Perth Voice Interactive

Civic duty off-key
I WAS taken aback by the City of Perth’s lord mayor’s salary (Voice, June 13, 2015).
This is a part-time position and this is an obscene salary. I have on several occasions asked this lord mayor to erect a plaque in Murray Street Mall to the late John Gill, a world-class pianist revered in all countries other than Australia.
Politicians of different persuasions have also approached her but with the same answer; she would have to do it for all buskers in the city limits. Hogwash!
John Gill provided the ultimate entertainment on his upright cable piano every week in the Murray Street mall for many years, treating onlookers and listeners to the finest stride player that Australia has produced. Maybe a few dollars from her new salary would alleviate the problem, but I won’t hold my breath.
Ron Knight
Retired president
Jazz Club of WA

Tony’s a smart one
A SMART deal! Tony Abbott has saved the taxpayers  hundreds of millions of dollars by (apparently) paying a few thousand dollars to the skipper of the boat to turn around and go back. How many were economic migrants?As for Indonesia it is like the boat never left Indonesia’s shores. Thanks a lot to Tony from the taxpayers for saving hundreds of millions of dollars.
Alex Mulla
Smith St, Highgate

Don’t diss the DAC
I AM writing in response to Andrew Main’s letter (Voice Mail, June 13, 2015), which contained some inaccurate and dismissive comments about our design advisory committee and council.
There is no “rubber stamping” of planning decisions as Andrew Main suggests, and anyone who attends council briefings or meetings would see first-hand the level of scrutiny and debate on planning proposals. Councillors and I take our roles seriously, and consider the merits of every proposal according to our current set of planning policies.
For example, at the last council meeting, council did not accept three administration recommendations for planning approval, including one which had indicative support for its design by the design advisory committee. The role of the design advisory committee (DAC)—not to be confused with the development assessment panel (DAP)—is to provide architectural advice and context, to improve the liveability and design of major developments in our city.
The DAC process can be critical to getting better design outcomes for the community—for those who will live in the buildings and those who live near them. DAC members are highly qualified and well regarded in their fields of expertise.
The DAC however is not an elected body, nor is it a decision-making body. Applicants receive advice at the DAC before they are lodged with the city, which then requires a full assessment process that includes formal public consultation. The decision is then made by the elected council or the DAP, depending on the size of the development or which process the applicant chooses—neither of which the city can control.
The city will soon be consulting with our community on major reforms of our planning policies which guide developments in our city, from single residential homes to major apartment developments. In particular, the proposed changes will seek to respond to community feedback about how large developments impact low-density areas that surround them. We are genuinely interested in the community’s feedback on these new policies, which will guide development into the future.
Turning to the other comments in Andrew’s letter, I do appreciate and agree with his sentiments about the ongoing need to enhance the city’s good governance and transparency. Our newly adopted policy regarding council member contact with developers is a good start, with a range of new reforms and improvements also set to be introduced in the coming year.
John Carey
Mayor of Vincent

Stay at home Sutho
WHILST I acknowledge that Michael Sutherland (“Border farce,” Voice Mail, June 13, 2015) lives away in Noranda, I do think he should spend more time in his Mt Lawley electorate rather than in the Maylands electorate.
Perhaps then he could complement all the consultations he’s had on the new bridges, and writings to local constituents, with the knowledge that the Mt Lawley bridge is on Third Avenue and not Second Avenue as he mistakenly believes.
And having been “consulted on all the stages of the Seventh Avenue Bridge upgrade”, it is surprising he says the bridge cost $8 million instead of the widely reported $9.3m.
Albert O’Neill
Seventh Ave, Maylands

Surf the tide, Tony
FORTY-FIVE years ago humans were able to land a man on the moon.
This is what we learned: humans are extremely clever and innovative and we only have one planet. There is nowhere else to go.
We can use our human ingenuity to save the world that we love but we need Mr Abbott to stop obstructing our progress in renewable energy.  The G7 summit has come out and declared support for a carbon-free future.
My personal message to Mr Abbott is stop being a leaner and start being a lifter. Allow us to reach for the amazing target of 100 per cent renewable energy. The tide of renewable technology is gathering speed and becoming more and more economically viable. We need to move with it, or Australia will be left behind, and we will have missed the opportunity to be leaders in the world.
Dr Jean Foster
Crawford Rd, Dianella

Democracy is dead
AFTER reading the plight of the Hawthorn residents (Voice Mail, June 6, 2015), attention should be drawn to Bridges Road in Melville.
This small street houses 97 units (some two storeys) that fit into the amenity of the street. Changes in the R Codes have sanctioned developers to construct a three-storey, 18-unit modular monstrosity on a single suburban block, without any consultation with the residents in that street. As ratepayers we no longer have any say in what is constructed in our suburb.
Democracy is obviously dead in this state. At the very least, we should be notified and have right of voice. It’s an absolute disgrace and councils should be “going into bat” for their constituents.
L McKie
Bridges Rd, Melville

A dead-set rip-off
THE world is awash with rip-off goods and services like free-range eggs, bottled water, etc. But what about the funeral industry? Has anybody been prompted to look into that racket?
Every few minutes somebody is falling off the perch leaving a $15,000 or so bill for funeral costs, often to poor, unprepared family members who barely have two shekels to rub together.
Why are funeral services so expensive and unchallenged? Anything wrong with a cardboard coffin? What happens at cremation? Is that magnificent hand-crafted coffin simple burned up with the dead body, expensive handles, removed or is it sold to somebody else? There is so much we do not know. Television is saturated with ads for funeral companies so it must be lucrative for Ali Baba and his 40 funeral directors.
Raymond Conder
Central Ave, Inglewood