Shock turnaround as Department of Local Government confirms Camilo Blanco can’t run for Hedland council

He may wish to once again throw his hat in the ring for the Town of Port Hedland council, but updated advice issued by the Department of Local Government, Industry Regulation and Safety this week says Camilo Blanco will not be able to do so. It comes after the former councillor was barred from holding a council position for two months by the State Administrative Tribunal in early December. Nominations for the hotly anticipated election set for March 28, will close on February 12 — seven days after Mr Blanco’s ban is up, on February 5. Initially, the department said this meant he would be able to run. And speaking to the North West Telegraph at the time, Mr Blanco said he was keen to run again. “If I’m in a position to put my hand up again in March, I definitely will be doing that,” he said after the SAT decision was published. But updated advice provided to the North West Telegraph from the department this week turned that around, saying that while nominations for the election close at 4pm on February 12, enrolments close on January 30 — well within Mr Blanco’s disqualification period. Section 2.19 and Section 4.48 of the Local Government Act 1995 say that a person must be qualified to be elected as a member of council at the end of enrolments. Therefore, Mr Blanco will not meet the qualification criteria and will be ineligible to nominate. Mr Blanco was censured by the SAT in July 2024 for comments he made at the November 2023 ordinary council meeting accusing the town’s administration of turning a blind eye to alleged evidence a home massage parlour in town was operating as a brothel. He was ordered to apologise for the comments, but in a subsequent, long-running and complicated tribunal saga, he argued that he believed what he had said was true and so had no intention of apologising. He also argued that he did not find out about the order from SAT that he apologise until was too late for him to comply. Those arguments failed to sway the panel and the latest SAT decision surrounding Mr Blanco’s initial “minor breach” of the Local Government Act found he had committed a new “serious breach” by not complying with the previous order from the body. Mr Blanco has been contacted for comment.