Perth Voice Interactive

THE cost of a ‘no’ vote in the upcoming referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament would be the rolling back of decades of reconcilation, says advocate Thomas Mayor.

Mr Mayor has been on a national “Voice, Truth and Treaty” tour since 2017 arrived in Fremantle this week to speak at today’s (Saturday January 28) One Day in Fremantle event at Walyalup Koort.

He said it would be “absolute heartbreak” for First Nations people if the campaign failed.

“If this referendum fails, because it can only be ‘yes’ or ‘no’ from here, the cost of failure is extremely high,” Mr Mayor said.

“The cost of failure is that the Australian people would have said no to recognising our Indigenous heritage and culture officially.

“And it’s also the Australian people officially saying ‘no’ to fairness; that it is okay to make decisions about Indigenous people without hearing from them in a proper manner.

“I don’t think that would be a genuine reflection on what Australian people think.”

Mr Mayor says a Voice to Parliament is “unfinished business” and part of building the nation’s identity.

“It’s about who we are as Australians; not a young nation, but a nation that should be able to celebrate over 60,000 years of continuous culture and civilisation.

“But it’s also important because it’s really about people’s lives; that there are laws and policies that are made specifically for Indigenous people as a distinct people, and those laws and policies have clearly failed.”

He says the low rate of Covid infections in Indigenous communities gave an indication of what a Voice could achieve, praising former federal Indigenous affairs minister Ken Wyatt for listening to their advice and then following up.

In other health areas, he says states and councils often initiate successful programs, but a change of government or personnel sees the information disappear, but a Voice could help to ensure it reached the national stage.

Mr Mayor says organisations such as ATSIC and the Australian Aboriginal Progress Association from the 1920s had been good Indigenous advocates, but were prone to being nobbled by governments when the message got a bit pointed.

“With ATSIC, what [former prime minister John] Howard did was, he amplified its issues instead of celebrating the good work it was doing,” he says.

He said being constitutionally guaranteed would remove that political interference, while having advice before Parliament rather than delivered behind closed doors would provide better transparency.

Mr Mayor also appealed to Cockburn council to reconsider its decision not to endorse the Uluru Statement, a petition signed by 250 Indigenous leaders from around the country at the 2017 First Nations Consitutional Convention.

“My understanding is that they do support these things generally, but I hope for stronger commitment very soon, because they are needed,” he said.

“I would say to such organisations, not just Cockburn but all local governments and individuals, to consider this: that we are going to have this referendum – there’s no debate about that.

“And there is a lot of momentum built up over six years of hard work, not by politicians, but by grassroots Indigenous people and our allies.”

by STEVE GRANT

BAYSWATER council is set to tap into the troubled carbon offset market to help fund a groundbreaking $2.4 million urban forest at Riverside Gardens.

At Tuesday’s ordinary meeting the council voted to negotiate a partnership agreement with Greening Australia, who would transform the four-hectare site through Western Australia’s first Nature in Cities project.

The council already has $1 million for the project courtesy of a pre-election commitment from Labor, but is examining whether part of the site could be used as a carbon offset to help raise some of the estimated $770,000 shortfall.

“The mayor and executive have been working on securing a significant offset that is required for a major infrastructure upgrade project in the Perth metropolitan area,” a staff report to the council said, noting other organisations were also on the hunt for places to offset their native vegetation clearing.

As part of the plan, Bayswater is also looking a creating a biodiversity corridor between Eric Singleton Bird Sanctuary and Gobba Lake, which would deliver an extra two hectares of revegetation.

Mayor Filomena Piffaretti said the project had the potential to be a flagship for the Nature In Cities program across Western Australia.

“We are thinking outside the box and looking for innovative solutions,” Cr Piffaretti said.

“I think this is an excellent example of how this council is committed to finding opportunities to partner with the private sector to deliver outcomes for our community without always going with our hand out to the ratepayers.”

Councillor Michelle Sutherland had a couple of suggestions for making up the shortfall other than carbon offsets.

“I think the amount of trees lost due to infrastructure upgrades around the city has been obvious, and I think it should be a no-brainer that the state government could give us some more funds for this because they are our natural assets.”

Cr Sutherland said the Albanese government was also sitting on a climate change initiative fund which she urged the council to investigate.

Councillor Lorna Clarke said residents were very excited about getting on with the project, and she’d been advised the first trees might go in by winter 2024. But she said the council had to be careful with its planning.

“When you actually put climate change maps of this area down at Riverside Gardens, half of Riverside Gardens ends up under water in the next 20 to 30 years, so we are going to have to do some more work in terms of providing more public open space that is actually arguably further up the hill,” Cr Clarke said.

“The more that we can do that in terms of that link to Gobba Lake, but also some of that land that hasn’t yet been built on closer towards the Tonkin [Highway], the better that we can mitigate those climate change impacts.”

Cr Clarke also noted there were some risks of dabbling in the offset market given the recent federal review, but said she was sure they could be overcome.

by STEVE GRANT

BAYSWATER will retain its four wards, but drop the number of councillors from 11 to 8 under mandated reforms.

At Tuesday’s ordinary meeting the council voted to keep the wards but adjust their boundaries to accommodate future growth, shifting the boundary between North 

and Central wards to Tonkin Highway in 2023; and moving part of the suburb of Bayswater from West to South ward using Guildford Road in 2025.

It will also drop one councillor’s position in this October’s election, and the final two in 2025, though it had already moved towards a popularly-elected mayor for this year.

Retaining the four wards was the most popular choice among the 164 ratepayers who responded to the city’s consultation (53.4 per cent) followed by the 19.6 per cent who wanted no wards.

Residents’ interest was “leaps and bounds” over previous boundary consultations, deputy mayor Catherine Ehrhardt said, although in an “ideal world” it would have been at least tripled.

Cr Michelle Sutherland said it was good to see the support for the existing ward structure.

“I think as councillors we have to remember we have a good knowledge of our area and it’s good to keep business as usual,” Cr Sutherland said.

Cr Lorna Clarke voted for the changes, but sounded a note of caution.

“I think people will see a reduction in responsiveness, and the ability of nine people rather than 11 people to actually get back to them and represent their interests,” Cr Clarke said.

“I think this is fundamental; this is about democracy and how it works at a really local level.”

Cr Clarke said she believes the current workload is appropriate.

She was also concerned officers hadn’t got close enough to equal numbers in the four wards through the boundary changes. 

“From a really high level, someone’s vote in one area shouldn’t be worth less than a vote in another area.

“I know we’re trying to build in growth … but I think we can get closer to one vote, one value than this.”

Only Cr Giorgia Johnson voted against the recommended changes, but she didn’t speak during the item.

PEOPLE power has helped Maylands parents convince Bayswater council to beef up its Safe Routes to School report.

A petition of 243 signatures was presented to Tuesday’s meeting calling for the council to produce a comprehensive report that let the community know what safety measures were to be implemented and when.

In mid-2022 the council started the Safe Routes pilot project by asking families from Maylands Peninsula Primary School to identify what made them reluctant to let their kids walk to school, from car-focussed intersections to sun-scorched footpaths.

But they were disappointed by a vague “outcomes report” that offered little reassurance that their efforts would be rewarded with some action (“Parents slam report,” Voice, January 21, 2023).

Councillor Elli Petersen-Pik floated the safety plan back in 2019 and presented the petition at Tuesday’s meeting, along with a motion to convert the outcomes report in an “implementation plan”.

Cr Petersen-Pik wants a “list of detailed actions at specific locations along with estimated timeframes” and says it should be treated as seriously as other council initiatives suich as its car parking management plans.

He thinks Safe Routes might be an Australian-first, as it looks at local government’s role in creating safer infrastructure around schools, rather than leaving it to state bodies such as Main Roads.

“Many parents submitted dozens of comments during the consultation and there were even a few walking tours organised by parents,” Cr Petersen-Pik said.

“We finally reached the conclusive stage that everyone was looking for, including residents from other schools, as the Maylands Peninsula Primary School is our trial project.

“If we get the process right with this school, things will go even smoother when we will progress with other schools soon.”

Cr Petersen-Pik said it appeared staff already knew what the planned actions were, but they needed to share it with the community.

“This will show that this council is serious in supporting pedestrians and cyclists, and trying to help reduce parking pressures around schools.”

Councillor Lorna Clarke backed his motion, saying as a new mother she’d recently pushed a pram along some of the footpaths near the primary school, which had 

“fundamentally changed” her perception of them.

“I think we really need to do this,” she said.

Councillor Michelle Sutherland said young people would continue walking once they hit high school if they got a grounding early enough.

“You can’t underestimate the education you get walking to school and I think it’s a great investment,” Cr Sutherland said.

One Bayswater councillor said they probably wouldn’t let their kids ride through Maylands, but it took a petition from residents to get some (almost) action. Photo courtesy Elli Petersen-Pik.

BAYSWATER mayor Filomena Piffaretti has paid tribute to former Bayswater councillor Graham Pittaway, who died on January 14, aged 81.

Mr Pittaway was elected to council in 2000 and was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for “service to the community through local government and a range of health business and educational organisations” in 2005.

A printer by trade, Mr Pittaway was also a life member of the Speech and Hearing Centre, Osborne Park Agricultural Society, St Marks College and the Morley Business Association.

“He was passionate about developing partnerships and economic development and worked closely with local businesses to promote opportunities for business improvements,” Cr Piffaretti said. 

“Graham was also passionate about community safety and was an active and valued member of the city’s roadwise advisory committee.”

Mr Pittaway chaired the city’s golf committee and established charity golf days.

“These are but a few of Graham’s achievements and we remember him as a passionate and valued member of this council,” Ms Piffaretti said.

The West Perth Football Club’s board also acknowledged Mr Pittaway’s death, as he’d been a director in the ‘90s and a player advocate.

“A long-time Falcons supporter and sponsor, Graham will be sadly missed by his sloving family and friends,” the board said in a statement.

Mr Pittaway lost his seat on council in 2013 when he was defeated by Michelle Sutherland in an election that saw a major shift in council allegiences and the end of Terry Kenyon’s reign as mayor.