Bunbury mayor defends staff

The Mayor of Bunbury has defended council staff after the Islamic Association of Bunbury accused them of being unhelpful when they applied to build a mosque in the city.

Council staff were in talks with the association through a series of emails which indicated further research was needed about possible locations for the mosque.

Association spokesman Fahad Ashraf said he contacted staff to follow up on the emails and was met with an unhelpful response.

“When I rang them they said to me they usually do not engage with any churches or religious communities, ” Dr Ashraf said.

“They were completely unhelpful. I do not know why. It has upset the Muslim community.

“They were not open-minded or open-hearted when it came to our request.”

After feeling rejected by the city, the association has applied to the Dardanup Shire Council to build a 640sq m house of prayer in Picton East.

If approved, the mosque would be the first built in the South West and cater for the growing Muslim community of about 150 families.

Bunbury Mayor Gary Brennan this week defended the council staff’s actions.

"City officers were approached by the president of the Islamic Association to discover if there was any land available appropriate for a mosque to be built, ” he said.

“The officers exchanged emails with the representative including providing a suggested process of defining what they required and making enquiries with real estate agents.

“From my research I am satisfied the officers provided a sound level of customer service.”

Dr Ashraf said the Dardanup council had been helpful but the association was disappointed it could not build closer to the Bunbury CBD.

“We are Bunbury residents, we contribute to this society and we deserve a fair go in the city, ” he said.

“If we are living in the city then the City of Bunbury should be a first point of call.

“On the advice of the planner and our lawyer, and because of our experience with the City of Bunbury, we decided to approach the Shire of Dardanup.”