Perth Voice Interactive

Too loud for my eyes
IT is well-known that in a noisy chattering world silence becomes a golden sound, a blessing, a relief, and very likely the same sort of contrast applies to our visual world.
Hence, on the matter of the Beaufort Street murals the question is; should the public have to cope with more visual pollution, given we are already snowed under with business graffiti appearing everywhere, even on our buses?
Let’s face it, the art lovers who fancy these highly imaginative, fantasist and very colourful murals are a small minority. Having had a look at them, many of these works certainly deserve a place in art exhibitions and galleries, but in our city streets they are a tad overpowering to confront everyday.
It would be far more relaxing to look at well-rendered, pastel-coloured walls, (note: most murals do not cover all the neglected brick walls). Alternatively, as most city and suburban dwellers are nowadays totally cut off from the soothing effects of natural landscapes, murals showing waterfalls, flowing rivers, green hills, etc, would be more appropriate, particularly for children.
We already have laws to protect the public from loud overpowering music, it is about time to enact some to protect us from excessive visual pollution.
Finally, what’s the point of having murals when most people today walk around with their eyes glued to their smartphone?
Frank Schenk
McDonald St, Osborne Park

Carey committed
I WAS surprised to read Naomi Clark’s rather personal attack on Cr John Carey in the Voice (April 27, 2013).
As a local resident who also has business interests in the area I see John Carey’s “self-promotion” as someone who has an opinion and someone who cares enough about that opinion to present it and encourage debate and discussion.
Hopefully, the dialogue it prompts helps facilitate action and change where required.
Cr Carey is indeed passionate about the area and is quite vocal about his views but is this necessarily a bad thing? I would think not. He works fairly tirelessly in the vicinity in many different areas—art, festival, security, traffic, place-making, and from where I sit there is definitely “movement in the station”.
Sure, not everything goes to plan with budget blowouts, etc, and sure, not everyone agrees with everything that is put in place but I also understand some of the art and street furniture projects are yet to be completely finalised. The process, whilst lengthy, might allay some of these criticisms when completed.
I’m pleased to see at least Cr Carey (and Vincent) is staying committed and open to that ongoing movement and the vicinity isn’t stagnant and remains an exciting place to be!
E MacLeod
Highgate

Applaud all
WHAT a morale booster for sorely-tried and put about Mt Lawley parents, teachers and many others involved in education (“School rises from the ashes,” Voice, May 4, 2013).
There are reported to be “no problems” with the state rebuilding plans for a $10.8 million “new” primary school.
Coming after the recent federal claptrap about plans to improve funding for primary schools at the expense of universities, this local news could hardly have been better timed.
Voiceland applause, please, for all involved in facing the challenges and getting on with life.
Otto Mustard
Second Ave, Mt Lawley

Going postal
I CANNOT believe Bayswater city council’s elected members could continue to argue about the merits of in-person voting over postal voting in local government elections, as they did at their council meeting of April 23.
It is a proven fact postal voting means a larger number of people vote, thus enhancing the democratic process. Bayswater went from a 3.3 per cent in-person turnout to over 30 per cent with postal voting. Non-compulsory voting will always have a smaller turnout for in-person than for postal because people are just too busy these days, particularly at the weekends when this voting occurs.
It is also a fact that in-person voting makes it much easier for serving councillors to retain their seats as fewer people vote. Serving councillors with a relatively small but sufficient “safe” vote can then become re-elected quite easily at less personal expense to themselves.
Their expressed preference for in-person voting was based on the shaky premise that postal voting is ripe for political party interference in the process. This was expressed with no facts to back it up at all, just the words of the speaker at the time.
In my 17 years of involvement with ratepayers I have never seen nor even heard of any political interference in local government elections. The only interference I have experienced has been either from council staff or from serving councillors, with resulting CCC involvement.
Bayswater also ignored the fact there have been numerous cases of stuff-ups with in-person voting.
Finally, their own survey of 400 voters that showed a 61 per cent preference for postal voting was dismissed as being “too small a sample to be meaningful”.  This was their own survey!
Tony Green
Belfast St, Morley