Dan Newman for Armadale

20/07/2026

A little BTS on Council this month and appreciation post for the hard working Staff and Executives at City of Armadale.

For the past few weeks City staff and Councillors have been working through the 2026/27 budget in detail.
Multiple briefings and weekly workshops that go well into the night help us to ensure the service delivery to residents meets the expectations of ratepayers and delivers value for money.
Thanks to all who have contributed, we're nearly at the finish line.

14/07/2026

I finally found it..... 🚕

11/07/2026

What have the romans ever done for us?

11/07/2026

🎙🚒 Comcen - 66, fire extinguished with water bottle. 🔥🧯👨‍🚒

03/07/2026

Want to learn a bit more about Local Government? Then check out the latest video from Auspol Explained

How long have you had your library card for?

Local government is one of the three tiers of government in Austral...

22/06/2026

Your update for tonight's OCM.

20/06/2026

H5N1 bird flu will have a huge and devastating impact on our wildlife, specifically black swans (and chickens) as they have almost no immunity to this virus.
You can help our volunteer organisations prepare the this outbreak by donating your time, or cash to your local centre.

H5N1 Avian Bird Flu

At this stage, Darling Range Wildlife Shelter remains open and will continue to accept all wildlife admissions. However, the situation is evolving rapidly, and this may change at short notice. Please read the full post below.

Today, the six largest wildlife rehabilitation organisations in Western Australia met following confirmation of H5N1 avian influenza in WA.

We have been consulting with government agencies for the past 12 months to prepare for this event. Based on health advice from State and Federal Government authorities, all six facilities have agreed that once H5N1 is detected in local wild bird populations (rather than an isolated case in a migratory bird), we will cease accepting bird admissions to protect our frontline staff and volunteers.

H5N1 is a highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza that can infect humans, particularly in environments where large numbers of birds are handled and treated. Wildlife hospitals and rehabilitation centres are not currently funded or equipped to safely manage an outbreak of this scale.

This decision will affect bird admissions at WA Wildlife Hospital, Kanyana Wildlife, Perth Wildlife Hospital, Darling Range Wildlife Shelter, Mandurah Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre and Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Conservation Centre. Without additional funding from state government, these organisations will also be unable to safely rescue and transport sick or injured birds across the Perth metropolitan area.

We remain in active discussions with DPIRD and DBCA and are hopeful that emergency State Government funding for PPE, additional staffing and temporary biosecure facilities will allow some wildlife facilities to safely continue, or resume, bird admissions if community cases are detected.

At this stage, all facilities remain open and continue to accept bird admissions, as well as reptile and mammal admissions. However, the situation is evolving rapidly and this may change at short notice.

We encourage the public to follow official advice from DBCA/DPIRD regarding sick or injured wildlife. Information can be found at: https://www.dbca.wa.gov.au/management/threat-management/h5-avian-influenza-bird-flu

We are deeply saddened by this situation. However, the safety of our staff and volunteers must come first. We also have a responsibility to protect the hundreds of animals currently undergoing rehabilitation, along with the resident birds housed at our facilities.

We remain committed to working with government agencies and are hopeful that the funding support requested will enable parts of the wildlife rehabilitation sector to continue operating safely if H5N1 becomes established in Western Australia's wild bird populations.

If you would like to support our work, please donate here https://www.givenow.com.au/darlingrangewildlife

03/06/2026

We get the Notice, we see the final invoice figure but have you ever wondered where those calculations come from?

The Local Government Act determines HOW local council's use the GRV to calculate rates for residential properties, but we determine the Rate in the Dollar (RiD).
Last year that RiD was 10c, this year the Council is considering a RiD at 6.8356c. Yes that's right, a lower RiD - but this is offset by the increased property values provided by the Valuer General.
This formula achieves the total combined budget from all sources (rating is just one source) of $102m.

Council has two choices ahead of the Budget Adoption meeting next month... cut project and services to reduce that total operating figure of $102m down, OR increase the Rate in the Dollar to boost that $102m figure upwards and deliver more services.

With the cost of materials and fuels increasing by more than 30% over the last year, a 4.8% increase to the overall budget would see the City "stay as is".

If you have thoughts on the projects or services you would like to see increased or reduced, please let me know below because the Council has not yet made a decision on the rates.

31/05/2026

Should rates go up, or services go down?

There are many factors Local Council need to review in the determination of rates and the services it provides to the community.

This year the State Government (Landgate as the Valuer-General) have revalued all residential properties based on data from 2024. This was a time when rental prices were skyrocketing – so that has impacted most households as GRV increases.

The State Government has also increased the Emergency Services Levy by about 5%, a charge we collect through your rates invoice but then hand over to the State Government.

The City of Armadale has proposed a rate increase of 4.8 per cent – that is, the entire rate base increases by 4.8%, not your invoice.

Last year, the residential Rate in the Dollar was 10.12c and the proposal for 2026/27 sets the RiD lower at 6.84c.

However, with rates making up 64% of the total income for the City of Armadale, we’re in a fortunate position to be slightly less impacted than others. Neighbouring Councils are proposing figures of 5.5% and 6.75%.
With the Local Government Cost Index (a CPI style indicator) sitting at 4.8%, the City’s operations are going to be impacted by the higher cost of the product we buy, like fuel and building materials.

That means that to deliver the current level of service, the cost will increase by about 4.8%. A rate increase of less than 4.8% would require a cut to services – broadly, for every $1m cut a reduction of 1% can be achieved.

The budget hasn’t been confirmed yet – we’re currently advertising for feedback on the rating objects and reasons and I encourage you to provide a thoughtful submission on the proposal via the City website https://my.armadale.wa.gov.au/service/notice-of-intention-to-levy-differential-rates

So, please let me know – should we be reducing services in an effort to reduce rates and if so, what should we be targeting?

25/05/2026

Tonight's council meeting is, amongst other things, considering the consent to advertise a Differential Rate.