The Sydney Morning Herald
· collected 2026-09-14 · by Cameron Myles, Indigo Lemay-Conway
Local Government Inspector Tony Brown has launched a formal inquiry into the City of Perth following a five-month probe led by former Kwinana mayor Carol Adams. The inquiry will take approximately three months and is expected to cost around $120,000. Brown cited “fractured working relationships” and governance issues as key concerns, and indicated that his report could recommend dismissing the council or certain individuals. This comes after the City of Perth was previously placed under a monitor in January due to internal conflicts between councillors and city staff.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-14,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Local Government Inspector Tony Brown has launched an investigation into the City of Perth due to "fractured working relationships" and ongoing governance issues. This inquiry, which began after former Kwinana mayor Carol Adams was appointed as a monitor in January 2023, is expected to cost around $120,000 and take about three months. Brown stated that the investigation aims to yield the best outcome for residents and ratepayers by focusing on improving accountability and decision-making processes within the council. The previous report from Adams highlighted a crisis in the relationship between council members and management, leading to calls for greater transparency and effective governance reforms.
Written for “Perth Government Inquiry” on 2026-09-14,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political
question, so it has no leaning score. That is an
answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly
or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it
anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political
position.
No political leaning scored for article 8677 · logged 2026-09-14
The City of Perth faces yet another inquiry as it battles to overcome “fractured working relationships” and “ongoing governance issues” plaguing the council
Local Government Inspector Tony Brown revealed the commencement of his formal inquiry after addressing councillors and city staff at a behind-closed-doors meeting on Monday evening, where he presented them with the findings of a five-month probe that began with the appointment of former Kwinana mayor Carol Adams as a monitor in January.
asserted
that → face → January
Brown told media the fresh inquiry would take about three months and cost about $120,000, however he was confident it would be a “short and effective way of providing an outcome for the City of Perth community”.
asserted
it → tell → community
The council has been in the headlines constantly this year after Adams was appointed to monitor the local government amid a relationship breakdown between councillors and the city administration.
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Adams → appoint → councillors
Brown said Adams’ report was not a public document, however the inquiry report would be, and could include recommendations for the council to implement.
uncertain
council → say → recommendations
“We could recommend to the minister for local government that the council be dismissed, or certain individuals be dismissed,” he said.
uncertain
he → recommend → government
“So that’s the worst-case scenario, and I do not want to pre-empt what the inquiry will find.”
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inquiry → ’ → what
Legislatively, Brown cannot take action on Adams’ monitor’s report, which paved the way for his inquiry.
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which → take → inquiry
Brown listed breaches of confidentiality, a breakdown of public working relationships, and city officers “inundated with way too many questions and requirements” as issues raised during the monitor’s inquiry.
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Brown → list → inquiry
“The City of Perth is the flagship local government of Western Australia, so it needs to be the leader in governance,” he said.
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he → need → governance
“I don’t think it’s there at the moment, so we’re going to work through that, and we want the City of Perth to be able to return to providing good governance for its community.”
asserted
City → think → community
The local government inspector pushed back on suggestions bureaucracy was hindering meaningful action, noting the previous, well-publicised inquiry into the city ran for more than two years and cost $7 million, while his and Adams’ inquiries should be wrapped up within the space of nine to 12 months.
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inquiries → push → months
City of Perth chief executive Michelle Reynolds was suspended by the council in May after councillors and city staff received a briefing on Adam’s report from Brown, during which he put the council “on notice” regarding the monitor’s probe.
uncertain
he → suspend → probe
The development prompted an angry response from Local Government Minster Hannah Beazley who in turn raised the spectre of council amalgamations.
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who → prompt → amalgamations
Last month, a motion to bring Reynolds back from suspension “effective immediately” was voted down, with councillors opting to defer the decision until after the completion of a workplace culture review.
The City of Perth was the first West Australian local government to be allocated a monitor, just two weeks into Brown’s role as the head local government watchdog at the start of the year.
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City → bring → year
