Perth Voice Interactive

IT’S over.

After a five-year saga the WA Liquor Commission has refused to grant a liquor licence for a 1250sqm Dan Murphy’s at the Peninsula Taver.

Woolies argued the liquor barn would cater to Maylands’ needs, but it faced a chorus of opposition from Bayswater council, community groups and Maylands MP Lisa Baker.

Opposition dates back to 2013 when the council first knocked back planning approval.

Appeals and legal manoeuvring followed and the development assessment panel overruled the council’s wishes, granting planning approval.

But the lack of a liquor licence kills the plan.

Passionate

Commission chair Seamus Rafferty was in favour of the Dan Murphy’s, but was outvoted by his two colleagues, who said the proposal risked increasing alcohol-related harm in the area.

Ms Baker called it a “long, hard battle fought by the passionate community of Maylands”.

She said community sentiment had been overwhelmingly opposed to it.

“Through the whole of this fight I have had very few people, maybe a dozen, contact me to say they think it is a great idea.”

That is up against about 1000 who’ve opposed it.

Bayswater council has since attempted to tighten up its rules to prevent big liquor barns opening in residential areas.

by DAVID BELL

THE hunt is on for baby turtles whose numbers seem to be dwindling in Hyde Park lakes.

In 2015 Vincent funded a UWA-led study into the oblong turtles, because for years people were noticing a decline in hatchlings and juveniles.

There’s about 300 oblong turtles in the park, but few youngsters coming up to replace the old-timers; so when the existing population dies of old age the colony could just collapse.

This research phase will try to establish why there are not enough turtle youths.

Earlier this week, researchers Roberta Bencini, Calum Woods and Krystofer Lam were out trapping turtles and measuring them to determine age. They were also ultrasounding females to see if they had eggs.

Vincent mayor Emma Cole said “we’d like to do whatever we can to help the turtles thrive, breed and live long and healthy lives in the park”.

“We know that the turtles are breeding, but the hatchlings don’t appear to be surviving and that is extremely concerning.”

There are a few reasons the bubs might not be making it into adulthood.

Early hypothesis were that they could be being eaten as eggs, or as hatchlings, or maybe the grown ups just weren’t reproducing. Sometimes turtle numbers drop when there is a sex imbalance (at some urban lakes there are many more male turtles than females, because females sometimes venture out of the lake and cross roads to make new nests and get run over).

Trapping sessions

But at Hyde Park they mostly just go back and forth between the two lakes, so there’s a pretty even mix. And the turtles appear to be fertile.

Dr Bencini, who’s overseeing the study, said a parkgoer had recently witnessed a baby turtle crawling out in the open. A kookaburra swooped down and ate it (Dr Bencini says if you do see something similar and you save a turtle, you wouldn’t be done on any kind of charge of interfering with wildlife. The kookaburra is an introduced species to these parts anyhow).

Trapping sessions will run through spring and summer.

If you see a turtle out of water, Dr Bencini asks that you carefully observe it and see where it goes in case it’ll lead them to a nest. Then call her office on 6488 2521 or the council on 9273 6000.

by DAVID BELL and STEVE GRANT

MEN convicted of same-sex relations under antiquated laws can now have their criminal records completely expunged.

On Tuesday attorney general John Quigley announced the legislation had passed through both houses of parliament. Mr Quigley said: “We recognised that many members of our community continue to carry the stigma of a criminal record for consensual acts that are no longer considered a crime in WA.

“The government has also offered an apology to the LGBTIQ community for the discrimination, hurt and trauma they have suffered as a result of unjust convictions.

“People convicted under these laws will no longer need to have a criminal record hanging over their head for offences that are not illegal today.”

It comes two years after Maylands MP Lisa Baker started a campaign imploring parliament to set things right for the hundreds of men alive today who were targeted or entrapped in police raids and convicted over consensual relations.

From early on, the intention was to make the expungement voluntary: Some of the men might prefer to not dig up old wounds. Others might see their conviction as a badge of honour. But those who want their conviction gone will be able to apply to the department of justice to have it completely expunged. A conviction won’t be overturned if the charge is for something that is still illegal.

Ms Baker said she was proud to have worked on getting the legislation passed.

by DAVID BELL

COUNCIL rangers have started bike patrols along the stretch of the river in Bayswater that’s inaccessible by car.

They’ve added two off-road specialised pushbikes to their fleet and they’ll be focusing on the busiest riverside locations like Bardon Park and Riverside Gardens.

Council is targeting people who litter and irresponsible pet owners who let their dogs rampage about off-leash, particularly around Riverside Gardens which is right next to the Eric Singleton bird sanctuary.

Bayswater mayor Dan Bull says  most of the city’s 10km stretch of riverfront isn’t accessible by car.

“Visitors to these popular riverside destinations can now expect to see the city’s rangers out and about patrolling on push bikes,” Mr Bull says.

“Using bicycles instead of cars means the rangers are more visible and approachable to the community, plus it’s a much more environmentally-friendly way to get around the city’s sensitive natural areas.”

Meanwhile, there’s a couple of big community cleanups planned:

• On September 23 between 9am and 11am there’s the Big River Cleanup, organised by local Laura Thomas after the death of two river dolphins to “see how much plastic and rubbish we can stop from reaching the ocean”. Meeting point is at Riverside Gardens, near the toilets and playground.

• On October 6, Perth Advocates for the Earth are running the WA Marine Debris Project 2018 beach clean-up day. It will be held in Bardon Park Maylands, from 8.30am to 1pm.

by DAVID BELL

LISA BAKER has marked 10 years as the MP for Maylands by thanking the local community and all her furry and feathered friends.

First elected in September 6 2008, she says “it’s been quite a journey representing the wonderful community of Maylands for the past 10 years.”

A known lover of animals, she adds “of course I include animals in my community!”

“In particular, the last 18 months in government where we have saved Carter’s wetlands, seen the exciting planning in process for a new Bayswater station and started to end the awful practice of puppy farming.”

After a couple of stints as acting speaker of the lower house, she was named deputy speaker on May 11 2017.

Ms Baker’s successful campaigns include the community-led fight to stop Coles and Woolworths opening liquor barns in Maylands (the fight against Woolies was won this week, see “Booze barn win” on page 2).

She was also the key campaigner to expunge the criminal records of men who’d been prosecuted under century-old, now-scrapped anti-homosexuality legislation.

Despite the laws being off the books, the convictions remained.

She used her budget reply speech in 2016 to implore parliament to clear these men who’d been convicted over consensual relationships, saying the convictions were “an embarrassing blemish on our moral obligations to a community that I care deeply about”.

This week, legislation to allow those records to be expunged passed through both houses of parliament.

Ms Baker signed off by saying “thank you to the passionate community members who have worked alongside me and brought me their concerns, ideas and vision for the community”.

by DAVID BELL

THE East Perth Power Station should be filled with art, culture and history, and not be allowed to rot away, says Perth Labor MP Patrick Gorman.

In his first speech to federal parliament this week, Mr Gorman called for the city’s entrepreneurial spirit to be harnessed so opportunities like the power station redevelopment can be grasped.

“Perth is a city full of ambitious and entrepreneurial people,” Mr Gorman said.

“As a modern city we must plan across local, state and federal government for a metropolitan light rail connecting our CBD to the Burswood peninsula, Kings Park and the great universities of our inner metropolitan area.

“And urgency should be applied to lay the track of the Perth – Morley – Ellenbrook Metronet rail line as soon as possible.

“We must fast-track the train.”