FEARING a repeat of previous arts debacles Vincent council has deferred a $100,000 spend on new sculptures for North Perth’s town centre. A minor arts world furore erupted two years back when the council pledged to pay Matt McVeigh $30,000 for his artwork AAG, a colourful abstract figure. But when it came time to build…

HE used to be in charge of Australia’s navy, but now Stephen Smith will have to make do with being patron of Maylands yacht club. The former Labor defence minister is taking over from 80-year-old club veteran Terry Gaunt, who is hanging up the whites after being patron for 29 years. Despite having a long…

PERTH is bucking the gender trend when it comes to games development. A recent survey by WA’s Film and Television Institute reveals 16 per cent of game developers in Perth are female. Although small it’s more than the 10 per cent national and global average. An enthusiastic group of games developers is getting ready for…

FAKE grass could be coming to Dorrien Gardens after the Perth Soccer Club announced plans to seek a $3 million grant from the WA sports and recreation department. The club has already asked Vincent council for a $500,000 contribution for its three fields, but board member Jason Marochi concedes that’ll be tough given the council’s…

THE Wade Street Reserve will now be called Tự Do Park, Vietnamese for “Liberty” Park. The park already hosts a sculpture sponsored by the Vietnamese community, thanking Australia for accepting refugees in the 1970s. Vietnamese Community WA president Anh Nguyen says the community picked a name that is easy to pronounce and represents “the liberty…

AN iconic Tudor-style property in West Perth is in line to be demolished, making way for an eight-storey luxury apartment complex. The house was built for prominent accountant, political fundraiser and tennis player James Sinclair McGibbon, who lived there until his death in 1943. A long-time president of the Kings Park Tennis Club (which named…

LYNDON RODGERS’ badly damaged building on Beaufort Street is to be demolished. Damage from siteworks vibrations next door is so bad the 1895 federation bungalow is considered “structurally unsound” and it “has no value to the streetscape”. Mr Rodgers, a former Perth councillor, has been pursuing neighbour Steve de Mol for five years. Unable to…

MYSTERIOUS steps have been unearthed today, Thursday September 25, 2014, at the Elizabeth Quay development, leading the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority to call in experts to figure out what they are. Works have stopped in the immediate area while the investigation is carried out. The Voice understands the steps could be from the old jetty leading…

ABORIGINAL groups, anthropologists, archaeologists and the QC who launched Mabo have savaged the Barnett government over proposed changes to the Aboriginal Heritage Act. About 120 people staged a protest on the steps of Parliament House on Tuesday, saying the government is silencing Aborigines while making it too easy for miners and developers to get projects…

THE WA public transport authority is holding a public meeting in Bayswater on the proposed 8km tunnel to be built under the city as part of the WA government’s train airport link. Cabinet has approved the plan for the Forrestfield-Airport Link rail project, meaning the procurement process can start in 2015. It will involve 8km…