AN OFFICIAL report on a year-long State Government inquiry into the Shire of Toodyay has been referred to the State Solicitor’s Office for assessment.
The WA Justice Department agency will decide if any part of the inquiry report should be withheld as evidence for prosecution before the findings are made public.
WA Local Government Minister David Templeman ordered the inquiry in late 2018 based on “reasonable suspicion” that the council had breached sections of local government laws and regulations.
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He ordered the inquiry after 11 months’ official monitoring of the shire and departmental criticism of its performance.
Three official investigators were appointed to inquire into the Toodyay Shire Council and its administration and report on whether they were functioning in the best interests of the community.
The investigators spent most of last year collecting many hours of evidence based on personal interviews with dozens of Toodyay witnesses before questioning shire councillors and staff.
The inquiry draft report is understood to be hundreds of pages long.
A Government spokesperson said a “senior authorised officer” had reviewed the draft report and forwarded it to the State Solicitor’s Office for assessment.
The Town of Cambridge and Shire of Wiluna are undergoing similar inquiries.
