Five Exmouth councillors quit in WA

Five Exmouth councillors have quit, likely leaving Commissioner Ian Fletcher to continue to oversee the troubled WA local government until the election in October.

Shire president Turk Shales and councillors Susan McHutchison, Michael Hood, Graham Jones and James Roscic were suspended for six months in January, while Bob Todd previously resigned in November.

Local Government Minister David Templeman met with the five councillors this week and expressed concern about how they could restore the community's confidence, which then led to their resignations.

It comes after a damning Corruption and Crime Commission report into the handling of an aquarium contract for the $32 million Ningaloo Centre without calling for tenders, and the sacking of chief executive Bill Price for misusing ratepayers' money.