Perth’s Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi has been found guilty of all 45 serious breaches of the Local Government Act relating to her failing to disclose gifts and hospitality packages – immediately putting her future in the role in serious doubt.

The State Administrative Tribunal this morning upheld all the allegations that she had breached the Local Government Act dozens of times by accepting prohibited gifts and failed to properly declare others.

And SAT chairman Justice Jeremy Curthoys has ordered lawyers for the government and Ms Scaffidi to return next week to discuss possible penalties, saying to wait any longer would cause “too much uncertainty for the operation of council”.

Ms Scaffidi did not attend this morning’s brief hearing to hand down the findings, having returned from an overseas trip last night.

She will, however, face an interesting reception at a full council meeting, due to begin at 6pm tonight.

The SAT finding follows a scathing report by the Corruption and Crime Commission that recommended Ms Scaffidi face disciplinary action at the tribunal, which has the power to disqualify her from office for up to five years.

The long and winding road, which began with an investigation of a trip to the 2008 Beijing Olympics gifted to Ms Scaffidi and her husband by BHP Billiton, ended with a day-long examination at the tribunal.

After a CCC investigation concluded the Lord Mayor engaged in serious misconduct by failing to disclose gifts and hospitality packages, and the Department of Local Government then alleged 45 specific breaches, Mrs Scaffidi was last year quizzed in detail about her conduct.

But even before the interrogation began, Ms Scaffidi officially conceded she was at fault for failing to declare the Olympics trip, another BHP Billiton invitation to the 2009 Leeuwin concert featuring Chris Isaak, and a further junket to the 2008 Broome Cup paid for by property company Hawaiian.

Camera Icon Perth Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi. Credit: Michael O'Brien/The West Australian

Premier Mark McGowan reiterated calls for Ms Scaffidi to resign in light of today’s findings.

Mr McGowan said if she failed to do the “honourable” thing, councillors should move a “no confidence” motion in her leadership at tonight’s meeting.

“She needs to step down in her own interests, in the interests of the City of Perth and in the interests of the people of WA,” he said.

“Forty-five serious breaches showing impropriety is 45 too many. This issue has dragged on for way too long.”

Asked what the State Government would do if neither step was taken, Mr McGowan said the Local Government Act was weak but they were still exploring their options.

“I am constrained by the Local Government Act,” he said. “We’re looking at the capacity to sack individual councillors — how can it be that a whole council needs to be sacked because of the behaviour of one person.”

In a statement this afternoon, Opposition Leader Mike Nahan also called for Mrs Scaffidi to stand down, saying he had spoken to her and asked her to resign.

“The WA Liberals believe it has become untenable for her to continue in this high office following the State Administrative Tribunal’s finding that she committed 45 serious breaches of the Local Government Act,” he said.

“The WA Liberals have waited for due process to occur. Now that the SAT has made this finding, we call on Ms Scaffidi to resign.

“History will record Ms Scaffidi has been an exceptional Lord Mayor of Perth, working with the Perth City Council and State Governments to transform the city.”

In today’s SAT finding, Justice Curthoys said he totally rejected an argument put forward by the Lord Mayor that a “distinction must be drawn between the provisions of accommodation for [Ms Scaffidi] personally, as opposed to the provision of accommodation for [Ms Scaffidi] in the course of carrying out an activity in her capacity as Lord Mayor”.

“Ms Scaffidi’s submission would mean that any disposition of property or conferral of a financial benefit on Ms Scaffidi when she is acting in an official capacity would not be covered,” the ruling said.

“If that proposition be right, then a Lord Mayor could receive, for example, a gold Rolex without having to declare the gift because the gift was made to her in her official capacity. It would entirely defeat the purpose of the LG Act in ensuring accountability.”

She needs to step down in her own interests, in the interests of the City of Perth and in the interests of the people of WA.

The ruling also rejected Ms Scaffidi’s argument during the hearing that she held a “mistaken belief” that the City of Perth funded the expenditures and did not receive reimbursement from third parties for some of her trips.

“At its highest, Ms Scaffidi’s oral evidence is that she simply did not turn her mind to the issue of third-party funding. Ignorance as to the true state of affairs is insufficient to successfully establish a … defence,” the SAT ruled.

“In addition, even if Ms Scaffidi had established a positively held mistaken belief, the tribunal finds that such belief could not have been reasonably held in circumstances where she undertook no enquiries to ascertain the truth.”

Penalties for just one serious breach can range from that person be publicly censured, being made to apologise publicly, undertake specified training, be suspended for a period of up to six months, or be disqualified from holding office as a member of a council for a period of up to five years.