Airport lease tender process ‘in accordance with Act’: Town

The Town of Port Hedland has defended itself against a claim its airport-leasing tender process has not complied with the Local Government Act.

Port Hedland Ratepayers Association vice-president Camilo Blanco presented an email to local councillors last week in which a Department of Local Government and Communities employee questioned the tender process.

The department’s manager of sector monitoring Vern McKay wrote to Mr Blanco to say it had advised the Town its two-stage tender process “may not comply with the ‘public tender’ process required by … the Act”.

However, Mayor Kelly Howlett said the Town had worked through the airport leasing process with the department and its own legal advisers.

“The Department of Local Government and Communities were consulted prior to initiating the process and have confirmed that the process is in accordance with the provisions of the Local Government Act, ” she said.

“The Town also received legal advice that the process being followed is in compliance with the Local Government Act and its provisions.

“The Town has appointed independent legal experts (Herbert Smith Freehills) who are managing the process and potential transaction.

“An independent probity adviser (Protiviti) has also been appointed to oversee the process and confirm each decision point.”

Mr Blanco’s query came as the Ratepayers Association and the Port Hedland Progress Association also organised a meeting last week in which its members questioned a panel of local councillors.

With Ms Howlett and councillor Gloria Jacob fielding questions on behalf of the panel, the association’s members asked about future services at the airport and whether it could instead be run by a community group rather than a multinational consortium.

With the airport lease looming as potentially the biggest transaction in the Town’s history, members also asked for greater detail on how the vacant land at the airport had been valued.

Members of both groups have expressed concern that the Town might be forgoing a big profit from land development at the airport.