Perth Voice Interactive

FRANK PAOLINO says it’s a bit early to outline his vision for the Edith Cowan University site once lectures are moved to Perth’s CBD, but Labor’s candidate for Mt Lawley says he “absolutely” wants to see a creative presence to remain in the neighbourhood.

“The local residents enjoy the artistic component of ECU as it is now,” Mr Paolino says.

“I won’t go into my whole vision of it, because I’ll do that on March 9 if I’m elected, but imagine a great, creative space or destination, not just for our local residents, but for all Western Australians. 

“I think that would be part of changing the face, for the better, of this electorate, and something that we can take forward for the future and be very, very proud of.”

Mr Paolino says he heading into his preselection he was insistent on a community reference group being formed regarding the move.

“That community reference group is important because, in my view, it creates a baseline of what the community expects from that site. 

“From that baseline we can build.”

The shifting landscape of Mt Lawley has also raised questions about development and the preservation of the suburb’s unique character. The Mount Lawley Society has been vocal about the impact of WA’s planning system on Beaufort Street’s streetscape and character (“Alarm bells over Beau protection,” Voice, January 16, 2025).

Mr Paolino says the society does a great job advocating for the preservation of the suburb’s heritage, but believes the state’s JDAP system is balanced.

“I do think that by and large, we are getting it correct, because otherwise, in certain areas – not just in the Mt Lawley electorate, but in certain areas of wide Western Australia, we would see some halting in progress,” he says.

“Whether that one size fits all approach is suitable, I’m not quite sure, however, there are mechanisms in place for public opinion to be voiced and public views to be shared.”

He doesn’t sound quite as convinced over the six-storey apartments approved by the local JDAP for a site next to Our Lady’s Assumption School in Dianella. 

Wider debate

Stirling councillors Suzanne Migdale and Teresa Orlow voted against the proposal after a wave of community anger about apartments overlooking the school’s playgrounds, but they were outweighed by the state-appointed members of the panel.

Mr Paolino said while the decision had been made before his preselection, the approval did concern him and it had opened the door to a wider debate he hoped Catholic Education WA would be part of.

One debate he skipped recently was a Doctors For The Environment candidate forum. 

The Chook asked him whether environmental groups criticising the WA Labor government’s lack of action on emissions was an achilles heel.

“I’m very understanding and I’m very aware of the Doctors For The Environment, their views and what their concerns are, but I can only listen to those views and either share or not share their view,” he says.

“But up until March 9, which is the day after the next state election, that is all really I can do –  just listen to them and make sure that I take those views into consideration.”

But he says initiatives like the Cook government’s “Treebates” which incentivise planting trees on verges.

“We are doing some great stuff in the environment, but Treebates that affect mums and dads and homes and streetscapes is fantastic.”

Mr Paolino credits WA Labor’s cost-of-living measures, such as electricity bill credits and free public transport for children, with helping families during tough times. 

“I don’t think there’s any other government in any other state government in Australia that has done what WA Labor has done for Western Australians,” he says.

“One gentleman said to me the other day, ‘Thank god you guys are here because this summer I got to run my air conditioner’. 

“My son going to school with his the smart rider, that saved me $50 a week for him to get to school on public transport.”

Mr Paolino is also proud of the government’s commitment to the area’s sporting facilities, with pledges for $150,000 to revamp the Mt Lawley Tennis Club’s hard courts and $40,000 to get the locally-founded Starkick All Abilities a car so it can take its award-winning football program on the road.

by STEVE GRANT