More than 800 locals sign petition to cut off Joondalup councillors’ alcohol
Joondalup councilors will consider the contents of the liquor cabinet at next week’s meeting at the behest of disgruntled locals who don’t believe they should pick up the $1,000 bill.
But according to Mayor Daniel Kingston, more than half of the elected members don’t even drink in the elected members lounge, where residents have called for drinking to be banned.
The beverage list included in the minutes of the regular council meeting on May 26 shows that the bar’s contents were not filled with top-shelf drinks.
And none but a bottle of Sherry has been purchased since 2024.
At the council’s agenda briefing on Tuesday night, it was revealed that approximately $1,000 is spent annually on alcohol and beverages.
But locals were adamant that taxpayer-paid drinks should never be offered to councilors in the elected members’ lounge.
“The taxpayers asked me to put the petition together. So I put together a draft. We literally got over 900 signatures in eight days, with no effort, no social media, no knocking on the door, none of the things I would normally do,” resident Suzanne Apps said.
“The clear message from taxpayers is that they do not want to subsidize alcohol, including wine, beer and premium spirits in councilors’ private lounge after meetings and briefing sessions.
“They don’t want the debate about how much it will cost to continue at any cost.”
The petition, which expired on Monday, called on the council to “vote to end taxpayer-funded consumption of alcohol in the elected members’ lounge outside of official functions and events.”
There were 894 signatures as of closing date.
Faye Gilbert, a local friend, told council members she “couldn’t believe” they were still discussing the issue of self-serve alcohol in the council chamber, a year after the community first brought it up.
He said council members should be able to work in an “alcohol-free environment.”
“Your own policy states that alcohol should not be consumed while performing this duty; if that rule is followed, then that alcohol serves no official purpose. It is for personal pleasure only,” Gilbert said.
“It is outdated and inappropriate to use public funds to supply alcohol in this way. I have worked with state government boards responsible for multi-million dollar portfolios, they operate effectively without alcohol, just tea, coffee, juice and water, and they work just fine.
“They couldn’t justify spending public money on a luxury like alcohol. End this culture of entitlement and focus on the job you were elected to do.”
An alcohol stock count was carried out on April 1 for spirits, and on April 29 for beer and wine.
Beer and wine are served to guests at certain civic events, including community appreciation events and citizenship ceremonies, the report to council said.
“Leftover stock from these events is returned to the bar and can be used at subsequent events. Fortified wines, liqueurs and some spirits can also be used in cooking, including popular desserts and sauces,” the report said.
Answering questions from area residents, Kingston said that seven of the 13 elected members do not drink alcohol.
Kingston noted that he, as well as councilors Adrian Hill, Lewis Hutton, Denise Mercer, Bettina Gould, Christopher May and Rohan O’Neill, did not consume alcoholic beverages in the elected members’ lounge and that the majority generally chose not to attend.
Mercer recently posed a question to CEO Craig Lloyd, who started at the City of Joondalup at the end of May, about whether any of the previous councils he worked for had a policy regarding alcohol.
Lloyd, who previously served as chief executive of two Victorian councils – City of Whittlesea in Victoria and Murrindindi Shire Council – said both were against alcohol.
“My previous council had a policy of no alcohol on site. There were very rare exceptions to that, things like the annual arts awards and that was one drink per person,” he said.
“Other than that, alcohol was not consumed in our venues… Absolutely no alcohol was provided to either staff or elected members,” he said.
Council members will vote on whether to maintain the current policy of allowing alcohol in the elected members lounge or eliminate drinking altogether at the regular council meeting on June 23.
