2) Elector Motions prior to the meeting:

ELECTOR MOTION 1: Minute No. /0225/014

Moved: K Brockenshire Seconded: V Bridgeman

That the Shire to actively as a state of urgency push for action from both State and Federal government to address our youth crime and anti social behaviour issues.

CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

ELECTOR MOTION 2: Minute No. /0225/015

Moved: K Brockenshire Seconded: Cr M Virgo

That the Shire advocate to State Government for shelter over the hard courts at local schools.

CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

Kylie Weatherall submitted one (1) Elector Motion prior to the meeting:

ELECTOR MOTION 1: Minute No. /0225/016

Moved: K Weatherall Seconded: A Paice

That the Shire of Broome create and instigate a Significant Tree Registry.

CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

Public Questions

Michelle Teoh submitted one (1) question prior to the meeting:

Question One (1):

Can you please provide an update on whether the Male Oval Precinct Masterplan is still going to occur in 2025-26 and if so when will the community learn more about what the scope of the Masterplan will be?

Answer provided by Acting Director Development and Community:

The draft 2025-35 Council Plan identifies the need for funding to carry out the development of the Male Oval Precinct Masterplan in 2025/26 with funding being considered through the 2025/26 Annual Budget process. The project scope is also being finalised through the Annual Budget process and will include community and stakeholder engagement.

If the project is supported, it’s likely this project will occur in the latter half of the 2025 calendar year.

David Galwey submitted two (2) questions prior to the meeting:

Question One (1):

Could the Shire advise if the Yaruwu are required to maintain fire breaks on land that they control. For example the land adjoining Clementson street at Demco has been fenced but no fire breaks have been put in place?

Answer Provided by Acting Director Development and Community:

This land was intended to be transferred from the Crown to Yawuru under the Yawuru Indigenous Land Use Agreement, or ILUA, however, it hasn't for various reasons. It remains Unallocated Crown Land which means it is currently managed by the Department of Planning Lands and Heritage.

It has been fenced as asbestos has been identified on the site previously and surface asbestos removed. Firebreak maintenance is the responsibility of the land owner and notices will be issued by the Shire in March 2025.

Question Two (2):

Verge maintenance throughout the town is shambolic. Why doesn’t the Shire maintain the verges or put in place mechanisms to enforce the landowners responsibility to maintain verges around Old Broome?

Many verges are used as roads detracting from the ambience and causing erosion problems during the wet.

Answer provided by Director Infrastructure:

The Shire recognises that the appearance of road verges are important to owners / occupiers, due to the aesthetic impact on their properties.

Council’s Policy for Verge Maintenance aims to ‘define the obligations and responsibilities of the Community, private and commercial landowners within the Shire of Broome in relation to the maintenance and development of all verges within the Shire.’

The purpose of the Verge Maintenance Policy is to improve amenity rather than enforcement however the Shire does correspond with landowners where non-compliance with the Policy and/or Local Laws occurs. In extreme instances the Shire will rectify the non-compliance and where possible seek to recover costs from the landowner.

If you have any specific locations or issues please contact the Shire to submit a customer service request. Staff will then inspect and liaise with you directly regarding your specific concern.

Helen Koureskas submitted one (1) question prior to the meeting:

Question One (1):

What does the Shire need to get the support to ensure the services (not just buildings) being provided are responsive to community needs. And how can the community become involved in the process?

Answer provided by Acting Chief Executive Officer:

The Shire advocates extensively on behalf of the entire community on various services which are typically provided by the State and / or Federal Governments directly, or through NGO’s. Concerned community members can contact the relevant government agencies directly and can also direct concerns to the Shire.

The Shire President advised Helen to arrange a meeting with Acting Chief Executive Officer James Watt to discuss further.

Maxine Chi submitted one (1) question prior to the meeting:

Question One (1):

Can you tell us about the Shire and the Dampier Peninsula Aboriginal Lands Trust Divestment project and what that will entail?

Answer provided by Acting Chief Executive Officer:

This is a State and Federal Government issue and not a Shire project however the Shire is aware of an Aboriginal Land Trust proposal to divest land in the Dampier Peninsula to the Bardi Jawi Niimidiman Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC. This includes the communities of One Arm Point / Ardyaloon and Djarindjin.

The Shire’s understanding is that land would be divested under the Native Title Act 1993 through an indigenous land use agreement, or ILUA, between Bardi Jawi and the State Government. The Shire has confirmed its support for Bardi Jawi to progress an ILUA to secure tenure over land within their native title boundary. Should Bardi Jawi secure tenure through an ILUA, it would allow them to use the land for various outcomes, including cultural, heritage, economic, social and environmental initiatives.

The proposal follows a similar land divestment project at Bidyadanga which has been underway for some time.

Carmel Leahy submitted three (3) questions prior to the meeting, however Carmel’s first question was answered earlier in the meeting:

Question Two (2):

Community safety and liveability are high priorities in resident surveys. The Urban Renewal Strategy focusses on both. What has the Shire done to secure State funds for the Urban Renewal Strategy?

Answer provided by Acting Chief Executive Officer:

The Acting Chief Executive wanted to assure people that there has been a high level of advocacy and a large amount of work being done internally to progress some of the outcomes of the Urban Renewal Strategy with the State, at Minister level, however that work hasn’t resulted in any actions or any funding. The Shire understands the community concerns that have come through in the 2020, 2022 and 2024 Community Surveys.

The Shire of Broome have taken the initiative by developing projects such as the McMahon Estate project and will continue to advocate for outcomes aligned with those as contained in the Urban Renewal Strategy. The Chief Executive Officer is due in Canberra next week and will be advocating at a Federal level for improvements in areas of Broome with a high level of social housing density to try to achieve some of the outcomes as contained within the Urban Renewal Strategy. We were hopeful that with the State election coming up there would be some announcements to support funding but that hasn’t been the case. We will continue to advocate to progress this issue and appreciate that your previous elector motions will give us the ammunition to do so.

Answer provided by Acting Director Development and Community:

The Shire of Broome has been very active in this area, although the results to date have not seen progress.

· In 2024/25 a Budget Submission was prepared and submitted to the Department of Communities but was not successful.

· Shire officers have met with Department of Communities officers to discuss the project multiple times.

· The project has been raised numerous times by the Shire President and Deputy President in meetings with various State and Federal ministers including the State Minster for Housing and with various senior Department of Communities officers to seek support and to discuss options to progress.

· In 2025 the Shire President and CEO met with the Director General of the Department of Communities to discuss the project and funding requirements.

To date, the response has consistently been that the State Government is focused on increasing the number of social houses within the townsite and there is no support for Urban Renewal projects which aim to create better outcomes in existing high density social housing areas.

The Shire will continue to advocate to State and Federal Government for improved social housing outcomes in the district.

Question Two (2):

Why has the Cable Beach precinct received so much more funding from the State than the Urban Renewal Strategy?

Answer provided by Director Development and Community:

The Shire is continually applying for funding for projects from a wide variety of sources, including funding for the implementation of the Urban Renewal Strategy and the Cable Beach Redevelopment. The decisions of funding organisations are not within the control of the Shire of Broome and this dictates what funding the Shire receives for its projects.

State and Federal funds have been secured for the Cable Beach Foreshore Redevelopment. Despite our best efforts, to date, funding has not been secured for implementation of the Urban Renewal Strategy. The Shire will continue to seek funding to progress Urban Renewal Strategy outcomes.

Kylie Brockenshire submitted two (2) questions prior to the meeting:

Question One (1):

When will Tanami Drive open up to Sanctuary Road? The intersection of Gubinge and Magabala is busy and will only get busier coming into the tourist season.

Answer provided by Director Infrastructure:

Construction work on the development of the new intersection at Sanctuary Drive, Tanami Drive and Fairway Drive will begin in the coming days. It is expected that access from Tanami through to Sanctuary will open from the middle of 2025.

Question Two (2):

Would the Shire/BRAC consider a discounted hire fee of the squash courts for Squash Club members?

Answer provided by Acting Chief Executive Officer:

The Shire of Broome/BRAC does provide a discounted hire fee of the BRAC squash courts for Broome Squash Club members.

As per the 2024/25 fees and charges, the squash court hire fees for general casual use is $20 per hour, whereas a squash club member fee for casual use is $18 per hour. This equates to a 10% discount.

In addition to this, the hire rate per court for senior Broome Squash Club activities is a further discounted $17 per hour, and junior club activities do not incur a hire fee at all.

The Acting Chief Executive Officer offered to discuss this further following the meeting.

Kylie Weatherall submitted two (2) questions prior to the meeting:

Question One (1):

How does the Shire of Broome value and care for the natural environment?

Answer provided by Acting Director Development and Community:

The Shire recognises the immense value of the natural environment around Broome, including its importance to sustaining cultural, recreational, and economic activities throughout the community.

In 2020, the Shire of Broome’s Council resolved to sign the WALGA Climate Change Declaration, which demonstrates the Shire’s acknowledgment of the impacts of climate change and its commitment to developing locally appropriate mitigation and adaptation strategies to manage climate change impacts to the community.

Furthermore, the Shire’s environmental management is guided by the State of Environment Report and associated environmental management plan which was endorsed by Council in 2016. The report can be found on the Shire’s website and most actions within the environmental management plan have been implemented. Hence, the Shire is now undertaking a review of this report to ensure our environmental decision making remains up to date and relevant to the Broome community. Community consultation will commence over the next few months, and we encourage you to subscribe to the Shire’s social media or newsletter to remain informed for when these consultation sessions will occur.

Question Two (2):

Does the Shire of Broome have an active Significant Tree Registry and Policy? if not, why not?

Answer provided by Director Infrastructure:

No, the Shire of Broome does not have a significant tree register.

Some Local Governments do have a Significant Tree Register and Policy which are linked to key planning documents and local laws however this has not been identified as a requirement in Broome.

Diane Bennett asked the following question:

Question One (1):

How does the Shire of Broome ensure mulch provided to the community does not contain weed seeds? Could the procedures be improved?

Answer provided by Director Infrastructure:

The Shire provides mulch, however we do only mulch the greenwaste that is delivered by the community, so the better the product going in, the better the mulch is. This could be improved through education and/or secondary processing, however that will require further resources, so education would be the most feasible option for improving quality. We acknowledge it and will continue educating the community.

6. Meeting Closure

There being no further business the Chair thanked those present and declared the meeting closed at 5:10pm.