A Perth councillor behind a cult-favourite barbecue empire has launched a foul-mouthed attack on his own ‘lazy and slow-moving’ council, urging other restaurant owners to set up shop elsewhere.
Big Don Smoked Meats owner and City of Bayswater councillor Donovan MacDonald made the explosive claims after a damning external report into food inspections across the city’s 535 food businesses found the council was in serious breach.
After repeated clashes with the City over planning approvals for a permanent Bayswater warehouse, including a bizarre standoff over temporary toilets in 2025, he ultimately took his frustrations to the ballot box and ran for council.
His latest gripe with his own council centres around a $15,400 report which revealed the City was in serious breach of compliance requirements for food businesses.
The 20-page report stated inspectors had marked the breaches as compliant on a document described as ‘woefully inadequate’.
‘If you’re a food business thinking of opening in the City of Bayswater, don’t. Find a better city to open your restaurant in,’ Cr MacDonald said in the video.
‘Local government is as wasteful, lazy and slow moving as you probably picture that it is unfortunately. And this is from somebody on the inside saying this. Nothing f***ing gets done. No one’s getting anything done. That is just the struggle of government.’
Cr MacDonald, a former Woolworths manager, said he had pushed for another report addressing the issues and outlining recommendations, but was shut down.
The Perth councillor is the owner of Big Don Smoked Meats (pictured)
Bayswater Mayor Filomena Piffaretti (pictured) said Cr MacDonald’s comments were damaging
‘That means on the improvement committee, I was unable to help improve a document that 535 small businesses live and die by multiple times a year,’ he said.
‘It’s not exactly what I said I’d do when I ran for election.’
Cr MacDonald said he planned to raise the report at the next council meeting.
‘I’m going to run it up the flagpole and make people vote against it and hold the city accountable,’ he said.
‘I have 3.5 years left in this term and I’m going to be the most transparent person you have ever seen.
‘I will probably be told that this video has brought the city into disrepute, of which the policy says, a wrist slap you’re in trouble.’
Bayswater Mayor Filomena Piffaretti said Cr MacDonald’s comments had undermined the work of dedicated staff for the City of Bayswater.
‘If Cr MacDonald’s goal, as a newly-elected City of Bayswater councillor, is to support local food businesses, he needs to work collaboratively,’ she said.
Big Don Smoked Meats owner and City of Bayswater councillor Donovan MacDonald (pictured) made the explosive claims in a social media video
Cr MacDonald started out smoking meat in his backyard before building a global cult following through pop-ups in bowls clubs and bottle shop car parks (his restaurant is pictured)
‘The compliance issues Cr MacDonald refers to were administrative in nature and identified through a routine internal audit. The city is implementing the improvements recommended.
‘In my experience, the best way to drive improvements is for council and the administration to work together.’
In a follow-up video, Cr Macdonald said he supported slashing the number of local councils, noting WA has 139 compared to about 70 in New South Wales.
He claimed LGAs collectively spend about $250million a year on the salaries of councillors, mayors, CEOs and directors and between $5billion and $6billion on council employees.
Cr MacDonald warned residents nationwide to brace for soaring council rates.
‘Whatever city you live in, it will be bad,’ he said. ‘This is an inflation year, your rates are going to wallop you no matter what city you live in.’
