The City of South Perth council has dismissed a proposal to create a “city of south park” through amalgamation with the Town of Victoria Park, after former councillor Tim Houweling was unable to move his own motion at Tuesday night’s council meeting.
Motion Lapses Without Supporter
The council administration stated that because Mr Houweling had resigned from the council, he could not move the motion. No other councillor had received written permission to move it on his behalf, causing the motion to lapse. Mr Houweling had foreshadowed the motion before his resignation, which called for the chief executive to initiate discussions with the Victoria Park CEO about conducting a community survey on a potential amalgamation.
Reasoning Behind the Amalgamation Idea
The aim was to gauge community interest in greater co-operation and resource-sharing between the two local governments. South Perth has a population of about 48,600 residents, while the Town of Victoria Park has 42,300, giving a combined total of approximately 91,000. In comparison, the City of Stirling has more than 250,000 residents and Wanneroo more than 260,000. Mr Houweling argued that “many larger local governments are able to achieve economies of scale in administration, procurement, asset management, information technology, strategic planning and service delivery which may not be available to smaller local governments.”
Financial Concerns
The administration noted that no funds were allocated in the 2026-27 budget for the estimated $40,000 direct letter mail-out to South Perth residents, with a full survey likely to cost even more. The Town of Victoria Park mayor Karen Vernon said last week the town was aware of the motion but did not comment further.
