PERTH council has pushed back at a McGowan government call to help pay for a pool at the WACA. Lord mayor Basil Zempilas said it was the government’s own Inquiry into the City of Perth that warned the council against reckless financial decisions. The pool would go into the WACA as part of a state,…

DOGS needing walks are being sought in the inner city suburbs.  Pets of Older Persons is a not-for-profit whose volunteers help people who have trouble looking after their pets, so they don’t have to give up their animals due to poor health, disability or age. Walking dogs for people who can’t easily get around is…

FORMER Perth councillor Jim Adamos has had fraud charges stemming from expense reimbursements dropped with “no explanation”.  Shortly after the Inquiry into the City of Perth report was released, police alleged Mr Adamos set up “a sham lease at a property in East Perth” which enabled otherwise ineligible voters to cast a ballot. He also…

THE state’s first “Tools n Things Library” aims to cut down on waste from all the one-project wonders that end up gathering dust in the laundry cupboard. The Mount Hawthorn-based not-for-profit has about 300 bits of gear up for weekly loan so far, from angle grinders and biscuit joiners to other rarely-used items like camping…

PERTH councillors have been told they must keep copies of Facebook posts, Tweets and private WhatsApp messages about council business. A new communications policy adopted by the city adheres to the previously-flouted State Records Act, and follows revelations during the Inquiry into the City of Perth of secret scheming amongst council factions leading up to…

Be nice edict PERTH councillors will have to be nice when making public statements under their new communications policy. For years councillors weren’t allowed to speak to the media at all and the lord mayor was the only public spokesperson. A push by former councillor Reece Harley, fed up with not being able to speak…

INDI cinemas are facing a crisis when JobKeeper payments dry up next month, with predictions small players will be forced to close their doors. Ingrid van den Berghe is managing director of Luna Palace Cinemas, which operates Luna on SX in Fremantle, and says despite WA’s relatively short shutdowns, the industry was doing it tough.…

NORTHBRIDGE’S defunct Cinema Paradiso is set to become a live music venue, with a nightclub licence lodged for the triple-level “Club Paradiso”.  It’s being set up Mario Madaffari, who took over the Paramount Nightclub across the road in 2018. Cinema Paradiso was formerly a Luna Palace Cinemas operation until the large chain Palace Cinemas took…

AN Aboriginal cultural centre in Perth has been pledged by the McGowan government as part of a $217 million suite of tourism funding.  Premier Mark McGowan announced that if his government’s re-elected, $50m will go towards planning, design works and seed capital for an Aboriginal cultural centre.

THE National Trust WA received funding last year to run its first writer in residence program. The funding came from the Department of Culture and the Arts, which in 2019 produced a Writing Sector Review aimed at encouraging excellence in writing and foster professional development. The trust chose four writers to kick off the program;…