VINCENT council has stood down 147 staff since March 23 due to Covid-19 related closures, denying them nearly $1 million in wages. Local governments aren’t eligible for JobKeeper payments but last month premier Mark McGowan urged councils not to stand down staff. “Redeploy staff, put them into other roles.. we need people employed, we need…

No financial support during Covid-19 SEX workers have been left facing homelessness and hunger due to the impact of Covid-19, sparking calls for the government to provide more assistance. Australia’s peak body for sex workers, the Scarlet Alliance, says the precarious nature of the industry and the need for workers to protect their privacy and those of loved ones, is…

THE Morrison government’s increasing use of “character” tests to cancel visas is costing taxpayers millions of dollars. The cancellations have led to the Department of Home Affairs’ legal budget ballooning out by 20 per cent to $111 million in the 2018-19 financial year, with the bulk going to external legal practices. Home Affairs’ money is…

OUTDOOR concerts are being reviewed in Perth’s CBD to determine whether people are still happy with the number being held. Under state laws, outdoor venues such as parks can only have two loudish concerts per year unless the local council CEO is satisfied extra ones aren’t too disruptive to neighbours. Perth council’s survey is looking…

NORTH PERTH’S postal service has been restored, but will operate out of a temporary pick up. Labor’s federal MP for Perth Patrick Gorman blasted Australia Post over the bad timing of the closure and a lack of communication with customers. A temporary counter down the road at 451 Fitzgerald Street was available for pickups, and after some…

A MAYLANDS man has been arrested on suspicion of armed robberies of two local pharmacies.  The robbery at the Maylands Amcal happened December 30, 2019 when a masked man claiming to be armed threatened staff and demanded prescription drugs. The Inglewood 777 was targeted on May 7, when a robber entered the pharmacy and again…

NINE months after the “appalling misuse” of reimbursements at Perth city council was exposed in an inquiry, expense claims are still not being fully scrutinised.  A new internal audit of reimbursement “payment vouchers” has found some staff, and even a commissioner, aren’t providing adequate documentation to explain their purchases, though it didn’t suggest there had been rorting.…

AFTER decades of being in breach of state regulations, City of Perth executives will now have to show credit card statements to councillors. Most councils publish corporate credit card statements in publicly-available agendas, but at Perth they’ll only be available to councillors or members of the public who request to see them. Perth has 25…

It’s sending us broke carpark. CITY businesses are calling for the McGowan government to hold off collecting the annual Perth Parking Levy.  Activate Perth chair Di Bain says the city’s retail sector has been hammered during the Covid-19 shutdown, and 30 to 40 per cent of business are unlikely to reopen unless last year’s levy…

MOUNT LAWLEY primary school is among 80 institutions selected for coronavirus testing. The WA government and Telethon Kids Institute will carry out the voluntary tests, which involve a throat and a nasal swab. Education minister Sue Ellery says there’s been no Covid-19 transmissions in WA schools. “However, this study will play an important role in…