Dadour Group

In the past few decades engagement with political systems in rich democracies worldwide has plummeted putting the core consensus building objective at great risk. The Dadour Group proposes that the fostering of community engagement through small autonomous local governments is a fundamental upon which our culture and democracy is based and it must not be compromised.

Dr Tom Dadour was a Subiaco City councillor before becoming the State MLA for the then seat of Subiaco. In those times the next door city of Nedlands which was a wealthy suburb and taxed low, sought to amalgamate with Subiaco which was working class but taxed more to fund more community facilities.

Dr Dadour introduced a private members bill seeking to ensure that districts like Subiaco would have a right to a veto poll if amalgamations were proposed. That bill became an amendment to the Local Government Act and has become known the Dadour clause.

The Dadour clause has very wide public support. It has become the embodiment of a principle that communities forming bonds of local association and pride in their environment has cultural validity and democratic authority that properly can veto the authority of the State to impose changes on matters that relate to the identity of a community level government.

It is also the case that a system of government gains it's authority from the trust of its people. Further that the trust people have in those elected is most validly based on knowing them as they do in small local governments. Ideally, local governments educate would-be politicians at State and Federal levels in consensus building and due process.