English-born mayor David Boothman will do anything to stop Colin Barnett’s council amalgamations—he’s even allowed his staffers to Photoshop his face into Scottish “Braveheart” William Wallace. The poster is the latest in a series of iconic images created by Stirling city council to protest its boundaries changing in the amalgamations. The first poster in the…

Stirling is set to go all rad with BMX bikes and skateboards. The council will investigate building eight skate and BMX facilities across the city, including satellite sites at Dianella and Inglewood. One-quarter of the city’s population is aged between five and 24, but there is only one skate park, at Carine. Mayor David Boothman—a…

Hundreds of education assistants attended a rain-soaked rally at parliament house Tuesday to protest job cuts. Last month’s WA Budget included the shock loss of 500 education assistants and support staff from public schools across Perth. The State School Teachers Union is demanding the Barnett government reverse the cuts or face strike action over three…

Dudley Maier says he’s considering a run for mayor of Vincent. “The next couple of years are going to be really critical for our community,” he says. “I think the writing’s on the wall that there’s going to be change. The people who think we can stay separate as Vincent are living in fairyland. “We…

Lawyer Laine McDonald has put up her hand to run for Vincent council. In her day job with Slater & Gordon, Ms McDonald represents people suffering asbestos-related diseases. The 31-year-old says with mergers looming, “we need a strong council and people with experience in advocating”. “As a lawyer, that’s what I do every day. I…

It’s the year of the political comeback: First Kevin Rudd and now Nick Catania? The Voice hears the former Vincent mayor and before that Balcatta state Labor MP will make a tilt for Stirling city council’s Lawley ward at next month’s elections. “He’s fuming at the government’s plans to make Mt Lawley part of Bayswater,”…

City Farm has sacked its manager and seven staff have walked after being handed new contracts with heavily reduced hours. Cliff Morris, CEO of Men of the Trees—the organisation the farm answers to—says drastic action was needed because the East Perth site is haemorrhaging cash. But Michael Forte, axed after managing the farm for nearly…

Valuable urban art at Perth City Farm is in danger of being lost says a local art group whose protests have—temporarily at least—halted the destruction of an 18-year-old mural. City Farm had planned to allow a visiting European artist to paint over the work, as it was looking tired. Lady Bananas from Artists Anonymous Collective…

Human rights lawyer Julian Burnside is in Perth to propose an alternative to the major parties’ “cruel” refugee policies. “We seem troubled by people drowning at sea trying to reach Australia,” he told the Voice. “We seem less troubled by the idea that if we’re nasty enough we can deter them from leaving their country…

A young activist has taken her own life a week before a marriage equality rally she’d helped organise. Equal Love WA co-convenor Amber Maxwell, 20, died Saturday August 24 at 5.44pm, shortly after attending a refugee rights rally. The transgender woman had been at the forefront of the local LGBTI rights campaign and was known…