A GP has condemned Bayswater council’s decision to immediately stop funding local children’s vaccination clinics.

The program cost the council about $120,000 a year and immunised about 750 to 1000 children.

Vaccination dates were scheduled to run at various clinics across Bayswater six times a month until December, but was ceased immediately following a vote at the July 18 council meeting by a narrow majority of councillors wanting to save money. 

Leanne Hosking is a GP involved in running the vaccination clinics and wrote a letter to councillors saying she was “horrified” by the sudden decision which would “distress and inconvenience” clinic clients.

“The dates have been circulated for the remainder of this year,” Dr Hosking wrote. “To assist parents with the timing of vaccinations and appropriate clinic dates, reminder stickers are placed on the child health books. Some were placed in the past few weeks, and are placed for return dates up to six months’ time. 

“So with no advanced notice, parents will be turning up next week with small babies and infants to a clinic that doesn’t exist.”

Dr Hosking said she runs a clinic of her own and is plenty busy, so was not writing out of her own financial interest, but out of concern for parents and children who’ll be affected by the decision.

Mayor Filomena Piffaretti said during the budget discussions the council needed to cut down on costs to not unfairly burden ratepayers. 

Subsidising

She said the council was “subsidis[ing] immunisations on behalf of the state government” and they could start up again if other government funding was made available.

“Hard decisions have been made in pulling together this year’s budget and I stand behind them,” Cr Piffaretti said. 

Dr Hosking said she appreciated the council’s right to make decisions about ratepayer funds, but the problem was the suddenness of this decision.

“These clinics have been provided by the council for over 30 years and it is well known by the community that they exist. 

“Surely the clinics could have been extended to the end of the year – at least as this would cover all the advertised dates and reminders.”

Dr Hosking told the Voice the clinics had been able to immunise a lot of people who might not otherwise get vaccinations.

“We would certainly get under-vaccinated children or clients from overseas, including refugees, who may not have access to Medicare which is needed to see a GP.

“Vulnerable people were often accompanied by community workers, both paid and voluntary.

“Being co-located with the child health clinics allowed easy, familiar access to parents who might otherwise find it difficult.”

The decision to axe the clinic was controversial even on council, with six votes in favour from mayor Piffaretti and councillors Catherine Ehrhardt, Josh Eveson, Assunta Meleca, Steven Ostaszewskyj and Michelle Sutherland, and five against from councillors Dan Bull, Lorna Clarke, Giorgia Johnson, Sally Palmer and Elli Petersen-Pik. 

by DAVID BELL

PERTH’S giant Christmas ornament festival will be renamed the ‘Rio Tinto Christmas Lights Trail’ after Perth councillors sold the naming rights to the mining giant for $250,000.

Arts and events organisations have been grappling over the ethics of accepting mining company sponsorship in recent years over concerns the companies were using sponsorship to rehabilitate their public image. 

Rio Tinto especially came under sharper focus of those calling for boycotts following its 2020 destruction of the 46,000 year old rock shelters at the significant Aboriginal site Juukan Gorge.

But most Perth councillors thought the $250,000 deal was too good to pass up.

They’re currently trying to raise $1m in sponsorship and grants for this year’s Christmas trail, and advertised the naming rights sale in May by offering “46 days of exposure”, the chance to be seen by some 400,000 visitors, and “an exclusive opportunity to be associated with Christmas in our beautiful capital of Light”.

They got one bite from Rio Tinto, and in return for the $250,000 they’ll include the new name and branding 

in all marketing material and communications about the event.

Lord mayor Basil Zempilas has been a vocal supporter of selling naming rights as a way to run events without charging ratepayers more.

Only one councillor opposed the plan, with Cr Sandy Anghie saying “while I think it’s a great initiative to sell the naming rights to the light show, in the context of how much the city spends on the Christmas Lights Trail I would have thought the naming rights [price] should have been a higher amount”.

by DAVID BELL

VETERAN Beaufort Street traders fear for the viability of their businesses if Vincent council closes Grosvenor Road to traffic.

This week the council approved two trials starting in October; first to completely close off the bit of Grosvenor Road adjoining Beaufort Street to make it a pedestrian event space for 16 days, then a four-week trial of turning it into a “shared zone” with a single one-way lane coming off Beaufort.

But longstanding local business owners including Dean Schulz from Beaufort Street Pharmacy and Shawn Offer from Fresh Provisions oppose the plan, as Grosvenor splits off into two carparks vital to nearby trade. There are other exits from the carpark but they’re already busy and can be trickier to navigate. 

Mr Offer wrote in a letter to councillors: “This access way into the heart of Mt Lawley parking is a critical access way for clients to turn in to utilise the carparks left and right from it.”

He said “a gridlocked carpark does nothing for an area” and they’re only just getting over disruptive water pipe replacement works.

“[The] area is only just beginning to recover; let the new ones get a chance before they get smacked down by more government works.”

At the July 26 council meeting Cr Ron Alexander said he’d spoken to local business owners during a visit and was opposed to the plan. 

“It’s fine to have a woke idea about ‘let’s close off Grosvenor Road and let’s have festivals and everything’,” but he said it was “bordering on insanity” to close one carpark entrance and potentially make it more dangerous for pedestrians to have cars navigating out to the other, trickier exits. 

Cr Ross Ioppolo also voted no, saying it wasn’t the right spot to pedestrianise a street given the potential for the impact on the carpark to hurt businesses. 

But the majority of councillors said yes and the trial will go ahead. 

Mr Offer told the Voice while the trial’s unwelcome, the bigger concern is that it might be made permanent after the council’s sunk some cash into it. 

The trial will cost $43,000, with RAC kicking in $6,000. About $20,000 of that pays for street furniture which can be reused elsewhere to partially recover costs if they decide not to make the trial permanent.

Grosvenor Road footpath will also be upgraded to the tune of $70,000 ($31,000 from RAC grants) with a raised crossing to bring the road to the same grade as the footpath, a hint to motorists that they’re in walker town now. 

Mr Offer tells us the project was being billed as making the area better for pedestrians, but none of the measures on Grosvenor actually addressed the more perilous crossing of Beaufort Street itself.

by DAVID BELL

A MASSIVE rainbow could be emblazoned on a surface in inner city Perth to make it more welcoming to LGBTQIA+ people.

Perth councillor Catherine Lezer put up the motion calling for staff to investigate costs and possible locations for a rainbow graphic, saying the City of Perth had a “rich and lengthy LGBTQIA+ history”.

It is, and has been, a meeting place for LGBTQIA+ people across the state,” Ms Lezer said.

“I am proud the City supports Pride WA parade, which I and Cr [Liam] Gobbert danced in last year. 

“I am proud we welcome everyone here in the city irrespective of sexual orientation, sex or gender identity.”

In other cities it’s common to make a pedestrian zebra crossing into a rainbow. 

“I was thinking a rainbow crossing would be ideal, however the administration advises Main Roads have many rules about pedestrian crossings,” Cr Lezer said, so she left the options for a floor rainbow location open so staff can investigate areas like pathways or parks. 

Cr Rebecca Gordon spoke against the rainbow idea, saying the council had endorsed the overall 2021-2024 LGBTQIA+ strategic plan that was meant to guide staff on taking specific actions, and directing them 

to find a spot for a rainbow was just councillors getting too involved in admin work. Councillors Di Bain and Brent Fleeton also voted against the rainbow but the majority were in favour of looking into options and costs, so that info will come back to councillors to vote on this year. 

Wounded Pride forgives Perth

THE motion to put a huge rainbow on a city surface inadvertently revealed a til-now secret plan Pride WA was considering, to relocate into a City of Perth property from its long-held home in neighbouring Vincent.

Cr Brent Fleeton pointed out the unexpected revelation in Cr Catherine Lezer’s motion, with text stating “with Pride WA looking to take up residence in the city, what better way to say welcome to the LGBTQIA+ community than a rainbow”.

It’s a sign Pride has well and truly accepted lord mayor Basil Zempilas’ apologies over controversial gender remarks he made on the radio in his early days after being elected.

At the time some key Pride WA members were so incensed they were considering moving their big annual parade out of the city and holding it in Vincent.

But by the time Pride Parade rolled around in 2021 he’d made several apologies and the council had brought in a LGBTQIA+ plan to ensure Perth became more welcoming. The parade went ahead in Perth’s bounds at Gloucester Park in 2021, and the 2022 Parade will return to the streets of Northbridge.

Stories by DAVID BELL

THE ban on smoking in Vincent’s town centres is set to come into effect November 1, with hopes smokers will heed the signs so gentle prods and fines won’t be needed.

More than two years in the making since Cr Jonathan Hallett raised the motion, this week councillors endorsed the ban that’ll cover five high street hot spots:

• Leederville’s retail zone around Oxford Street;

• Beaufort Street retail strip;

• Mount Hawthorn’s main shop area along Scarborough Beach Road and the top of Oxford Street;

• North Perth around Fitzgerald and Angove Streets; and,

• The William Street precinct.

At the council meeting Vincent’s executive director for planning and place John Corbellini told councillors they probably wouldn’t need to be heavy-handed with fines to stop the smokers. 

There’ll be a six-month grace period where signs will go up and rangers will just talk to people with an emphasis on educating people about the ban.

“Our experience is that those acts alone will essentially result in the smoke free town centres being achieved,” Mr Corbellini said. “[It’s] very unlikely we’ll need to issue infringements, and that’s certainly not something we’re looking to do if we don’t have to.”

The policy says fines would only be issued if there’s repeated noncompliance by someone “unresponsive to education”. 

There’d also been some early concerns that this policy might force a smoker off the brightly lit entertainment strip into a dingy alleyway, so rangers are directed to consider “the safety and vulnerability of the person” lighting up. 

Mayor Emma Cole said in a media statement on the smoke ban: “We know that there is no safe level of exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke.

“The smoke free areas cover many of our most lively commercial main strips and will create healthy environments for people who dine, relax and shop along the street.

“They will also discourage the normalisation of smoking and reducing litter from cigarette butts.”

The smoke ban, which includes vaping, was backed by state government public health organisation Healthway which is providing a $72,500 grant to cover the rollout and fund education campaigns helping at-risk people quit through groups like Noongar Outreach and Foyer Oxford.

The policy still needs a final rubberstamp from the state parliament committee proofreaders that oversee council rules, and if they’re happy with the plan the ban can start November 1. 

by DAVID BELL

A NEIGHBOURHOOD where residents once gathered for Christmas parties has been turned into “a street divided” over new rules to protect the area’s “character”.

Two years ago 52 per cent of residents on Wilberforce Street in Mount Hawthorn called on Vincent council to make their strip a “character area”. 

That’d mean future development would have to respect the community’s favourite aspects of the streetscape, from having architecture that fits the predominant historic style to maintaining an even row of front yards and not building carports right up against the verge.

But now as the process comes to a head there’s 11 residents remaining in favour and 12 are opposed. 

Wilberforce Street resident Tina Ly said the proposal had fractured neighbourly relations on the small street of 25 houses.

“Before the character street proposal was initiated, our street was actually pretty happy, as evidenced by our yearly Christmas party gatherings,” Ms Ly wrote.

“Now, I feel like this whole proposal has completely divided our street.”

She said going ahead with just 11 out of 23 residents in favour “is completely disrespectful to the majority of residents on Wilberforce Street, and appears very, very biased towards the council’s desire to make changes where they can.

“This is preposterous! We live in a democracy, yet I feel like our views and objection are not being heard at all.”

Most of the submissions in favour were based around keeping the street’s historic style and keeping out “cheap grey render” developments.

The council’s report said another benefit was “evidence that the planning framework can improve land value where important character aspects are maintained and enhanced”.

But Ms Ly is doubtful: “Could we please be presented with this evidence? The few real estate agents I have spoken with has said the opposite, that if you place two identical properties side by side – the one where restrictions are in place, the land value is less than the one with no restrictions.”

Vincent council’s character area policy requires at least 40 per cent of owners to nominate an area to get the ball rolling, then after consulting everyone and having experts look at the valuable streetscape elements it’s up to councillors to decide whether to instate the formal character area listing.  

Only councillors Suzanne Worner and Ross Ioppolo voted against making Wilberforce a character area. Cr Ioppolo said: “I want what the community wants, and if the community’s not clear about it – whether it’s 40 or 50 or 60 per cent – where it’s pretty much down the line I’m going to err on no change.”

But most councillors voted to go ahead and the new design guidelines for Wilberforce will be written into the council’s formal planning policies.

Deputy mayor Susan Gontaszewski said there was a lot that went into the final decision, including the advice from streetscape experts, and it wasn’t just a vote of residents in favour or against.

“Council has to consider the results of the consultation, the substantial issues raised, the technical input that we are provided, a raft of other policies,” Cr Gontaszewski said. 

“And also we need to make decisions for the good of the district as a whole even when we’re making decisions that will ultimately, primarily effect one segment of it. And I do know that the City of Vincent as a whole values heritage and values character.”

The council decided not to list a nearby part of Kalgoorlie Street. That strip was nominated with support of 51 per cent of residents in 2021, but now the support level’s dropped to about 23 per cent. 

by DAVID BELL