Snake Vote Exposes Councillor Divide Over Safety Service

Wyndham City Council has voted to end its free snake catching service at private homes, sparking frustration among residents who say it was one of the few safety services they wanted kept.

At Tuesday night’s meeting, councillors rejected a motion from Cr Peter Maynard to continue the program, which has long provided professional snake removal and relocation across the city. The service will now cease on 31 August 2025.

Council confirmed that free snake catching will still be available on Council-owned land, such as parks and reserves, but not at private properties — the very places residents say they feel most at risk.

Councillors divided on priorities

Those voting to keep the service were Cr Peter Maynard, Cr Jasmine Hill, Cr Robert Szatkowski, Cr Larry Zhao and Cr Susan McIntyre.

Voting against were Cr Mia Shaw, Cr Preet Singh, Cr Josh Gilligan, Cr Maria King, Cr Shannon McGuire and Cr Jennie Barrera.

The split revealed a wider tension inside the chamber — between councillors backing officer recommendations and cost-cutting measures, and those positioning themselves as defenders of community priorities.

Cr Barrera said Council had asked its CEO and officers to identify savings, and this was one of the services that could be cut. “This is one given the evidence provided and the data,” she said.

Gilligan: “It ain’t free”

Cr Josh Gilligan said the program was a waste of money, pointing to statistics that showed 77% of call-outs did not involve a snake.

“The great big fat lie about this motion is that it’s free. It ain’t free,” Cr Gilligan said. “$3.2 million over the next 10 years will go towards a service where 77% of call-outs there was nothing there. What a great rort.”

He accused some councillors of ignoring the evidence presented by officers. “We’ve got to get this place back into black … and councillors initiate a motion saying ‘oh we cannot get rid of that, there’s community safety issues’ and feign this sense of ‘we just need to keep this service’ and 77% of call-outs there’s nothing there.”

Residents vow to act themselves

The decision has angered residents, some of whom say they will now handle snakes themselves — often by killing them with a shovel — rather than calling a professional.

Supporters of the service said the cut increases risks to both people and wildlife, and shows Council is ignoring community safety concerns.

Contrast with security patrol spending

The decision comes just weeks after councillors voted to proceed with a $372,000 ratepayer-funded security patrol trial in Truganina, despite public opposition and attempts to remove it from the budget.

For some, the contrast between cutting a long-standing safety program residents wanted, while funding a controversial patrol many opposed, underscores how out of touch the chamber has become.

The debate highlights an ongoing question: which councillors are working for the organisation’s financial savings, and which are standing with residents?

The free residential snake catching program, promoted for years as a community safety measure and to ensure compliance with the Wildlife Act 1975, will officially end this weekend.