THERE’S still time to catch some cool and reflective events at National Reconciliation Week which finishes up on Monday (June 3). In Bayswater today (Saturday June 1) there will be a Noongar language and cultural session at Maylands Library at 10am. Led by language teacher Carol Foley, participants will learn about colours, numbers and greetings…

STIRLING residents are installing fewer solar panels than residents in any other Perth council area, prompting the city to develop a new Community Energy Plan. Stirling mayor Mark Irwin said he was shocked by the low solar take-up, which was revealed in the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics report. He says the city’s proposed energy…

THERE have been growing calls to bring back the Beaufort Street Festival to revive the street, but festival co-founder John Carey says it’s not the answer. “A one-off event, in my view, doesn’t answer or address the key challenge of rents and a mix [of shop types],” Mr Carey said. “A booze and food fest…

What now for Bill? HOW do Labor Bill Shorten’s feelings now compare with those that Hillary Clinton endured more than two years ago? On approaching the  final straight of the Australian federal election race Shorten seemed assured of elevation to prime minister only to have Liberal Scott Morrison burst past him – propelled to some…

A DOZEN protestors gathered outside the Perth office of Norwegian energy company Equinor last week as the company ramps up its bid to drill for oil in the Great Australian Bight. Equinor recently released its response to public submissions on its environmental plan, ignoring all but 1039 of the 31,772 submissions, most being rejected as…

A CYBERATTACK on Bayswater council has prompted it to consider hiring a cybersecurity officer and spending up to $165,000 on safety upgrades. City staff advised councillors that the cost of “not undertaking essential cybersecurity protection is immeasurable and has not been contemplated”. Last year the city’s website was caught up in a clever hack that…

WHILE the national election result shocked the pollsters, there were no surprises locally with Labor’s Patrick Gorman winning Perth and Liberal candidate Vince Connelly taking out Stirling. There’s a number of votes still to be counted as we go to print so the final results may vary slightly, but the overall outcome won’t change. PERTH…

VINCENT council is paying Instagram influencers hundreds of dollars per post to advertise its events. The city’s financial documents reveal they paid Instagrammer @ashleighjade05 (aka Ashleigh Jade Munro-Smith) $450 for a February 24 post spruiking Leedy Streets Open Days to her 110,000 followers. “The perfect ending to our weekend with a family friendly (and pet…

AFTER years of dysfunction and controversy the City of Perth is wiping the slate clean and rebooting its senior management. Over the past year its five directors have resigned and now the city is advertising on SEEK for four general managers to fill their shoes. The ad states “The City of Perth is entering a…

by DAVID BELL A KIND local who put out chairs for people at De Lacey Park has been given a stern “authoritarian” warning from Bayswater council to get rid of them. There’s a tight-knit dogwalking community at De Lacey and about a year and a half ago someone put chairs out for them. Previously donated…