Councillor claims rates are not equal as controversial Donnelly River huts rating debate comes back to council

A Manjimup councillor has claimed “there is no equity in rates” in a long-running debate over fairness which came to a head at the last council meeting of 2025. The debate was sparked by Cr Wade De Campo, who sought to introduce a 32 per cent concession on the minimum rate for Donnelly River hut owners. Cr De Campo’s move came after he pushed to introduce a 70 per cent rates cap on the shire’s Donnelly River hut precinct during September’s ordinary council meeting. During the September meeting Cr De Campo’s motion received four of the council’s seven votes and was carried. However, during last month’s ordinary meeting councillors noted the previous motion had not passed with an absolute majority, and voted unanimously to acknowledge the mistake reflecting the motion as lost. The Shire of Nannup council also pushed to review its rates on the river huts last month, but the move was quickly squashed 5-1. Cr De Campo put forward the new motion which came to the council during the December ordinary meeting and ultimately passed 5-3, with Cr De Campo, Cr Steve Miolin, Cr Heidi Tempra, Cr Andy Burns and Cr Brayden Daniele all voting in favour. Leading the December debate, Cr De Campo said the Donnelly River huts were unlike any other properties in the shire. “The Donnelly River huts, located within the national park and on the Shire of Manjimup side of the river, form part of a unique settlement with historic and cultural significance,” he said. He said the concession was not about avoiding rates, but rather about “proportionality”. “With the 32 per cent reduction, they’ll still be paying around $1020 a year, plus their lease to DCBA,” he said. “They are paying their way.” Cr De Campo said equity was already inconsistent across the shire’s rating system, with other councillors owning small properties in Manjimup who paid minimum rates. “There is no equity in rates if you really want to look at it,” he said. “Northcliffe aged accommodation pays rates, and yet the Manjimup aged accommodation doesn’t pay rates, and I’m fairly sure Pemberton doesn’t pay rates either. “If we want to have a big, broad discussion about equity in rates, let’s open that book up again.” Cr Burns said the concession, which amounted to a $4144 reduction across the 10 huts, was “justifiable”. “This isn’t a home, it’s not a business, it’s not an industrial block — its a shack,” he said. “To charge it the same rate as a four-by-two in the suburbs doesn’t make sense to me.” However, opposition to the motion said the concession risked undermining the principle rates funded shire-wide services, not just those delivered “at the end of the driveway”. Cr Jayde Darin said while some residents may not directly use facilities such as footpaths, libraries or the AquaCentre, they still benefited indirectly. “Those people who provide your goods and services use those facilities,” she said. “This is what rates are about — ensuring the shire remains liveable.” Cr Darin said direct services had been provided to Donnelly hut owners several times, including shire advocacy during a 2011 parliamentary inquiry into shack settlements and emergency response during major bushfires in 2011 and 2022. “Our staff, our resources and our money were used to support those hut owners at a time when they paid no rates at all,” she said. In closing the debate, Cr De Campo rejected claims the motion was about special treatment. “This was never really about how the rates came about,” he said. “Its about the equity of rates in the shire. This is a starting point of fairness. “If others come along, let’s deal with them on a case-by-case basis, but we can’t pretend the inequities don’t exist.”