Perth Voice Interactive

CHRIS CORNISH wants Bayswater council to develop a “report-it” app so people can more easily notify the council about infrastructure that needs repair.

The central ward councillor says residents often spot graffiti and potholes but by the time they get back home they’ve forgotten about it, or can’t be bothered contacting the council by email or phone.

The app would let users take a photo of the damage and automate emailing the complaint and GPS co-ordinates to the council.

Cr Cornish says “Report-it” would cost under $5000 to develop and would be the first of its kind in WA local government.

“I am sure many people don’t report issues because it’s just too difficult,” he says.

“With this motion I am breaking down the barriers of communication with the city.

“This will get more eyes out on the street.”

A similar app is used by councils in Queensland and South Australia.

Cr Cornish adds the app could complement the existing manual reporting system and encourage younger people to take more interest in their city.

“I don’t have the stats, but I suspect a lot of problems reported are by an older demographic, so hopefully this system will engage a younger audience,” he says.

He believes there’d be no job cuts involved.

“If anything we will be getting more contact from the residents and it will require more staff to process this communication,” he says.

“Because it will take some time for more and more people to download and start using the app, I believe that council management will be able to allocate their resources appropriately should there be a compounding increase in the number of users reporting issues through the app.”

“Report-it” will come before council later this month.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK