Examples of voluntary reform

These groups of Local Governments have joined together to coordinate waste management, including waste recycling and resource recovery initiatives:

• South Metropolitan Regional Council comprising the Cities of Melville, Rockingham and Cockburn and the Towns of Kwinana and East Fremantle.
• South East Avon Voluntary Regional Organisation of Councils comprising the Shires of York, Beverley, Brookton, Cunderdin and Quairading, with initiatives including e-waste collection projects.
• Mindarie Regional Council comprising the Towns of Cambridge, Victoria Park and Vincent and the Cities of Joondalup, Perth, Stirling and Wanneroo.
• Mid-West Regional Council comprising Shires of Carnamah, Coorow, Mingenew, Morawa, Mullewa, Perenjori and Three Springs.
• EMRC comprising Town of Bassendean, Cities of Bayswater, Belmont, Swan and Shires of Kalamunda and Mundaring (with initiatives including leachate capture and power generation from landfill gas recovery).
• Roe Regional Organisation of Councils comprising the Shires of Corrigin, Kondinin, Kulin and Narembeen.
• Wagin Waste Management Group comprising Shires of Wagin, Woodanilling, West Arthur, Williams, Cuballing, Pingelly, Wickepin, Narrogin, Wandering, Dumbleyung and Lake Grace and the Town of Narrogin.
• Rivers Regional Council comprising the Cities of Gosnells, Armadale, South Perth and Mandurah and Shires of Serpentine-Jarrahdale and Murray.
• The Shires of Harvey, Busselton, Dardanup, Capel, Augusta-Margaret River, Donnybrook and Balingup.
• The Cities of Wanneroo, Swan and Joondalup (jointly operate a Materials Recovery Facility).

• SEAVROC (comprising the Shires of York, Beverley, Brookton, Cunderdin and Quairading) has carried out planning for land use management together with the Department of Agriculture and Food, the Department of Water, the Avon Catchment Council, Avongro, the Department of Planning and Infrastructure and WALGA.
• South West Group (comprising the Towns of East Fremantle and Kwinana and Cities of Cockburn, Fremantle, Melville and Rockingham) has added over $1billion to the region's GDP, through the development of the Australian Marine Complex, the expansion of the Stirling Naval Base at Garden Island and the early provision of infrastructure.
• Tamala Park Regional Council (comprising the Towns of Cambridge, Vincent and Victoria Park and the Cities of Joondalup, Perth, Stirling and Wanneroo) has engaged in joint development activities.

These groups of Local Governments have come together to coordinate joint or regional emergency management plans:

• SEAVROC (comprising the Shires of York, Beverley, Brookton, Cunderdin and Quairading).
• The Cities of Joondalup and Wanneroo.

• The Shires of Corrigin, Kondinin, Kulin and Narembeen are involved in a regional health scheme administered by the Shire of Corrigin. It offers benefits including economies of scale, a common approach to approval and certification processes, and a joint approach to managing environmental health issues. This approach still maintains local decision-making within each of the Shires regarding the service needs of local communities.

• The Cities of Melville and Cockburn provide a joint community security service, delivering community patrols across both Local Governments.

• The City of Melville provides support to the Shire of Quairading for information and data systems.
• Mid-West Regional Council (comprising the Shires of Carnamah, Coorow, Mingenew, Morawa, Mullewa, Perenjori and Three Springs) provides shared information and communications technology through a common host facility. This delivers better local telecommunication services and the opportunity for members to provide specialist services (such as HR management, payroll or financial services) to each other. This will cut down on duplication and help to provide a higher level of service to the communities.
• The Shires of Dardanup, Harvey and Donnybrook-Balingup share three IT staff who provide expert support services to the three Local Governments.
• The Cities of Gosnells, Bayswater and Bunbury and the Town of Cambridge have engaged in a Group Procurement project. It includes the collaborative acquisition of corporate business software, which has enabled $230,000 of savings on the procurement cost.

• The City of Melville has provided qualified building and health staff to the Shire of Christmas Island.
• The Shire of York purchases financial management services from the City of Canning and engineering and planning services from the City of Swan, whilst providing ranger services to the Shires of Cunderdin, Tammin, Kellerberrin and Beverley and health and building services to the Shire of Quairading.
• The Shires of Carnamah and Perenjori participate in shared delivery of environmental health and building services, reducing advertising costs and improving staff retention.
• The Shire of Collie uses planning and engineering services from the City of Canning, environmental health and building services from the Shire of Northam, and ranger services from the Shire of York.
• The Shire of Gnowangerup provides a number of services to surrounding councils including ranger services, environmental health, club development, and septic tank cleaning. It also uses building permit services from the Shire of Narrogin.

• The Shire of York jointly funds regional roads with the Shire of Beverley.
• SEAVROC (comprising the Shires of York, Beverley, Brookton, Cunderdin and Quairading) has carried out joint tendering, and shared plant and equipment hire and asset management programs.
• Mid-West Regional Council (comprising the Shires of Carnamah, Coorow, Mingenew, Morawa, Mullewa, Perenjori and Three Springs) has carried out a joint plant and vehicle management review and has a shared hiring system for plant items.
• The Shire of Corrigin has undertaken four contracts for Main Roads WA, the most recent project valued at $2.1M. The Shire of Corrigin has been the primary contractor and the Shires of Bruce Rock, Kondinin and Kulin have also helped.
• The Cities of Gosnells and Armadale have carried out a number of joint roadwork initiatives including major works on Ranford Road.

• SEAVROC (comprising the Shires of York, Beverley, Brookton, Cunderdin and Quairading) has established shared disability services training and disability inclusion assessments of businesses and buildings, as well as regional community safety and crime prevention plans.
• The Cities of Joondalup and Wanneroo have jointly funded the Small Business Centre North West Metro
• The Town of Kwinana and the City of Rockingham together provide the Bright Futures Family Day Care scheme, supporting child carers and the In-Home Child Care Program.
• During NAIDOC Week, Indigenous seniors from Quairading travel to Melville for a celebratory event, with the assistance of funding from HACC, the City of Melville and the Shire of Quairading.

• Mid-West Regional Council (comprising the Shires of Carnamah, Coorow, Mingenew, Morawa, Mullewa, Perenjori and Three Springs) has conducted a Local Adaptation Pathways Action Plan (LAPP) to assess their vulnerability to climate change and provide a regionally coordinated approach to climate adaptation.
• The Shires of Dardanup and Harvey and the City of Bunbury, together with the University of WA, are working to control and eradicate mosquitoes.
• The South-East Regional Energy Group (comprising the Cities of Gosnells and Armadale and the Shire of Serpentine-Jarrahdale), together with partner councils the Cities of Perth, South Perth and Belmont and the Town of Victoria Park, have created the switch your thinking! program. This has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by more than 250,000 tonnes. SEREG councils share a regional greenhouse coordinator.
• The Cities of Gosnells and Armadale, together with the Armadale Gosnells Landcare Group, have engaged in joint landcare/catchment management strategies and projects.
• The Cities of Fremantle, Cockburn and Rockingham and the Town of Kwinana, together with the Perth Region NRM Group, participate in the Coastcare Program. A full-time officer focuses on the rehabilitation of Local Government coastal foreshore reserves.
• SMRC (comprising the Cities of Melville, Rockingham and Cockburn and the Towns of Kwinana and East Fremantle) engages in the Climate Wise program that aims to promote greenhouse gas abatement within the local community and industry. The collaboration has produced an estimated reduction of 1450 tonnes of emissions across 2800 households and 90 small businesses.