City of Joondalup Charges Fees to Department of Education for Beach Use
What happened
The City of Joondalup is charging the Department of Education fees for using Mullaloo and Sorrento beaches for educational swimming programs, including VacSwim and in-term swimming. The city council voted against a motion that would have allowed government departments to seek exemptions from these fees. For 2026, venue hire fees exceeded $22,500, equating to $2.65 per enrolment.
From perthnow.com.au
Why it matters
The City of Joondalup argues that the State Government should fund these costs using its multi-billion-dollar surplus, rather than shifting the expense onto local ratepayers. This dispute highlights tensions over resource allocation between local government and the state government.
From perthnow.com.au
Who's involved
- City of JoondalupImposes venue hire fees for beach use as part of its policy
- state governmentIs the subject of the dispute regarding funding priorities and resource allocation
- Department of EducationIs being charged fees for using beaches for educational swimming programs
- Daniel KingstonIs the mayor of the City of Joondalup and defended the imposition of the fees
Who could feel it
Possible knock-on effectsThese are possibilities Brind reasoned out, not predictions, and not advice. Most are not stated in any report.
- Department of EducationSpeculative
Might be forced to absorb venue hire costs to prevent passing them on to school families
Keep exploring
The entities involved
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City of Joondalup
local government area in Western Australia
Nothing else this week.
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state government
government of a federated state (state, province, ...) in a federation