Perth Voice Interactive

A NEW housing block is set be built next to Bayswater wetlands, after the council reluctantly approved a 23-lot subdivision.

The development application will now go to the state government’s WA Planning Commission for rubber-stamping.

The private block is owned by the family of late Bayswater mayor John D’Orazio. It’s opposite the Eric Singleton Wetlands, and next to the section of wetlands known as the “Carter Block”, named after the Carter family who owned it.

The original WAPC-approved plan in 2016 was for 27 subdivided lots, but developers needed to use a bit of the Carter’s Block for cul de sacs, and they couldn’t after Bayswater council bought the block for $3 million.

The developers have scaled back to 23 lots with a slighter larger buffer between the houses and the wetlands.

Bayswater mayor Dan Bull told councillors at the July 17 council meeting that the WAPC would very likely rubber-stamp the new plan, so the best tactic was to approve it with lots of conditions, “to make it as good as possible…even though it is far from good”.

Local park

Some of the proposed conditions included:

• A noise wall to not upset the wildlife in the park;

• Stringent plans to control water runoff;

• A public park; and

• A requirement for state departments including the WAPC to see the site prior to approval.

Cr Bull said the WAPC granted the original approval without visiting the site:

“My understanding is when this was approved, there was no site inspection, it was a desktop decision… we don’t know what would have happened had the officers gone out and looked at the site in context of where it was between the Carter’s wetland and the Eric Singleton Bird Sanctuary.”

Councillors Giorgia Johnson and Elli Petersen-Pik voted against it.

Cr Petersen-Pik said; “I cannot support this proposal. While it sounds practical, we should do what’s good for the Eric Singleton Bird Sanctuary.” He said the buffer needed to be bigger.

by DAVID BELL

UGLY empty blocks are in the sights of Vincent mayor Emma Cole.

She wants to stop the demolition of houses that leaves some streets looking like broken-toothed smiles.

Up until 2015 developers needed planning approval before councils would let them knock down an existing house. The state government scrapped that rule and houses that might have heritage potential—but haven’t yet been reviewed or listed—can now be flattened.

Another concern is that people can clear-fell a whole block, getting rid of trees and the house, creating increasingly nullarborous suburbs.

Vincent council’s been calling for the state government to reintroduce the old “approval- first” demolition rule, but in the meantime Ms Cole wants to look at other options to stop the bulldozing, saying she’s aware that means challenge state rules.

by DAVID BELL

PERTH lord mayor Lisa Scaffidi has been suspended for seven months over her travel and gift declaration scandal.

SAT originally found her to have committed 45 breaches by not properly declaring gifts and travel contributions, but she appealed and the supreme court knocked out 26.

Her original punishment of 18 months disqualification was tossed out under appeal and she’ll now serve the seven month suspension starting Friday.

But she’s already suspended anyway as the state government inquiry into her council drags on, and the current punishment will be served concurrently.

AMIDST the hurley-burley of a protest against a visiting Canadian urging Australia to stronger action against refugee boats, Aboriginal activist Caroline Kirk noticed a tide turning in her own world.

The Koori Ngemba woman says she’s noticed a thawing of relations with the police who helped keep the peace between her United Against Bigotry and Racism colleagues and alt-right group True Blue Crew outside the screening of journalist Lauren Southern’s documentary about violence on South Africa farms.

Politically-charged

A year ago Ms Kirk was in cuffs at the politically-charged protests against the Roe Highway extension through the Beeliar wetlands where police used pepper spray liberally, but says this time round the most she faced was a request not to swear.

“When I was at Roe 8 I was frightened of them, and today I go up to them and talk to them and they talk back nicely. It’s not degrading and they give me respect,” she says.

Earlier this month WA police commissioner Chris Dawson offered an historic apology to Aboriginal people for their treatment by police, saying they faced racism and “unconscious bias”.

Perth superintendent Peter Hatch was pleased with the feedback.

“Members of the public have a right to protest, and WA Police Force is committed to maintaining public safety and ensuring these events are conducted in a lawful manner,” Supt Hatch said.

Meanwhile inside the convention centre Ms Southern was urging Australians to reject multiculturalism.

“It really seems that you guys are at a crossroad,” Ms Southern addressed Aussie fans in a publicity video for the event.

“Do you want to retain your culture, do you want to retain your borders, family, identity, or will the boats keep coming, will the ‘no go zones’ keep growing and will you become another victim of multiculturalism.”

There were clashes outside Ms Southern’s Melbourne gig, with the Victorian police reportedly handing her a $60,000-plus bill for covering the event.

by MOLLY SCHMIDT

A PERTH payroll manager is concerned a lot of businesses are breaching new legislation that requires companies with 20 or more staff to report payroll and superannuation data every time employees are paid.

The Single Touch Payroll legislation came into effect on July 1 this year, and easigroup CEO Ross Elford says many businesses are oblivious to the changes.

“The onus is on the employers to stay up to date with legislative requirements,” says Mr Elford.

“The information isn’t widely broadcast as tax offices are under no obligation to do so.”

Business will be charged 15 cents per employee, every time a payroll is transacted, and could have to purchase or upgrade their payroll software to comply with regulations.

“So if you have 100 employees costing you 15 cents every week of the year, that’s $780 a year just so the government can have access to all reporting requirements,” Mr Elford says.

Fremantle Chamber of Commerce CEO Olwyn Williams says the new legislation is “more red tape” and has a significant impact on privacy of both employers and employees.

“It’s truly big brother stuff. They are watching and will have access to what your company is doing all the time with every pay cycle,” she says.

“This year the biggest impact will be for those businesses with a payroll with over 20 people but not using an up-to-date software package. If your payroll system doesn’t connect by now, you should be getting on with it.”

She’s concerned small businesses will take a real hit because many operate without dedicated payroll staff.

Ms Williams says the extent of data sharing will mean the government will be able to check if employees are being paid properly and also if they are toeing the line with Centrelink and visa requirements.

“If you’re doing the right thing, you’re not going to get in trouble but it’s a mammoth increase to the amount of data the government has.”

Mandatory

The new legislation will become mandatory for businesses with less than 20 employees from July next year.

Mr Elford says the legislation has been rolled out prematurely.

“They haven’t finished working out what exactly they want,” he says. Certain aspects of reporting aren’t yet clear, like how to report termination payments or foreign income.”

He says its important the broader community is made aware of the changes.

“It’s a very real issue.”

If you’d like to know more you can find an information sheet and checklist at this link: https://hr3.com.au/blog/2018/4/18/single-touch-payroll-whitepaper-and-checklist-2018.

by MOLLY SCHMIDT

THE relationship between environments and identities is the overarching theme of Cool Change Contemporary’s inaugural exhibition in Perth.

CCC is a new artist-run-initiative by seven locals who have experience in “creating visible spaces for early career artists to be exhibiting,” says group member Melissa McGrath.

Despite the “cyclical” nature of artist-run-initiatives around Perth and Australia, Ms McGrath says artists have “a long history of making things happen”.

“The initiative is an exciting opportunity for the Perth community to come together and learn about early year artists.”

The program commences with three solo shows by Eric C and Paul Sutherland from WA, and Oliver Hull from Victoria.

Emerging artists

In gallery one, through the medium of cyanotype –  a technique that exposes print or textiles to sunlight to create images – Eric C examines how we assert our identity in a space, while being connected to broader groups and environments.

In gallery two, award-winning artist Paul Sutherland will be Keeping Busy, an exhibition that has video, installation and performance elements.

His art focuses on how the digital realm can provoke different feelings of isolation, connectivity and communication.

Oliver Hull’s exhibition in gallery three looks at the “different ways of measuring the weather”, group member Melissa McGrath says.

“Traditionally we measure the weather by looking at things like humidity or temperature,” she says.

But Hull’s show The Gift (meanwhile those who compute the weather should breathe of it freely), utilises non-traditional elements like plants to gain a more holistic awareness of weather.

The solo exhibitions run August 3-25 at the Bon Marche Building, 74-84 Barrack Street, in Perth’s CBD.

Following the inaugural exhibition, the group will be showcasing emerging artists on a monthly basis.

by WADE ZAGLAS