Perth Voice Interactive

GIVING concession card holders discounts on fines could help reduce high incarceration rates for Aboriginal people in WA, says a North Perth law student.

Murdoch uni third-year student Caitlin Joensson recently had one of her assignments accepted into an official federal government inquiry into indigenous incarceration rates.

“Non-payment of fines may not be the offence for which we see the biggest issue in our justice system, however the high turnover of prisoners it accumulates largely effects prison dynamics and creates socially undesirable groups in both prisons and indigenous communities,” Ms Joensson wrote.

A 2016 report by the Office of the Inspector of Custodial Services found that Aboriginal women were by far the biggest cohort facing cell time for fine defaulting.

Ms Joensson says this can be attributed to reduced financial capacity, itineracy and lower literacy levels.

“Currently legislation does not consider the disproportionate impact that fines have on people who are disadvantaged financially or socially,” Ms Joensson says.

“The implementation of concession infringement notices would allow for those disadvantaged to receive more proportionate punishments while also implementing limits on who is able to claim this disadvantage.”

Ms Joensson also called for the scrapping of legislation that’s used to send fine defaulters to prison, and increasing use of community-based programs to discourage repeat offenders.

She says the high indigenous incarceration rates are a sign Australia is failing to uphold the rule of law, which calls for legal processes to be accessible to all. And that distrust of governments, living in remote communities and not being given the opportunities to learn about their rights and obligations mean indigenous people are not able to access the legal system effectively.

Ms Joensson says prior to making her submission, she’d been able to discuss the impacts of being imprisoned for fine defaulting with an indigenous community member.

“We discussed different options for change and this interview really affected the way I now approach this issue,” she said.

by STEVE GRANT

SUPERTRAWLERS will be back in Australian waters following the Turnbull government’s slashing of proposed marine parks, says Federal Labor MP Josh Wilson.

Mr Wilson calls the cutbacks to Labor’s planned national network of sanctuaries “the largest act of marine vandalism in Australia’s history”.

But federal environmnet minister Josh Frydenberg says the new plans, endorsed by the Senate last week deliver a “balanced and scientific evidence-based approach to ocean protection”. The plans would also open 17 per cent more park area to commercial fishing.

“Make no mistake, the only reason for removing these sanctuary zones is to open the way for industrial fishing and super-trawlers in these far offshore locations,” says Mr Wilson. “We are already seeing a regional increase in this form of brutal, indiscriminate fishing, and if the government has its way, Australia will be next.”

Late last year, the department of environment received 82,000 submissions about the proposed network, with 92 per cent calling for more stringent protection of marine areas.

Former federal MP Melissa Parke lobbied hard to get the original park plan through under Kevin Rudd, and says she’s appalled by the cutbacks.

Blatant lies

“I know that Fremantle people will be appalled by the Turnbull government’s changes to marine parks and I also know that Fremantle people will continue to fight for the protection of our oceans which are after all the blue heart of the planet,” Ms Parke said.

Three WA sanctuaries are affected, including one at the head of the Perth Canyon off Rottnest Island, a feeding area for the protected blue whale.

But the head of the Seafood Industry Australia says there are no plots to bring back super-trawlers and it’s just a Labor/Greens fear campaign to derail the current park plans.

“These management plans do not and will not have any impact on the number of fish being caught in Australian waters,” SIA CEO Jane Lovell told the Voice.

“The plans are based on the latest independent scientific research and extensive community consultation.

“Labor and the Green’s repeated comments that Commonwealth marine parks are being ‘slashed’ are blatant lies

“In 2012 Labor tabled plans that were never accepted or passed. Saying they were is like saying a letter to Santa is a binding agreement to deliver.”

Ms Lovell says Labor’s proposed network had no management plans to govern their use, and therefore no protection.

She says parks aren’t a fisheries management tool, as there’s a number of government agencies that look at stock data to determine quotas for various zones and species.

“Fisheries management agencies are how we make sure there are enough fish in the ocean, not through marine parks. Marine parks ensure there are protections in place for ecological features, not fish stocks,” she says.

by ALICE ANGELONI  and STEVE GRANT

AARON STONEHOUSE is the Liberal Democrat MLC for South Metro. On Sunday he joined thousands of people protesting against the violence being inflicted on white farmers in South Africa. This is a shortened version of the speech he gave at the rally.

I’VE caught a bit of flak recently for voicing my concern for the welfare of white farmers in South Africa.

In case you aren’t already aware, I’m a member of the Liberal Democrats, a libertarian political party in Australia. We don’t particularly like identity politics or looking at the world through the lens of race. We treat people as individuals and we judge them by their actions, not by the colour of their skin.

So why would I care about the plight of white farmers in South Africa, you wonder? Well, it’s simple: white farmers are being attacked in South Africa, their own government is fuelling the fire, and hardly any other government or organisation in the world are talking about it.

I care about this issue because I am a Christian, a libertarian and a member of this extended family of nations that you’d call the West.

You’re probably already aware of this but, people who live in the West have a lot in common.

There is a reason why a young boy or girl in South Africa can grow up to become a member of parliament or a businessperson here in Australia. And I think a lot of has to do with our shared values.

The South African people and the Australian people share the same values. We are derived from the same European experience of crossing into the great unknown with nothing but our swag by our side and our crosses by our heart.

Not knowing how things would turn out, but having faith and a dream of a new life.

And so we Europeans found ourselves in these strange new lands. Some of us came to call South Africa home.

Others came to call the Americas home. And those, like most of us here today, came to call Australia and New Zealand home.

Yet even though we found ourselves in these disparate places, separated by great tides, deserts and climates—we still share the same values that our ancestors did all those years ago.

Shared values 

The right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion are values that motivated the Pilgrims to leave the old world and settle in the Americas. They are values that we, their descendants, and others who have added to our experience, share today.

The right to speak your own language, farm your own land and teach your own children are values that motivated the Boers to trek inlands and build themselves new nations. They are values that we, their descendants, and others who have added to our experience, share today.

The right to chart your own destiny in life, free of any baggage caused by nobility or birth are values that motivated many in the British Isles to seek a new life in Australia.

They are values that we, their descendants, and others who have added to our experience, share today.

The reason why I seek to remind you of our common heritage and our shared values is because I, and we as a bloc, have received a great deal of criticism for expressing our concern for the welfare of other individuals in this space that we call the West.

We have been called racists, fear mongers and agents of division. Let me be clear. Our feelings are not motivated by hate, but rather by love. We love our neighbours and we want nothing but good things for them.

Whether we do so as a result of our Christian faith, any other faith or humanist principles, is irrelevant. We’re all a part of the same experience that has led us to the same conclusion: that an egalitarian, just and liberal society is the best way to organise communities of people.

That’s why whenever any form of totalitarian regime emerges, we rebel against it. We did so against the politics of discrimination against indigenous peoples in Australia.

We did it against the great evil of apartheid in South Africa.

And now, we must do so again against the economic vandalism and racial violence that is occurring in South Africa today…

The point I make in my remarks today is that human rights are universal, and racism is intolerable.

Do not let anyone make you feel ashamed for taking a stand for human rights, and for taking a stand against racism.

Every person, regardless of the colour of their skin, has a right to life, liberty and property, and we are custodians of those values.

We have an obligation to speak out when they are being violated.

CYCLING in Vincent is set to become a lot safer with the installation of bike lanes along a “cycling blackspot” on Loftus Street.

The McGowan government and Vincent council are contributing $210,000 each to install bike lanes on both sides of Loftus, between Vincent and Richmond Streets.

The upgrade will include a 1.6-metre-wide separated path southbound and a 3-metre-wide shared path on the northbound side, which will travel through Keith Frame Reserve and connect to Richmond Street.

Perth Labor MP John Carey—a former Vincent mayor who had spearheaded more local spending on bike infrastructure said Loftus St “is a little cycling blackspot.”

“It’s all about trying to separate cyclists from motorists and getting more people to cycle. Not just the lycra set, but mums, dads, children and others”.

Vincent mayor Emma Cole says: “We want to make our streets greener, safer, more liveable and easier to get around for pedestrians and cyclists”.

“Many cyclists use Loftus Street for their daily commute or to connect to key Vincent destinations.

“The new bicycle lanes will improve north-south connections and better integrate with east-west cycle routes.”

This reporter rides the route to the International Beer Shop and can confirm it’s rough: you can either take your chances on the road or ride real slow on the footpath and try not to get flattened by a reversing car coming out of a driveway.

The new bike lanes will also connect up to the Mount Hawthorn bike boulevard, which will extend east-west from the bike lanes along the Freeway to the bike lanes on Loftus Street.

No car lanes will be removed and nearby residents will be consulted on the bike path design before it is finalised.

by DAVID BELL

ANTI-SOCIAL behaviour in Maylands town centre is so bad locals are threatening vigilante action against frequent offenders.

An anonymous post on the Maylands Crime Watch Facebook page says: “I’ve given up on the rangers.

“There’s a group of 3-6 individuals (the numbers change each night) camped out in the alcove behind the Maylands post office, in the carpark between Eighth Avenue and Ninth Avenue.

“They’ve been there for several days; drinking, fighting, urinating and defecating in the carpark, peering into cars, kicking car doors, screaming at each other and anyone who walks past. At all hours of the night.

“We’ve called the rangers several times and I literally watched the most recent visit; the ranger vehicle did a slow lap of the carpark, shone its light on the group, and moved on.

“My girlfriend walks through the area and my mother parks there when she comes to visit.

“If something is not done soon my friends and I will move the group on ourselves.

“All of their belongings will be removed and destroyed.

“I’m sick of it,” the poster concluded.
The Voice visited the area at midday on Tuesday, and it was quiet, but later that night the anti-social behaviour kicked off again.

A nearby resident reported that yelling, swearing, property damage and bottle smashing started at 1.30am on Wednesday morning and continued for more than an hour.

Bottle smashing

Sometimes the number of campers swell to 16 and the smaller core group has been living around the town centre for more than a year now.

The spot they’re camping on is private property, which puts Bayswater Council rangers in a bind.

Mayor Dan Bull says “We always assist wherever we can, however because this is occurring on private land the city’s rangers do not have the legal authority to enter private property and ask people to leave.

“The landowner should contact the WA Police and the Maylands Local Policing Team if antisocial behaviour is occurring.

“If the issue is one of homelessness; it is a complex area requiring a multiagency approach to tackle.

“In that regard, the city is in regular discussion with State government agencies that are responsible for helping the homeless, as well as other key stakeholders to explore what can be done.

“We have developed a resource pack that our rangers can provide to homeless people. It lists agencies and services that they can contact for help.

“Our rangers also work closely with Nyoongar Outreach Services who regularly patrol Maylands, Bayswater and Morley.

“They are able to make a difference on the ground by putting the homeless in contact with much needed support services.

“This month the city has organised two community safety forums that will be attended by the WA Police and Ruah Community Services, and they represent an opportunity for the community to provide feedback and ask questions.”

The forums stem from a notice of motion put up by new ward councillor Elli Petersen-Pik late last year, after the issues of antisocial behaviour in the area kept popping up during his doorknockign during the election.

“We will have police, the rangers, and social services there, people can come and say what the issues are and what solutions they expect,” he says.

“I’m hopeful that many people do come and tell us clearly and united if they do want us to put more resources into this area.”

Defecating

Ward councillor Catherine Ehrhardt says she hopes no vigilante action goes ahead but she says it can be tough getting the proper authorities down there.

On March 24 she saw one of the regular troublemakers beat a woman, then drag her around by her hair.

“I called 000 twice,” says Cr Ehrhardt.

“Three other people called … one of them twice as well, and it took one hour for police to attend a man that was assaulting a woman”.

There are forums at Maylands Autumn Centre on April 16, and at Morley Noranda Recreation Club on April 23, both at 6pm. RSVP at http://www.bayswater.wa.gov.au/residents/security-watch

by DAVID BELL