On 7 August 1973, Judge Laurence Frederick John Johnston (of Adelaide) was appointed Royal Commissioner to pursue the following matters:

a) Inquire into and report whether it is desirable to alter the number of municipalities in the metropolitan area of Perth, or to alter the boundaries of the districts of any such municipalities for which purpose the metropolitan area of Perth should be considered as comprising the districts of: the Cities of Perth, Fremantle, Melville, Nedlands, South Perth, Stirling, Subiaco; the Towns of Canning, Claremont, Cockburn, Cottesloe, East Fremantle, Gosnells, Mosman Park; the Shires of Armadale-Kelmscott, Bassendean, Bayswater, Belmont, Kalamunda, Kwinana, Mundaring, Peppermint Grove, Rockingham, Serpentine-Jarrahdale, Swan and Wanneroo, and in this respect, to have regard not only to the proposals made in the Local Government Boundaries Commission's Report on Metropolitan Municipal Boundaries 1972, but also to any evidence or submission in opposition thereto, whether made by alternative proposals or otherwise;

b) Where the Report recommends that there should be a new municipality or that the boundaries of the district of any existing municipality should be altered, to make a recommendation as to: i) the boundaries of the new or altered municipality; ii) the name to be used by the new or altered municipality; iii) whether the new or altered municipality should have the status of City, Town or Shire; iv) the date upon which any new municipality should come into existance and on which any alteration to existing boundaries should take effect; and

c) To make recommendation as to anything considered necessary or desirable for the purpose of facilitating or expediting the implementation of the recommendations and in particular to advise as to the amendments to the Local Government Act 1960-1973, that are necessary to permit the recommendations to be implemented without the need for the presentation of petitions by the municipalities concerned.

The report of the Royal Commission was submitted on 29 March 1974.