Perth Voice Interactive

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FILL OUT THE ENTRY FORM BELOW FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS: Comp closes 4pm 4.12.18 with  winners announced in the 8.12.18 edition of this paper. Valid for one year, not available Christmas School holidays, subject to availability.  Voucher to be presented at the time of booking and on arrival.   

EIGHTEEN months ago Michael Sutherland was WA parliamentary speaker, keeping garrulous MPs in check with his rumbling baritone, but when the Voice called last week he was in a skivvy holding a bag of frozen peas to his knee.

“I’ve just had a knee replacement and can’t really do anything – it’s very frustrating,” he said.

After losing his Mt Lawley seat in the state election last year, Mr Sutherland threw himself into physical labour, subdividing a block he owned, but the 64-year-old’s knee imploded and now he’s marooned on the couch.

It’s given him time to plot how he’s going to rejuvenate the Liberal’s Mt Lawley branch, where he recently became president, marking a comeback of sorts from the political wilderness.

“The Mt Lawley branch of the Liberal party has always been an ‘independent’ branch and not beholden to a faction, it is the largest branch in in the Perth division,” Mr Sutherland says.

“It currently has some 70 members. It previously had 100 members when I was the MP.

“My aim is reach this number again. The branch is know for its ability to hold large functions with interesting speakers such as Peta Credlin.

“We welcome good discussion in a social atmosphere and keeping open minds.”

The Libs went through a period of neurotic introspection after being crushed by the Labor party at last year’s state election, but Mr Sutherland says it’s time for the party to get off the psychiatrist’s couch.

“The public does not want to hear Liberal Party politicians talking about themselves,” says the South African ex-pat.

“The party needs to focus on matters that are of importance to the electors, high power prices, jobs and financial security.

“Things are not easy for many in WA.

“The Liberals must differentiate themselves from Labor on economic issues.

Agenda

“The party must set the agenda and not be distracted by peripheral  issues run by Labor, the ABC and left lobby groups such as Getup.”

Mr Sutherland says he has kept in the loop since his defeat at the last election.

“I have, as an ex solicitor, been asked to serve on a committee to establish a new law school in Perth and have been on a number of trips both interstate and overseas,” he says.

“I am very involved in the Liberal Party and attend various lectures and talks at organisations of which I am a member.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

CITY of Perth CEO Martin Mileham has been sacked, but he’ll walk away with at least $300,000 and is taking legal advice to ensure he is “compensated to the full extent of the law”.

City commissioners Eric Lumsden and Andrew Hammond held a special council meeting on Monday to decide the CEO’s fate. Commissioner Gaye McMath was an apology.

Immediately after the behind closed-doors meeting, Mr Lumsden announced the council had resolved to “exercise its contractual right to terminate the CEO’s employment with notice, with immediate effect”.

Mr Mileham will be paid out his statutory entitlements, including pay in lieu of 12 months’ notice. He had three years left on his contract.

Mr Mileham had been on intermittent stress leave since February, when he found out then-acting mayor Jemma Green had engaged a law firm to probe potential wrongdoing by him; none was found.

Lawyers

On October 12, commissioners had engaged employment law specialists MDC Legal “to assist with employment matters”.

After the news broke Mr Mileham quickly issued a statement saying he only found out his contract was being terminated by reading about it on the city’s website and in media reports.

His statement said: “If the media report is correct and my employment has indeed been terminated, I am unaware of the reasons for that termination.

“Again, if correct, this termination comes at a time when I have been and am absent from work on authorised leave”.

He wrote “given my legal, statutory and contractual rights… I am disappointed, shocked and dismayed that the commissioners have taken this action without following any, or any adequate or proper due process and without even having the courtesy to notify me ahead of time.

The commissioners then put out a second media release, saying they did not intend to debate the details of Mr Mileham’s termination in the media, “except to say the commissioners made a decision consistent with their mandate to act in the best interests of the city”.

by DAVID BELL

A DARK undercurrent of crime is brought to the surface in Murder on the Swan: Blood in the Water, a new exhibition at the Museum of Perth.

Museum executive director Reece Harley says the Swan River is often thought of as a place of great natural beauty and tranquility, of recreation and leisure; but its dark history is often overlooked.

“The river has been a crime scene and dumping ground since the first days of the colony,” Mr Harley said.

Grim

“We’ve uncovered some of the most grim and ghastly tales of murder, neglect and suicide; each case revealing something about the true nature and hidden history of our city.

“Many say that Perth ‘lost its innocence’ with Cooke’s murder spree in 1963, but our exhibition reminds people that Perth had lost its innocence long before that.”

Some of these crimes remain unsolved, like the 1899 axe murder of Rosalinda Fox, whose body was found under a tree on the Nedlands foreshore.

Her husband John Fox was arrested, as his axe had been used in the murder.

He had a rock solid alibi and the jury cleared him in three minutes, but only after he’d been forced to sit through a trial where his late wife’s cloven skull was presented as an exhibit.

For other crimes, the perpetrators are known, but not the reason: One bizarre case was the 1909 Christmas Eve “Murder on the Banshee”, when 62-year-old Marion Curedale was murdered by sailor Thomas J Thomas on a yacht named the Banshee.

Ms Curedal had endured a hard life, and was described in articles of the day as having “a police record to her discredit for drunkenness and prostitution”.

She’d been in front of the court dozens of times, on charges ranging from theft to “sleeping in a cemetery”.

While on board the Banshee, Mr Thomas attacked her with a razor for reasons unknown.

Before jumping overboard to kill himself, Mr Thomas left a note saying: “I did a rash act in a moment of frenzy, under the influence of drink. You will find my body under the yacht with a small anchor attached. Do not look on me as a criminal, as truly I was not responsible”.

Delirium

Papers of the day speculated that he could have been overcome by a “drunken frenzy with malarial delirium,” as he was known as a quiet man until he contracted malaria in tropical Africa and afterwards suffered “periodical attacks affect[ing] his head”.

The exhibition is a collaboration between the Museum and the Piddington Society—a local lawyers’ social group named after Albert Piddington, our high court’s shortest-serving judge who was in the job one month and never actually sat at the bench.

Murder on the Swan is at the Museum of Perth in the Atlas Building, 8-10 The Esplanade, open Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm, until the end of February.

A digital exhibition chronicling the crimes is at http://www.murderontheswan.com

NORTHBRIDGE’S beloved Picabar could close early next year, after the state government took over its lease.

Bar owners Melissa Bowen and Brian Buckley were told on October 25 that the Perth Theatre Trust had taken over the lease from the PICA gallery and would seek expressions of interest for the site.

The quirky boozer is situated in the old Perth Boys School, which is owned by the state government, in the Cultural Centre.

Fractured

Ms Bowen and Mr Buckley were initially told they had to clear out by November 13, but it now looks like they will have until March when the tender process starts.

The relationship between the bar owners and PICA has been described as “an interesting relationship” and “fractured” during a speech in parliament by local government minister David Templeman.

A petition to keep the Picabar, created by Alice McCullagh, amassed 6000 signatures in its first day.

“Picabar is a bustling venue in the heart of Northbridge that brings a lot of life to the area. It employs 15 people,” reads the petition.

“It is considered an artistic hub of Northbridge, but also feels welcoming to people from all walks of life.

Thriving

“In a time where hospitality venues are closing left and right, Picabar is not only thriving, but is actually attracting people to the Cultural Centre and Northbridge as a whole.

“A lot of this due to the ambience that has been created by the owners Brian Buckley and Melissa Bowen, and the hard work they have put into the venue over the last seven years.”

The petition says if the space goes out for expressions of interest, “we are concerned that the lease will then go to the highest bidder, without considering other factors…let Picabar stay in the hands of people who have a proven track record of managing the space well.

“None of us can imagine a venue using the space any better.”

Mr Templeman said in parliament: “We are negotiating with them as to a satisfactory outcome”.

He said because it’s a government-owned asset they have “legal obligations” when it comes to letting out the space.

With its chilled outdoor zone and weird beers, Picabar has become a low-key hit with locals.

by DAVID BELL

Seals are often referred to as the puppies of the sea, and Voice features writer Jenny D’Anger and her hubby Dave found out exactly why during a quick holiday up north at Milligan Island the other week. Ms D’Anger says while they were taking a morning stroll along the beach with their dog Lars, a young sea lion popped its head out of the water to have a gander. Curious Lars tentatively wandered into the water to check out the strange creature, and soon the two had become pally and spent 20 minutes playing together. The seal had a great time doing turns and tumbles around his new leggy mate, and even when it was time to go, he followed the trio up the beach trying to coax Lars back into the water.

MICHELLE SUTHERLAND has been elected state president of the WA Liberal Women’s Council, further strengthening the Sutherland’s grip on the party.

As president Ms Sutherland will be on the Lib’s state executive, the highest decision-making body in the party, and the state council, which has the power to overturn the endorsement of an election candidate.

She will also have a seat on the federal women’s committee.

“I will push for issues that concern women such as child care, education and economic security,” says Ms Sutherland.

“I will also be advocating for women in country areas and women in small business.”

Ms Sutherland is already president of the Lib’s Yokine branch and a Bayswater councillor, but despite her busy schedule she was determined to become state president.

Economic narrative

“I was disappointed about [the party] not running candidates in the Fremantle and Perth by-elections earlier this year,” she said.

“I think it important to have a presence in all seats irrespective if they are safe or not.

“I want to contribute by getting our message out into the public.

“We have a good economic narrative.”

Ms Sutherland was elected unopposed as president of the women’s council on Saturday and she is keen to get more females, from all walks of life, wearing blue rosettes.

“The Liberal Party has endorsed the target of 50 per cent female candidates by 2025,” she says.

“We don’t have the luxury of drawing female candidates from the unions.

“The Labor party has numerous women in the parliament who are from the unions.

“As president I would like to work towards attracting women from all walks of life and increasing multi-cultural links to the party.

“I think we need to listen to our current members and continue to bring women’s issues to the front and centre.

“The women’s division has been influential in developing many of the Party’s policies for women since its beginnings in 1947.”

Michelle’s husband Michael, a former WA parliamentary speaker and Mt Lawley MP, recently became president of the Mt Lawley Liberal branch, leading insiders to dub them the new power couple of the party.

The Mt Lawley and Yokine Liberal branches will be involved in preselecting the Mt Lawley Liberal candidate for the next state election in 2021.

CITY of Perth commissioners have signalled an easing of the council’s alfresco policy.

Council staff wanted to keep the existing policy and an annual $40 per sqm fee, but commissioner Andrew Hammond moved they have the policy “peer reviewed”.

He told this week’s council meeting the process could be streamlined and “the costs could be limited somewhat….the city should not find itself at a competitive disadvantage to other areas, because we want our businesses to thrive and we want our streets activation”.

Last week Perth state MP John Carey took aim at Perth’s admin for its old-fashioned approach to alfresco dining. Other councils like Vincent and Bayswater have scrapped their fees, encouraging restaurants to add a bit of life to the street.

At the start of the meeting, chair commissioner Eric Lumsden made clear the tail wasn’t wagging the dog at council HQ: He said the council staff presented recommendations at briefing sessions, but they weren’t set in stone until commissioners voted on them at the full council meeting.

“Commissioners are not here to rubber stamp any recommendation,” he said.