For too long, residents and ratepayers of the City of Perth have endured ongoing dysfunction, division and troubling behaviour from the current Lord Mayor and Deputy Lord Mayor since being elected in October 2025.

Since taking office, these elected officials have repeatedly appeared to place personal agendas, governance conflicts and internal power struggles ahead of their duty to serve the community. The voices of residents and ratepayers have too often been dismissed, ignored or shut down entirely.

As active members of the Perth community, many of us are deeply concerned by the deterioration in governance standards within the City of Perth. Despite the appointment of governance inspectors and monitors intended to improve behaviour and restore stability, the situation has only escalated further — leaving ratepayers burdened with mounting costs associated with investigations, intervention processes and ongoing governance failures to a level of ridiculousness.

The community is frustrated that millions of dollars continue to be spent managing dysfunction rather than improving services, infrastructure and outcomes for Perth residents and businesses.

This is now the second major community push for action after concerned ratepayers attempted to raise a Motion of 'No Confidence' in the Lord Mayor back in January after losing total trust in the leadership.  Ratepayers had the motion disallowed to be heard by the Lord Mayor at their own Electors Meeting with the concerns of the community effectively silenced once again.  Since that time, further trust has been eroded towards the Lord Mayor (Bruce Reynolds) and Deputy Lord Mayor (David Goncalves). 

Ratepayers are increasingly asking:

How can elected officials continue operating with such disrespect and abhorrent behaviour without accountability while the broader community bears the financial and reputational consequences?

The simple reality is this:

The City of Perth belongs to its residents and ratepayers — not to political egos, personal vendettas or factional infighting.

Our elected representatives are entrusted to govern professionally, respectfully and in the best interests of the entire community. Instead, the ongoing instability has damaged confidence in the leadership, reputation and future direction of Perth.

Community concern has intensified following reports that a “last-minute” Special Council Meeting was convened by the Lord Mayor, where a select group of elected members (councillors) voted to suspend CEO Michelle Reynolds in under 41 minutes  - with no notice or reason provided.

This occurred after the CEO had raised governance and unlawful concerns on public record regarding proposed additional entitlements and powers sought by the select group of elected members, reportedly including matters relating to travel benefits, event access, frequent flyer points and expanded authority over the CEO position.

Many ratepayers believe the CEO was acting in the best interests of governance, accountability and the responsible management of public funds on behalf of the Perth community.

Minister Hannah Beasley, the community is calling for decisive action right now.

We urge Minister Beasley to immediately:

• Remove the current Lord Mayor and Deputy Lord Mayor from office and the elected members who persistently have serious behavioural and conduct complaints against them over the past year

• Reinstate the highly regarded CEO (Michelle Reynolds)  

• Restore integrity, professionalism and stability to the governance of the City of Perth

Ratepayers do not want another costly public inquiry like the last one that cost more than $7.8 million years ago. The community wants practical action that restores accountability and allows the City to move forward.

The City of Perth is not just the capital city for its residents — it represents all of Western Australia. What happens here affects the reputation and confidence of our entire state.

If you believe Perth deserves responsible leadership, accountability and a stronger future, please sign this petition and share it across your social media platforms.

Every signature sends a message that the community will no longer accept dysfunction, division and political self-interest ahead of the people of Perth.   

PLEASE NOTE - no donation required, please just share this after signing.