South West council shoots down attempt to introduce a rate reduction for owners of historic holiday homes

Shire of Nannup councillors have shot down an attempt to introduce a rate reduction for owners of historic holiday homes. Last month councillors debated introducing a 30 per cent concession on the minimum rate on the Lower Donnelly River Huts within the shire’s boundary. Shire of Manjimup councillors narrowly voted to introduce a 70 per cent rates cap on their Donnelly River hut precinct in September. The Nannup bid would have secured 33 huts on the banks of the Donnelly River a reduction in rates, which would have cost the shire $14,949. The motion was brought forward by Cr Timothy Sly, who argued the lack of services provided to the huts justified the reduction. Donnelly River hut owner Brad Russell also spoke to the council before the vote. Mr Russell said he was aware the debate had been raised in the shire of Manjimup, and pushed for the Nannup huts to receive similar treatment. He said the hut owners paid the shire’s minimum unimproved value rates, instead of gross rental value, and there were 322 residents in the Nannup townsite paying $100 less in rates each year while having access to all the shire’s services. “We’ve been ratepayers for 11 years and I wouldn’t say we’ve been happy with the situation down there,” Mr Russell said. “We feel we are in a very unique situation — we have a lease with (the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions) that gives us our property rights, we’re completely surrounded by national park, and to get access to the property is by boat only.” Mr Russell said the huts’ residents had to provide their own utilities and fire brigade, claiming the area received no direct services from the shire. “There’s nothing we get directly,” he said. “They simply are not able to provide a direct service, and the indirect services are very few and far between. “I’m not standing here saying we want something for nothing. We understand that we have an obligation to help fund the shire, and we are quite happy to do that. “We just feel that given our unique situation, that there should be some sort of consideration for our circumstances.” Mr Russell said debate in the past had often boiled down to calling the hut owners “privileged” and “lucky”, which he said was irrelevant to the argument. He argued they could not rent the huts out, and had no way of making a profit from their holiday homes. Cr Lynette Curtis quickly shot down the motion. She said payment of rates to the shire was the “lifeblood” of the community, but she could see the reasoning behind the owners pushing for lower rates. She said there were many in the shire who could also argue for a reduction in rates for similar reasons. “There is no question these properties are remote, but they are not the only remote areas in Nannup,” she said. Cr Curtis pointed to residents in Scott River, who were 48km from the Nannup townsite but only 17km from Augusta. She said those residents would likely use Augusta’s services over Nannup’s and, one could argue they too should be entitled to a rate reduction. Cr Curtis said 2.4 per cent of WA’s population owned a holiday home, and it was noted if huts could be rented out to earn an income, they would be slapped with a much higher rates increase. Cr Cheryle Brown echoed Cr Curtis’ concerns about setting a precedent in the shire. “Every location has its disadvantage, just as some have their very special advantages — it is what it is,” she said. Cr Brown said she did not believe the vote should be influenced by the Manjimup council’s recent decision. However, she noted the financial impact would be far greater for the Nannup shire, with the $14,949 a rate reduction would cost it being a significant part of the budget. The motion was defeated 5-1, with only Cr Sly voting in its favour. During the same meeting, councillors voted unanimously to support a request from the Lower Donnelly River Conservation Association to provide $3000 to buy a baiting system to control feral pig populations surrounding the huts.