Ryan Burns - Councillor, City of Mandurah

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Ryan Burns - Councillor, City of Mandurah

A local from Mandurah, for Mandurah. City of Mandurah Councillor for Town Ward. I grew up in Town Ward and still live here with my partner, Ange.

Introduction
I've called Mandurah home for nearly 40 years since my family moved up from the South West country town of Boyup Brook. I'm the son of school teachers who have demonstrated a lifetime of community service, exemplified by the five life memberships of community organisations they share between them. School
Moving to Mandurah with a population of only about 8,000, I was fortunate to enjo

y everything that Mandurah had to offer then, and still has to offer; an active life surrounded by parks, beaches and waterways. I was schooled locally and attended the one and only high school at the time, Mandurah Senior High School. Study, Travel & Career
Awarded a scholarship, I completed my engineering degree in Mining at the WA School of Mines in Kalgoorlie. After graduating, I've pursued a varied and challenging career in the resources industry working throughout WA and overseas in Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and Kazakhstan. I've gained experience at all levels, including several years as an underground miner and supervisor, through to a Mine Manager. I’ve worked in the most challenging of environments. I’ve travelled extensively. I’ve lived in villages with no electricity and no running water. I’ve seen how the less fortunate live, and I value what we have here even more for this understanding. I've worked for nearly ten years back in the Peel District for a family owned, 50 years strong, earthmoving and civil construction contractor. Community
I'm an active member of the Mandurah community. A lover of cricket, I've represented a local club as a premiership player, captain and committee member. Appreciating the pristine environment that surrounds Mandurah, I volunteer in coastal clean-ups and dune preservation. I'm also part of a community association that has recently received a Federal Government environmental grant to preserve and protect dune vegetation. I also enjoy surfing, kite surfing, SCUBA diving and boating in local waters. Family
I live in Mandurah with my partner, Ange, who balances a career as a corporate project manager and the local Mandurah business she has grown successfully over the past eight years. I’m lucky that all my immediate family still live actively here in Mandurah.

21/05/2026

🛑 I voted NO to the 4.95% rate rise and Long Term Financial Plan

Last Tuesday night, at the Special Council Meeting, I voted against both the proposed 4.95% rate increase and the LTFP that incorporates it.

I was the only elected member to vote NO to both.

For clarity, this vote was to advertise the proposed rate increase and LTFP for public feedback. It was not the final adoption of the 2026/27 budget.

Before asking ratepayers to pay more, Council should be satisfied that every reasonable saving, efficiency, service review, deferral or reprioritisation has been tested first.

That is why I questioned the CEO and officers openly, for transparency and for the benefit of the community, about whether the City had done enough before proposing the increase.

My position is not to freeze rates and then borrow more, neglect asset renewal, or cut core services. My position is to freeze rates and do the harder work of reducing, deferring or reprioritising spending.

The proposed 4.95% increase needs context. Year after year, 4% and 5% increases compound.

Households are already dealing with mortgage stress, rent increases, power bills, groceries, insurance and cost-of-living pressure. For people already at the margins, every increase matters.

There is also a moral argument. Council is spending other people’s money. Taxes, including rates, are compulsory, and the people paying do not get to opt out.

In government, good intentions are not good enough.

This is also about consistency.

At the last Council election, I made it clear I would argue for restraint, efficiency and a back-to-basics approach to local government.

I opposed rate increases in previous years. I opposed this one too.

Below is the speech I delivered on the LTFP.

I did not get the opportunity to deliver my second speech on the proposed rate in the dollar increase, so I have included that separately in the comments below.

My questions, speech, and the positions taken by other elected members can be viewed on the City of Mandurah’s YouTube channel. I will provide the link in the comments.

The proposed 4.95% increase is now advertised for community feedback. I strongly encourage residents and ratepayers to have their say before Council makes its final decision.

25/04/2026

ANZAC Day remains one of the few days each year where the community comes together with a shared sense of respect and reflection. It’s a day I genuinely look forward to, to honour those who have served, those who continue to serve, and to take the time to listen.

The dawn service hosted by the RSL Dawesville Sub-Branch set the tone. It was respectful, well-run and thoughtfully delivered, measured and balanced, and exactly what a commemorative service should be.

A special mention to my mate, Major Pieter Brauns, currently serving in the Australian Army, for delivering the address. It was grounded and genuine. I’ll share it in the comments for those who didn’t hear it.

The Dawesville RSL then hosted a gunfire breakfast, which was well attended. It was good to see veterans, current servicemen and women, and the broader community coming together, not just to attend, but to connect.

I then attended the Mandurah Central War Memorial for the main commemorative service conducted by the Mandurah RSL Sub-Branch. A strong turnout again, and a fitting tribute.

A special mention to Jacob Pihema and Sarah Meredith, who sang the New Zealand and Australian national anthems solo and without accompaniment. It was a powerful contribution to the service.

Spending time at the Mandurah RSL afterwards, speaking directly with veterans and current serving members, is always among the most meaningful parts of the day. The stories, the humour, and the quiet sense of mateship say more than any formal words.

I spoke with many veterans, and in particular Doug Wyness, a veteran of two tours of Vietnam. Doug served with the Australian Army Engineers and, drawing on his maritime experience, operated on boats supporting river and offshore operations, including aboard the Vernon Sturdee LSM (also see comments). Conscripted as a national serviceman, he turned 21 early in his tour in 1966 and later chose to return for a second. I’m grateful for the insight and stories he shared.

Days like today aren’t about any one person. They’re about remembering service, sacrifice, and the bonds that endure long after it.

Lest we forget.

05/01/2026

🏖️ Tim’s Thicket & White Hills - Just the Facts

(TLDR at the end of the post - apologies, but detail matters here)

I’ve seen a post circulating suggesting that Tim’s Thicket and White Hills beaches are about to be closed indefinitely, and that this is being done quietly through consultation.

Given how important these beaches are to locals - particularly for fishing and 4WD access - I want to clarify what is known, what is not, and where the current consultation actually sits.

📌 What I have already asked - on the public record

In May 2024, I raised a series of formal questions in the Council chamber about the Yalgorup National Park Concept Master Plan (March 2024) and the Tim’s Thicket-White Hills Beach Access Management Plan (BAMP).

Those questions were taken on notice and appear in the June 2024 Council meeting minutes.
I’ve attached screenshots of both the questions and the City’s written responses so people can read them directly and in full context.

The key points from the City’s responses were:

- The Yalgorup National Park Concept Master Plan (March 2024) is a high-level document, not an implementation decision.
- The Yalgorup National Park Concept Master Plan (March 2024) can be found in the minutes to the Council meeting of 28 May 2024.
- Each precinct - including Tim’s Thicket to White Hills - would still require detailed design before anything concrete is proposed.
- Any changes affecting City-owned or City-managed land, including access or road changes, must trigger public notice and a submission period.
- A permanent closure cannot simply occur quietly without coming back through Council processes.

📌 Who actually makes the decision

I also raised this very recently in a briefing and was advised that:

- There is no current update or decision to close Tim’s Thicket or White Hills to 4WD access.
- Any permanent closure would be a Council decision, not something imposed unilaterally by the State.
- The State agency involved in Yalgorup matters is the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA), working with the City of Mandurah - not acting over Council’s head.

📌 What the January community sessions ARE - and are not

The community drop-in sessions on 14 and 17 January relate only to the:

Southern Beaches Coastal Hazard Risk Management and Adaptation Plan (CHRMAP)

To be clear:

- The CHRMAP is currently in an open consultation phase until 31 January.
- I have spoken directly with Anna Kelderman, Director of Shape Urban and the City’s principal consultant for this plan.
- She confirmed that there is no reference in the draft CHRMAP to closing Tim’s Thicket or White Hills beaches.
- CHRMAPs do not make decisions - they identify risks and outline possible management options only.

👉 See the comments for a link to the Southern Beaches CHRMAP information on the Mandurah Matters website, including details of the community drop-in sessions.

⚖️ Healthy scepticism - without panic

Australians are right to be wary of losing access to public land by stealth. I take that seriously.

I remain "alert but not alarmed", and for that reason I intend to follow this up more formally to ensure there is clarity for the community and that no decisions are progressed without transparency, due process, and Council oversight.

At this stage, however, claims that an indefinite closure is already being advanced “under the radar” are not supported by the information before Council or by the CHRMAP consultation material.

If anything changes, I’ll say so plainly.

TLDR
- No decision has been made to close Tim’s Thicket or White Hills.
- Any permanent closure would require Council approval and public process.
- The January sessions are about coastal hazards, not beach closures.
- Screenshots attached show exactly what was asked and answered in Council.
- Links to the CHRMAP consultation and the relevant Council meeting minutes are in the comments.
- I’m watching this closely and will keep the community informed.

11/11/2025

✝️ Remembrance Day Reflection

This morning I attended the RSL Dawesville commemoration service. During the minute’s silence, my thoughts turned to the trenches of the Great War 1914–1918 - to the unimaginable conditions faced by those who served on the Western Front.

Mud, rats, flies, lice, exhaustion, trench foot, hunger, and the ever-present stench of death. Shells falling at random, deciding by chance who lived, who died, and who would carry the scars for the rest of their lives. There was no glory in that mud, only endurance.

Having read dozens of books on the subject, and walked every Australian battlefield along the Western Front in the mid-1990s, I’ve seen where they stood and where so many fell. Those places and those stories stay with you.

The peace we inherit today was bought in places and in ways most of us can scarcely imagine. We remember not only the fallen, but those who came home and carried the war within them.

Lest We Forget

(Photographs from this morning’s service. A link to the podcast that inspired this reflection is in the comments.)

29/10/2025

🏛️ Deputy Mayor Election – Thank You and Congratulations

At last night’s Council meeting, four Councillors nominated for the position of Deputy Mayor: Cr Jacob Cumberworth, Cr Peter Jackson, Cr Jess Smith and myself.

Of the 13 elected members, 12 votes were cast, as Cr Peter Rogers attended online and was therefore ineligible to vote.

After the first-preference count, no candidate had a clear majority, so the process moved to preference distribution. Cr Jackson and Cr Cumberworth each received one vote, which required a lottery draw to determine which would be eliminated first. Following the elimination process, I did not receive any priority preferences from them.

The CEO announced the final result as 8 votes to 4, with Cr Jess Smith elected as Deputy Mayor.

I’m honoured to have received strong support from some Councillors and from the community throughout this process. It was important to give Councillors a clear point of difference between candidates, and I fully respect the decision reached by Council.

I sincerely congratulate Cr Smith on her election and wish her every success in the role. Cr Smith joined Council two years ago representing the Coastal Ward, and her background as an ambulance officer and as an electoral officer for the Member for Dawesville (Hon. Lisa Munday MLA) stands her in very good stead.

I look forward to continuing to work collaboratively with Mayor Kearns, Deputy Mayor Smith and all elected members in serving the Mandurah community.

(Image: Screenshot from the City’s YouTube video for meeting on 28 October 2025)

26/10/2025

🏛️ Thoughts on the Deputy Mayor Role

Since the election, many people have asked whether I’ll be nominating for Deputy Mayor - a position chosen by fellow Councillors rather than by public vote.

I appreciate those conversations and the encouragement that’s been shared, particularly following the strong result I achieved in the mayoral contest.

I finished clearly ahead of several current Councillors despite running a modest grassroots campaign built on genuine community support rather than major funding. That result was deeply humbling and reflected the many conversations I’ve had with residents who want to see practical, balanced and accountable leadership in local government.

The role of Deputy Mayor is best served by someone who can be available and fully engaged. It can be difficult to balance with a full-time job, especially when the Deputy Mayor needs to step in for extended periods.

I’m fortunate not to have a full-time job outside Council, which means I can give the role my full attention and commitment if elected.

I completely respect that Councillors may hold different views on what the role requires and who is best placed to fill it.

After reflecting on the election result and the conversations I’ve had with residents, I am strongly considering nominating for the role of Deputy Mayor.

My background in engineering and project management, grounded in cost control, delivery and efficiency, would complement Mayor Kearns’ deep community service experience as a former school chaplain involved in many local volunteer networks.

Together, I believe we would provide balanced, effective leadership focused on the community and delivering real outcomes for Mandurah.

(Image: Swearing in ceremony, Council chambers, 23 October 2025)

21/10/2025

This campaign reminded me just how strong and generous our community spirit is. From those who voted, hosted a sign, shared posts, spoke to friends and neighbours, or even challenged my views and gave me the chance to explain my record and stance on local issues - this campaign was built on your support and belief in me. Thank you.

Town Ward has once again backed me strongly, and that trust means a great deal. I’ll keep working hard for our community - from the small, everyday matters through to the big issues that shape Mandurah’s future.

In the Mayoral race, the result was also encouraging. After preferences were distributed, the final count stood at 38% of the City’s vote for me and 62% for the Mayor-elect, Amber Kearns. I congratulate Amber and wish her all the best in the role.

This support across the City is humbling - especially given how modest the campaign was. Funded entirely from my own pocket, it came to under $1,200 in total, covering roadside signs and a small amount of online advertising. No donations. No campaign machine. Just genuine community backing and a lot of hard work.

To everyone who supported me throughout this campaign - thank you. Your trust strengthens my resolve to keep serving Mandurah with independence and integrity.

(📸 Photo with Ange and the kids at the polling place - because none of this happens without family support.)

10/10/2025

Awesome effort!

09/10/2025

✅ Transparency Promises Delivered

Back in February, I moved an amendment requiring the City to issue a public media release once it signed its new contestable energy contract - confirming which supplier was chosen, how it meets the City’s renewable-energy targets, and the additional costs involved.

That contract was executed on 27 March 2025 and commenced on 1 April 2025, including 50 percent "green" energy.

I have since been advised that the media release is intended to accompany the first quarterly report under the new contract, and is expected to be published after the 18 October election. I recently followed up to confirm this timing and will continue to monitor its progress.

Without my amendment, the public would know of the decision, but not what it meant. The detail of the item remains confidential, so the outcome and the hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional costs would have remained unknown.

Whether you agree or disagree with the City spending ratepayers’ money on decarbonisation and “net-zero” programs, the community deserves to know how those funds are used and at what cost.

Transparency ensures accountability - and accountability builds trust.

(Photo credit: energymagazine | Image: February 2025 Council amendment extract.)

Authorised by R Burns, 5 Scrivener Pl, Halls Head WA 6210

01/10/2025

✅ Proudly supporting recreation, sporting facilities, parks, and local clubs.

The roller was out on Peelwood Parade🏏. Today I watched City staff preparing the turf wickets for the first game this weekend – a clear sign of the change in seasons, as footy boots are hung up and cricket pads are dusted off.

Sport is more than competition. It’s part of our culture, our community, and our social fabric. It brings people together from all walks of life – you don’t need a common background or even a common language to join in. And the benefits are lifelong: physical and mental health, friendships, and habits that set up our young people for the future.

These are core services that deliver real value, and I’ll continue to strongly back City investment in them.

First games this weekend. Good luck this season to Halls Head Cricket Club , Mandurah Cricket Club , South Mandurah Cricket Club , and Peel Cricket Association – I can’t wait to see Peelwood and other ovals across Mandurah alive with summer sport once again.

Authorised by R Burns, 5 Scrivener Pl, Halls Head WA 6210

Address

Mandurah, WA
6210

Website

http://ryanburns.com.au/

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