QUESTIONS have been raised about whether a Fringe Festival show crossed the line with its depictions of self-harm. Fringe is known for dishing up the unorthodox and unusual, but Danger Cabaret’s El Bizarro left audiences in a cold sweat last week, with one person fainting during the performance. “We are a freak side show,” says…

LANDOWNERS who leave commercial blocks vacant would pay higher rates under a plan being considered by Bayswater council. The differential rating would encourage landowners to develop derelict sites, which can lower the tone of the city and affect the value of neighbouring properties. Councillor Elli Petersen-Pik says the plan “has the potential to reduce the…

THERE’S not a single egg battery in Perth state MP John Carey’s electorate, but chook welfare tops concerns raised by constituents. “I have been inundated with emails from people opposed to cage eggs and who want to see higher welfare standards,” Mr Carey says, noting 150 calls and emails so far. “I have to say…

TWO years ago any restaurateur wanting to go alfresco on Vincent’s footpaths had to negotiate a red tape obstacle course and pay for the pleasure. The council was raking in $150,000 a year in fees, but the cost and approval process was deterring some businesses from bothering. As of this week the council’s letting restaurant…

TERRORISTS could exploit a four-metre gap between bollards at Perth Arena and plough into crowds with a large vehicle, a state government inquiry has found. The inquiry into protection of crowded places from terrorist acts, led by the justice standing committee, grilled Perth city council last week on it’s anti-terrorist measures, and flagged the arena…

PLANS are afoot to spend $7.7 million on restoring the old Maylands Brickworks, but it’ll likely involve a substantial residential development. The 1927 brickworks, which have been closed for 30-odd years, is owned by the City of Bayswater and is state heritage listed, with the only remaining ‘Hoffman Kiln’ in WA (there was another, but…

PERTH city council CEO Martin Mileham went on indefinite personal leave this week after discovering he’d been the subject of a secret internal investigation. Nicknamed Project Percy, the probe found Mr Mileham had “no case to answer,” but lord mayor Lisa Scaffidi says the fallout has caused the CEO enormous anxiety which has led to…

PERTH city council CEO Martin Mileham’s decision to take indefinite sick leave  comes just days after he attempted to crack down on councillors speaking to city staff. In report at last Tuesday’s ordinary council meeting, he’d suggested bringing the city’s policies in line with the Local Government Act so any communications would have to go…

I AM writing to express my grave concerns about the federal government’s proposed Electoral Legislation Amendment (Electoral Funding and Disclosure Reform) Bill 2017. This bill will have a huge impact on civil society, forcing charities and grassroots organisations to join a government register and follow complex new rules or members could face 10 years in…

A PROPOSED ban on plastic bags needs to be tweaked if it’s to be effective, says Fremantle mayor Brad Pettitt. The McGowan government has committed to banning lightweight single-use plastic bags, which are usually less than 35 micrometers thick, from July. But Dr Pettitt wants people to pay for plastic bags and the ban to…