Perth Voice Interactive

A FORMER patron of the Black Swan State Theatre Company has delivered a withering critique of its recently launched season, Where the Heart Is.

Sally Burton, the widow of Hollywood legend Richard Burton, recently circulated an email within the performing arts community which says the company’s board and artistic director are out of touch with their audience’s needs and need to schedule more “classics”.

Ms Burton told the Voice she’s planning to move back to the United Kingdom in a week’s time after living in Perth for the last 13 years, and was a little nervous about backlash from Black Swan.

“Might as well kick off the debate,” she said.

“I had a theory about theatre audiences, which was that if you are 18 and have a bit of interest in theatre and you go to Fringe with your girlfriend, and you’re paying $80 per ticket each, but you see something that is not particularly accessible or familiar, you’re much less likely to come back.”

Ms Burton also criticised the company for using amateurs in its production of Our Town, saying there was little enough work for professional actors already given the grim economic conditions.

But Black Swan’s artistic director Clare Watson, who’s in her second year at the helm of the company, warned that Ms Burton risked further damage to the industry by going public.

Noting the demise of Deckchair, Hole in the Wall and the Perth Theatre Company, she says it’s had a “ravaging impact” on the state’s acting community.

“Where the Heart Is certainly features classics – the modern American masterpiece by Thornton Wilder, Our Town and a new take on Euripides’ Greek classic, Medea, told by Kate Mulvany amongst them.

“It’s a year full of entertainment that is relevant, inclusive and aimed to appeal to a wide audience,” Ms Watson said.

She says some of the newer material will hopefully appeal to new audiences, whilst still catering to the company’s traditional audiences.

“In regards to the criticism about Our Town, the assumption that amateurs are taking the work of professional actors is simply not true.

“This work was programmed with community engagement at its heart; it is a play about community and we can’t wait to start working with local police officers, teachers and funeral directors to make this production come to life under the stars during the Perth Festival – alongside our professional cast which includes Shari Sebbens (The Sapphires) and Ian Michael (Let the Right One In).

For Ms Burton’s full letter, turn to Speaker’s Corner on page 6.

by STEVE GRANT

Cigar club rejected over health concerns

VINCENT councillors have unanimously snubbed out a proposal for a private cigar club in Highgate.

In the lead up to Tuesday night’s vote at council, the WA Australian Medical Association voiced concerns about the exclusive club: “We are trying to make smoking history, not to make smoking and the sale of tobacco products exclusive or fashionable,” WA AMA president Omar Khorshid told the Voice.

Cigar Social – the brainchild of entrepreneur Nick Russell – was proposed for 73/288 Lord Street, Highgate, in the same building as apartments, cafes and offices.

The club would have been open seven days a week from 10am-12pm Mon-Sat, and 10am-5pm on Sundays.

Entrepreneurs and senior executives would have paid $1,000 a year in membership fees to puff a Montecristo alongside other business leaders.

Thirteen of the 17 submissions received by council during community consultation opposed Cigar Social, with nearby residents concerned about health impacts, the smell of smoke, hours of operation and parking issues.

“Smoking is an inappropriate activity in any circumstance particularly in a mixed residential commercial area where young children may be residing,” stated one objection.

But the applicant, First One Developments, said they “completely understand smoking should not be in areas where the public can be exposed to smoke” and would purify the air before it was vented out of the roof, even though current health regulations don’t require them to.

But at the council meeting, Cr Jonathan Hallet said it’s not possible to filter all the ultra fine particles from smoke and there would still be some health risk posed by the vented air.

“It is my opinion that this application poses a health risk to neighbouring residents, not to mention those who use the establishment,” he said.

Acting mayor Susan Gontaszewski explained the crux of the council’s vote against the club: “The development didn’t provide enough activation at street level… and also there was the potential amenity impact resulting from the discharge of tobacco smoke.”

Cancer Council WA also raised concerns.

Their cancer prevention and research director Melissa Ledger said “the concept of an indoor smoking lounge is outdated and has no place in WA.

“Smoking has been banned in all enclosed public places in WA since 2006. The application for a cigar lounge exploits a legal loophole and is against the spirit of the legislation. Approval would set a dangerous precedent.

“Cigar smoke is just as toxic and carcinogenic as cigarette smoke.

“A person who smokes cigars is at higher risk of many cancers, including oral, oesophageal and lung.

“They also increase their risk of coronary heart disease and aortic aneurysm.

“High passive exposure to cigar smoke is also harmful to health.

“Staff at this venue would be unfairly exposed to second-hand smoke, when all other indoor workplaces in WA are rightfully smoke-free.

The applicant responded to similar concerns in the application, pointing out that alcohol had health risks, but the council had no problem in approving bars across Vincent: “Bars promote the use of alcohol that is shown to have health risks, and studies have shown that it has the world’s largest negative impact on communities.”

by MOLLY SCHMIDT

CAT BUSES should run at night to make the city more lively, says Perth Labor MP John Carey.

Speaking in parliament, he called for a “Black CAT” service that would encourage more people to visit small bars, restaurants and cafes in the city after dark.

“At the moment, CAT services in part stop at 6pm and people would like the services to be extended,” he said.

“If someone is in East Perth and they want to go into the city or vice versa, they could use the black CAT service to go to a restaurant and use it to get back.”

Last year he held a Perth City Summit, asking business owners and residents what could be done to improve the city.

“One of the most popular recommendations… was the desire for a night-time or black CAT service,” Mr Carey recalls.

WA transport minister Rita Saffioti responded in parliament saying the black CAT was “not only a very good name, but also a very good idea.

“That, of course, will help to continually activate and let people move safely around the city at night-time.”

Mr Carey called for a review of the whole CAT service; suggesting a rejig of the Blue CAT circuit which takes people North/South from the Barrack Street Jetty to Northbridge.

“Now we have Yagan Square and the pedestrian connection, does it make sense to have a Blue CAT service connecting them anymore?

“Could we use the funds from that service to extend it, create a new service or create a black CAT service?”

by DAVID BELL

MICHELLE SUTHERLAND is back at Bayswater council after winning a tight extraordinary election in the north ward.

She previously held the seat from 2013-17, narrowly losing to councillors Stephanie Gray and Filomena Piffaretti at last year’s election.

Earlier this year Cr Brent Fleeton retired early, sparking an extraordinary election.

Low turnout

In her candidate statement, Cr Sutherland said she wanted to stop unnecessary spending of taxpayers’ money, upgrade Morley town centre and improve parks and sporting facilities.

The turnout at the election was pretty low: just 3210 votes were cast out of a potential 11,500.

That’s a 28 per cent turnout, compared to 32 per cent at last year’s full election.

Cr Sutherland won’t be able to relax for long and will face another election in October next year, when Mr Fleeton’s term had been due to finish.

by DAVID BELL

A STIRLING resident is calling for a “developer contact register” after some councillors did not disclose meetings with the representative of a potential buyer for one of the city’s properties.

Although the councillors have said the land sale wasn’t discussed during the meetings, meaning they didn’t have to disclosure any interest, former council candidate Jack Garber used question time at this week’s council meeting to ask for a governance review into the independence of council members, conflicts of interest and behind-closed-doors meetings.

Mr Garber said his call also related to the processes behind some Scarborough developments.

Stirling sold the narrow strip of public land on Walcott Street to the owner of an adjoining block – home to Fat Dragon restaurant – after the sale was approved at a closed-door council meeting on August 21.

The Italian-based buyer had engaged family friend, freeman of the city and former mayor Tony Vallelonga, to be their Perth envoy.

Prior to the sale Mr Vallelonga shouted current mayor Mark Irwin to a $50 lunch at the WA Italian Club and sat with councillors Bianca Sandri and Suzanne Migdale at a council-funded lunch two months later but also told the Voice he didn’t discuss the issue on either occasion.

“Never, never, never,” Mr Vallelonga said emphatically.

“I would never do that. I wouldn’t put them in that position.”

Impartiality

The lunch with the mayor was declared on Stirling’s gift register.

At the August 21 meeting, several councillors declared impartiality interests on the basis they’d spoken to Mount Lawley Society members and nearby owners about the sale.

Acting Stirling CEO Michael Littleton told the Voice as the mayor and Mr Vallelonga hadn’t discussed the sale, there was no need for a declaration.

“It was mayor Irwin’s first visit to the Italian Club in his capacity as mayor,” Mr Littleton said.

“While there he met members of the club, including freeman of the city Tony Vallelonga and discussed council’s future priorities and the mayor’s vision for the city while in the role.”

Mr Garber says his idea for a review was “was summarily rejected by the mayor”.

He’s planning to run for council again in 2019 after coming up just short last year.

Nearby councils like Vincent and Bayswater have publicly-viewable “developer contact registers”, where elected members record whenever they have contact with a developer.

Vincent council’s policy on the register says “contact with developers is a normal and necessary function of the role of a council member”. It also exempts councillors from disclosing meetings with developers where projects before the council aren’t discussed.

When the strip of land was advertised in April, Stirling’s stated the market rate was $1818 per sqm, but it was sold for $1600 per sqm.

Valuer

The city’s since revised that initial market rate and said a professional valuer rated it lower.

Councillors were split over the decision to sell: In favour were councillors David Boothman, Karen Caddy, Andrew Guilfoyle, Irwin, Migdale, Karlo Perkov, Stephanie Proud, Sandri and Keith Sargent. Opposed were Crs Elizabeth Re, Joe Ferrante, Adam Spagnolo and David Lagan.

by DAVID BELL

THERE’LL be no rotten tomato reviews when ECU’s film graduates premiere six short dramas at the upcoming WA Screen Academy Gala: Unchartered Territory.

They’re about to enter into the real world of the overcrowded film industry, but WA Screen Academy Director Cathy Henkel says this year’s students are “the most ambitious” and have produced bold works of the highest quality yet.

She says about 9000 graduates flood the screen sector each year, so it’s often a challenge for young filmmakers to stand out.

“It’s essential early career graduates put out a unique, strong voice because they need to cut through a very crowded industry,” she says.

She’s helped students prepare for this by encouraging them to draw on their own voices and individual world views.

Out of 36 pitched ideas, six short films were brought to screen life, including the uni’s first ever space movie, a bank heist comedy and an Afghani war story with a female protagonist.

The space film, Spiral, is the brain child of Steven Kerr and tells the story of a young woman in an Australian outpost following World War 3, as she attempts to save a Soviet cosmonaut stuck in space.

“Steven lived through the 1980s when the world was on the brink of war and remembers the fear of that,” says Ms Henkel.

“He became fascinated with what might happen if a cosmonaut was stuck up in space in that time.”

She says the uni was hesitant to approve a space film; “We were thinking of how they’d have to build a space ship and the special effects involved, but we decided to take a gamble.”

The WA Screen Academy Gala is on Thursday September 27 at Luna Cinema, Leederville.

by MOLLY SCHMIDT

MORE THAN 100 parents attended a “crisis meeting” with the education department on Friday (September 14) to discuss what can be done to improve low grades and culture at North Perth primary school.

A department inquiry into the school followed poor NAPLAN results over the past few years, but parents say there’s more to the problem and they’re frustrated with ongoing “issues around the school”.

Paul Meacock, the education department’s north metro assistant executive director, had said earlier this month that the inquiry has given the school a blueprint to follow.

But one concerned parent who attended the meeting says there’s a lack of understanding among the school’s leadership about the department’s report.

The parent says while the NAPLAN results “gave support to the concerns they already had”, there are wider problems:

“A lot of it is down to the actual culture and vibe of the school, that underlying culture you like to create in an environment like a school that is lacking under current leadership.”

She says at the end of the meeting, which was “emotive, with parents really standing up and expressing their concerns” it was suggested they “gather emails and other evidence and bring it all together and present it to the department.

“We have mixed feelings now; leaving the meeting it was hard to know what will come next.

“The proof will be in the pudding, I suppose.”

The meeting was organised by Perth MP John Carey, after he was inundated with complaints from school parents.

The meeting was originally to be held at his electoral office, but following a groundswell of interest he relocated it to the North Perth town hall.

He said the summit “did provide a good opportunity for parents to directly engage with the department and to understand the ‘where-to-now’ after the inquiry.

“The advice given from the department is they want to focus on an improvement plan for the school. It was evident in the number of parents turning out. It indicated that parents wanted that opportunity to engage with the education department to find out what’s going to happen next.”

by MOLLY SCHMIDT

VINCENT council has chosen David MacLennan as their new CEO.

Councillors unanimously approved the appointment at the September 11 special council meeting, and he’ll begin a five-year contract in mid-October.

Mr MacLennan has a long history of public service in Australia and abroad, and he’ll be leaving his current gig as special advisor for economic development on the Westport Taskforce—the state government-formed body tasked with figuring out the future of Freo’s inner harbour and the planned outer harbour at Kwinana.

Before that he was a strategist at the WA government planning department, did a stint in London while working for the department of foreign affairs and trade, and back in 2008 he was an APEC exchange officer for the Peruvian “Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores” (he speaks Spanish).

Vincent mayor Emma Cole describes him as a “highly qualified public service executive” who’ll bring international experience to the role.

Mr MacLennan will replace outgoing CEO Len Kosova who announced his early retirement in April, after four years in the job.

The current CEO’s remuneration package is listed as “$316,085, and comprises a salary, superannuation, vehicle and related fringe benefit tax”.