PERTH council is planning to send a delegation of Whadjuk Noongar elders to meet a tribe of casino-owning first nation Americans in 2021 under a new indigenous cultural exchange program. The Sycuans are a small band of about 130 people who form part of the Kumeyaay Nation, which straddles the US and Mexico border. They…

THE ad-happy commissioners running Perth council have set a precedent allowing more giant billboards in the city. On October 29 commissioners Len Kosova and Andrew Hammond approved an 11.5-metre LED sign on Hay Street facing the Mitchell Freeway, ignoring a recommendation from planning staff it would blot views of the Parliament House district, and concerns…

INDEPENDENT bookshops are thriving in Perth and won’t be heavily impacted by internet giant Amazon’s new Perth distribution centre, says Elizabeth’s Bookshops co-owner Harry Schmitz. The Amazon “fulfilment centre” in Belmont will open by the end of the year and mean faster book deliveries for WA customers, but Mr Schmitz says it will mostly affect…

THE demolition of two old buildings on King William Street was refused by Bayswater council on November 5. Yolk Property wanted to work with a clean slate at 9 and 11 King William Street, but Bayswater council staff listed four reasons why they thought councillors should refuse the demolition: • It would have an “undue…

WITH the Morrison government announcing a review of Australia’s threatened species legislation in order to reduce “green tape”, a WA Labor MP has warned the greatest threat to our dwindling wildlife is the government itself. According to the national environment and energy department, the Perth’s CBD is currently home to 54 listed threatened species, although…

ELECTED councillors often aren’t up to the task of choosing a CEO and might need an overseer, Perth chair commissioner Andrew Hammond has suggested. At the final day of public hearings for the City of Perth inquiry, Cmmr Hammond said he’d seen examples where the choice of CEO had caused havoc. “[It led to] poor…