“CONCERNING” numbers of electors are not receiving ballots for the City of Perth election.  The council says it’s aware of the problem, which was “apparently due to postal issues”. In a social media post, lord mayoral candidate Di Bain described it as “a concerning number of eligible voters” who’d not received their ballot papers.  They were…

THEATRE is back on at Blue Room Theatre, which is urging folk to help the local arts scene recover from the dire pandemic months and its strict Covid requirements. Like many venues and arts organisations, the Blue Room had to cancel everything in the early months of the pandemic; artists scheduled to perform later in…

THE Perth International Jazz Festival will go ahead in November, though it’ll be slightly less international than most years. Festival director Mace Francis said planning had been a wild ride, but “it’s with great pleasure and, honestly, sheer delight that we’re able to present the 2020 PIJF. “There has been a lot of changes that…

PARKING permits will soon go digital in Vincent, but some residents are unhappy about a lack of consultation. Three readers have contacted the Voice with various concerns about the new system, which sees residents create an account where they can lodge their rego number as well as those of guests.  Rangers will use number plate…

PLANS are afoot to extend the waterski area on the Swan River along more of the delicate Maylands Peninsula foreshore.  The Department of Transport is currently accepting public comment on plans to extend the allowable waterski area 100 metres upstream and 145 metres downstream.  It’s called the “Belmont water ski area” but encompasses a significant…

A CYCLIST died after being hit by a bus on Beaufort Street this week, just months after motorcycles were banned from the bus lane due to safety concerns.  On October 6 at 4.10pm, a route 60 bus travelling north on Beaufort Street turned left onto Newcastle Street, hitting a cyclist who was going north on Beaufort. The…

PERTH Bike Hub have surveyed the City of Perth election candidates to find out who knows what bike riders need, and PHB’s Heinrich Benz says they’re pretty encouraged by the responses. “This survey is about much more than bikes: Our survey questions were firmly focused on public space and offered candidates a way to share…

THREE Bayswater councillors have lodged protest votes against an ancient policy exempting churches and charities from paying rates, with one saying “everyone should pay their fair share”.  The council’s policy is based on a state law which declares land isn’t rateable if it’s used exclusively for charity or worship-related activities.  Recently the Chin Emmanuel Church…

FEDERAL Perth Labor MP Patrick Gorman has reviewed treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s budget and dubbed it “mean” “It leaves too many people out,” Mr Gorman said. “If you’re over 35, you’re going to find it really hard to find a job under this budget,” he told us via phone from Canberra. “If you’re on Jobseeker, you’ll…

FOR the fourth time Perth’s COMO The Treasury has been voted best hotel in the Australian Pacific region by readers of travel publication Condé Nast Traveler. Designed by Kerry Hill, it’s the centrepiece of the 2015 project to restore iconic state buildings in the Cathedral Avenue hub.  The hotel narrowly narrowly beat out New Zealand’s…