PERTH churchgoers, community groups and activists will take to the streets on Palm Sunday to lobby for a “humane approach to asylum seeker policy”.
Now in it’s fourth year, the Walk for Justice for Refugees usually attracts around a thousand participants.
Perth Uniting Church is heading up the rally, along with 36 other church and community groups.
James Jegasothy, a board member of the Centre for Asylum Seekers, Refugees and Detainees, arrived in Australia as a Tamil refugee with his family from Sri Lanka.
• Rev Steve Francis, Tamil refugee James Jegasothy, and the Palm Sunday donkey. Photo supplied
He says he has been amazed that so many diverse organisations, including the Red Cross and Unions WA, have supported the walk.
“It shows the real breadth of community concern about this issue,” Mr Jegasothy says.
“West Australians want to see our government treat people fairly and decently.”
Uniting Church moderator Steve Francis said refugees are punished by the federal government’s “unfair approach” and he believes most Australians think offshore camps should be closed.
“The victimising of asylum seekers entered Australia’s politics more than 15 years ago, but Australians have always welcomed people from around the globe and continue to be compassionate to people in need,” Rev Francis says.
“The responsible solution is to bring the people on Manus Island and Nauru to Australia.
“While people are still suffering the negative impacts of the Australian government’s harsh immigration policies, we will walk.”
As part of the Palm Sunday rally there will be a re-enactment of Jesus’ famous donkey ride, with Hay Street mall substituting for Jerusalem.
The walk is on Sunday (April 9), 1pm, starting at St George’s Cathedral in Perth.
THUNDEROUS chants of “Stand Up, Fight Back” echoed throughout Forrest Place on Monday as protesters mobilised an emotionally-charged demonstration against penalty rate cuts and casualisation of the workforce.
Sally McManus, secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, captivated the boisterous crowd with a passionate speech that described big corporations as “criminal” for underpaying workers and evading taxes.
“Too much wealth and too much power has gone to the top,” Ms McManus said.
• Sally McManus.
“They just go about breaking the laws and avoiding the laws that our parents and our great-grandparents have built.
“So when they don’t like our tax laws they just ignore them, or they get around them.
“We will not accept a society where rules are written just for the rich.
“We will lead a movement, a fight to bring fairness back to Australia.”
The rally follows last month’s controversial announcement by the Fair Work Commission to reduce Sunday and public holiday penalty rates for full-time and part-time workers in hospitality, retail and fast-food.
The commission justified the decision by stating the cuts allow businesses to employ more weekend staff.
A COUPLE undertaking a citizens’ science project have discovered three mini-versions of the Great Pacific garbage patch off WA’s coast.
The worst-affected area is in the fragile and remote Ningaloo Reef, where Jamie and Base Van Jones collected 13 pieces of micro-plastic from a square metre of beach.
Another hotspot at the Monte Bello Islands was piled with food packaging which appeared to have originated from Indonesia and Malaysia.
But the Fremantle couple, who spent eight months cruising WA’s mid-coast on their 11-metre yacht Charade while doing 36 debris surveys, said a patch off the back of Dirk Hartog Island was truly international.
“What was amazing about that patch was it was international, and from the packaging you could see where everything had come from; Asian countries and even as far away as Europe,” Ms Van Jones told the Voice.
• Jamie and Base Van Jones have discovered three marine debris hotspots off the WA coast. Photo by Steve Grant
Plastic bag beach
Mr Van Jones says some may have been come from vessels on their way around the southern coast of Australia, but he believes the wide range of countries represented and variety of rubbish indicates much has been brought by the major currents that swirl around the Indian Ocean.
Ms Van Jones says that two months before their visit, volunteers from the Sea Shepherd Marine Debris Campaign did a clean-up at the beach, so they’d probably seen it at its best.
“The worst spot was in the middle of Ningaloo at a place called Point Cloates, where on the south side there was mainly fragmented plastic, while on the northern side, which we called Plastic Bag Beach, there was plastic bags from all over,” Ms Van Jones says.
“There were so many plastic bags.”
Ningaloo was previously identified by the WA Museum as a “natural shipwreck trap” because of the ocean currents; in fact, the story goes the first Ningaloo Station homestead was built using flotsam from shipwrecks because the native timber isn’t much chop.
Mr and Mrs Van Jones warn that the conditions that create the trap at Ningaloo may present a threat to migrating humpback whales and whale sharks.
“With Coates Point, when you look on the chart it sticks out, and it’s where the south-flowing Leeuwin current meets the Ningaloo current, which is north-flowing,” Mr Van Jones says.
“That creates a swirl that concentrates the krill, and that’s why the whale sharks come there.”
Sobering
His wife finishes: “If the plastic is coming onto the beach, then it is in the water, and there is a lot of filter feeders like humpbacks so there’s a chance of them ingesting it with the krill.”
The pair’s research has been submitted to a national marine debris database being collected by the Tangaroa Blue Foundation.
Ms Van Jones says that while the find was sobering, they didn’t want to give the impression that it was all doom and gloom off WA’s coast.
“There are still some pristine beaches,” she says.
“We walked for five kilometres along one beach and found just one Coke lid, and while we were a bit sad to find it, at least we had to look pretty hard to find it.”
The couple self-fund their citizens’ science projects by running boat charters out of Fremantle.
They’re already in the throes of organising their next trip, which will involve kayaking the length of Ningaloo and conducting in-water surveys along the way. They’re hoping to work with the Sea Shepherd campaign to have a bunch of volunteers cleaning up at the end of the trek.
They’ve already got one of the kayaks, which has extra space for a camera operator, but are crowdfunding for a second one.
For a copy of their report or a squizz at life onboard the Charade, head to http://www.saltytimes.com
MAYLANDS MP Lisa Baker will speak at a rally opposing greyhound racing in Victoria Park on Sunday (April 9).
The Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds and animal welfare group “Shut it Down” are organising a national day of action with rallies across the country.
When Victorian premier Mike Baird almost banned greyhound racing in his state (he flip-flopped) the peak body here, Greyhounds WA, said the local industry had been unfairly tarnished by the bad actions of a few trainers over east, and live baiting did not occur here.
In the most recent published annual report members are also urged to “put the welfare of our greyhounds at the core of all our decisions”.
• Many long doggos are put down every year because they’re not very fast or they hurt their lanky legs while trying to race. Photo supplied
Injured
Last year in parliament Ms Baker asked how many greyhounds were being put down here in WA as a result of greyhound racing. According to statistics from Racing and Wagering WA, in one year at least 477 dogs were put down because they got injured, weren’t very good at racing, or couldn’t be rehomed.
A petition Ms Baker presented to parliament last September stated “Thousands of healthy greyhounds are killed each year because they aren’t fast enough to win. Nine out of 10 greyhounds born into this industry won’t live out a full life”.
Ms Baker told the Voice the public’s getting increasingly concerned about the welfare of greyhounds being bred for the industry and “Racing and Wagering WA have acknowledged that greyhound racing is losing its ‘social licence’ to operate but unfortunately the steps it has taken to improve the welfare of WA’s greyhounds are unlikely to resolve all of these issues”.
Ms Baker points out the industry is currently subsidised by the WESTCHA$E scheme funded by RWWA and “questions continue to be asked about how much taxpayer money should be used to support greyhound racing in WA”.
Killed
With hundreds of greyhounds “killed or added to overcrowded animal shelters every year, we have to ask why continue the current WESTCHA$E incentive scheme which encourages the breeding of even more greyhounds,” she says.
“I question the logic of this scheme which encourages overbreeding and ‘wastage’ and suggest it’s time to review its success in achieving effective animal welfare outcomes.”
“It’s time that we stopped encouraging the overbreeding of greyhounds in WA.”
The rally is at McCallum Park this Sunday at 10am.
WA POLICE has sent letters to residents in East, West and central Perth warning them about a spate of secure garage break-ins.
Officer Jason Savage says a lot of people might not be as diligent locking their vehicle when parking it in a “secure” carpark, but crooks have cottoned on to slipping in when the door is still open.
“The common misconception is that if you’re parked securely underground, your car is safe from crime,” he wrote.
“That is not the case, with theft occurring in underground car parks across Perth.”
• WA Police officer Jason Savage has a warning for garage parkers.
Drug use
There’ve been reports of theft from cars, stolen bikes, drug use and even squatting in carparks.
“Our advice is simple: If you do park your car in a secure carpark, avoid becoming complacent and always lock your car,” Sen Const Savage wrote.
“Also be aware of your surroundings when entering and exiting the parking area and check if anyone is illegally gaining entry by taking advantage of the gate being left open.”
Sen Const Savage says some people put spare house keys in the car park and crooks have been smashing them open and getting access to their apartments.
Police are putting up signs at garages, urging people to wait for the gates to close before driving off, and to “report any pedestrian access immediately to police: 131 444.”
Police are also handing out fliers reminding people “your vehicle is like a shop window” and advising motorists to keep valuables out of sight, even when in an underground carpark.
Sen Const Savage is compiling a list of building and strata managers so he can keep in contact and advise them of theft hotspots.
Managers can send their details to perth.police.station@police.wa.gov.au.
AFTER an environmental stand-off, controversial earthworks next to Bayswater wetlands are about to restart.
Many locals were distraught when bulldozers rolled in last year to start preliminary works on the Skipper’s Row housing subdivision, owned by the family of late Bayswater mayor John D’Orazio.
That site had almost no greenery but the preliminary works, approved by the WA Planning Commission, allowed them to partly encroach on the neighbouring wetlands owned by the Carter family (with that owners’ consent) and many trees were felled.
• Bayswater wetlands beside the earthworks.
At the urging of Bayswater council, then-planning minister Donna Faragher put a stop to the works last July, so the controversial WAPC approval could be investigated.
On April 3 Bayswater council conditionally gave the go-ahead for preliminary works, providing it didn’t impact on the neighbouring Carter’s wetland.
The approved earthworks involve putting down dirt that will be allowed to settle for 12 months before any further work goes ahead.
Meanwhile, Bayswater council is pressing ahead with plans to buy the Carter wetlands and spend $1.5million on restoring it to full health.
For this to happen, WA Labor would need to honour its pre-election pledge to buy the block.
VINCENT mayor Emma Cole has sought to clarify “inaccuracies” in a widely disseminated letter opposing Rosewood’s upgrade of its Cleaver Street aged home.
The letter by the Cleaver Precinct Action Group states: “The Rosewood Aged Care Group is on the verge of gaining approval for a monstrously high building in your neighbourhood” and urges locals to contact their south ward councillors to put a stop to it.
Precinct group chair Alf Parolo told this week’s council meeting “the flyer was issued as a result of confusion” and it’s easy to see why: locals have to decipher a Byzantine planning approvals process with three overlapping bodies — councillors, the city’s staff, and the Development Assessment Panel.
• The Cleaver Precinct Action Group’s letter.
Imposing
The letter states Rosewood’s 26m-tall design was “approved by council” but deferred by the DAP until they could look at making the development less imposing.
But Ms Cole explained the council hadn’t approved the DA and city staff can only make a recommendation to the DAP.
She also contested the letter’s claim that the proposal was “rushed through by council”.
Mr Parolo told Tuesday’s meeting the project was snuck through in December when ratepayers were busy in the lead-up to Christmas.
“It’s really quite offensive that such a large proposal, $50m to $60m, is advertised in that period,” he says.
Ms Cole said that under state law, Vincent council staff had 81 days to come up with a recommendation to DAP after they received the application on November 17.
By law, they only had to advertise is for 14 days.
“However, given the Christmas/New Year period, the city’s officers extended the advertising period for an additional 28 days,” and they sent out 446 letters to owners and occupiers within 150m of the site, advertised in the Voice, put up a sign and got 105 separate submissions (a relatively high response rate for consultation).
A revised report to the DAP is imminent and its three-appointed experts and two Vincent councillors (Matt Buckels and Josh Topelberg) will make the final decision.
While there has been a lot of community concern about the height of the project, there is some sympathy for Rosewood.
The not-for-profit’s CEO Mario Zulberti says the upgraded facility will provide 100 new beds to help meet a drastic shortage in WA and Rosewood’s spending $500,000 restoring the heritage-listed Florence Hummerston Lodge.
In December he said it was a good location for seniors in the community and they “do not deserve to be shipped off to a back lot on the outskirts of Perth to live in isolation”.
Local Deirdre James agreed and got in touch with the Voice after receiving the precinct group’s flyer. “I am one of the local ratepayers in favour of encouraging investment and progress within our community,” she says.
“What about the much-needed beds for the elderly? What about bringing specialist services to our community? What about the 200-plus jobs created? So many reasons to support this.
“We live in a mixed-use urban area. If people don’t want this sort of develoment — move to the country I say.”
Forgive me, father…
RELIGIOUS organisations like the Australian Christian Lobby and more broadly the religious right have, by opposing marriage equality, crossed the line from defending Christian rights (which is wholly acceptable) to encroaching on the rights of others.
The government is complicit in this, and is making non-Christians obey religious rules.
Marriage is a legal contract that provides significant financial and legal benefits, and everyone should have access.
Good people go to church, simply assuming that the hard-earned money they put in the collection box goes to those in need.
Instead, it gets funnelled to the ACL who donated $30,000 to the Liberal National Party last year, influencing theocratic policies that affect us all. This is a scam and we’re all paying for it.
There is not one legitimate reason why some people in our society have more rights than others, it’s time to move forward. David Evans Federation St, Mt. Hawthorn
Modern life is rubbish
PERTH Modern is a joke.
It has become a wannabe elite school where students get in based on who you know and not what you know — an aloof bunch of snobs who really should not be considered more than anyone else.
Suck it up and do as your told or leave the school.
Up to you. John Hughes via perthvoiceinteractive.com
GETTING to taste a couple of wines before deciding which one you want?
Now that’s service with a very big smile from the staff at No Mafia.
My dinner companion and I eventually decided on the Sicilian valdibella kerasos — a deep and full-bodied drop that was smooth as silk.
This small bar/eatery in Northbridge was named after the grass roots movement in Italy, where business owners fed up with decades of violence and intimidation put “no mafia” notices on their shopfronts.
After a visit to Sicily a few years ago, No Mafia owners Emma Ferguson and Dan Morris decided to show their support back in Perth.
“It was a very passive movement and we wanted to do our bit,” Ms Ferguson told the Voice, shortly after opening in 2015.
It’s always a joy to find an eatery that has not only maintained its quality, but dare I say become even better.
Share plates are the way to go in small bars, so we started with some first class bread from Fremantle’s Bread in Common, dipped in a really good olive oil and sprinkled with parmesan-infused sea salt.
It set the mood for an enjoyable meal.
Zucchini fritters ($16) were next and the crisp parcels of flavour topped with chilli and gorgonzola aioli were magnifico.
The tang of the gorgonzola came through in a very agreeable coda.
“They are nice and light and very tasty. I really like the aioli,” my companion said.
The mushrooms with sweet corn puree ($24) were more subtle, but no less enjoyable, and the fungi had a pleasant chewiness and the puree a polenta-like texture.
The piéce de résistance was the squid with chickpea, tomato and chorizo ($24).
The pan fried tubes melted in the mouth and were smothered in a rich tomato sauce with a chilli kick.
“They are so tender and the salami is excellent and spicy,” my mate opined.
The dessert menu looked appealing, especially the orange semifreddo, almond crumble, with Campari honey ($13), but we were heading to the State Theatre, and time so pleasantly spent had gotten away from us.
by JENNY D’ANGER
No Mafia 1890 William Street, Northbridge 6162 6405
ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20) It’s truth time. All the adventures and encounters you have instigated over the last few weeks have now run their course. Here is where you get to see where you have acted wisely and where perhaps not. Others won’t be inhibited in offering their experiences and opinions. Take it in sagely.
TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 20) You now have Mercury and Mars in your midst; and both are behaving gently. Mars’ normal propensity for getting into scrapes has been tempered by your steadiness. He is absorbing good advice about needing to consider aesthetics as well as effectiveness. Mercury brings clarity.
GEMINI (May 21 – June 21) The Sun is in a reflective sector of Aries. The feisty charge that has been in the air of late is presently tempered. Mercury is in rock-steady Taurus, slowing you down and encouraging you to keep your feet on the ground. Listen to what your body has to say. It is perhaps wiser than your mind.
CANCER (June 22 – July 22) The Moon is rising to fullness. She will be doing her level best to bring harmony and equilibrium. If you want to support her, communication is going to be the key. By saying what you have to say, you will soon know whether others are empathic or not. It’s a good time to know such things.
LEO (July 23 – Aug 22) As the energy of the Sun’s journey through Aries becomes more reflective, so it wouldn’t hurt for you to have a look into where your emotional nourishment is coming from. Even lions need cuddles. As the Moon becomes full, redress your relationships. Acknowledge your needs.
VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sept 22 The Moon begins her week in Virgo and then becomes full in Libra. You are in her hands for the next few days. She castes her silvery light into your feeling world. Feelings that you never really suspected were there are heading up to the surface. She will help you find a deeper balance.
LIBRA (Sept 23 – Oct 23) The Moon will be full in Libra this week. Add that to the large presence of Jupiter and there is a lot of cosmic power pointing in your direction. There is a good chance that you and like-minded others will start moving towards addressing some of the worlds present glaring imbalances.
SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 21) Relationships are the key point of your focus. Even the Aries Sun has gone reflective. With the full Moon coming in the sign of Libra this month, the message for all is to find empathy and do something about imbalances. Bring your honesty and intensity to the table in a creative way.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21) After a phase where there has been a lot of action and a lot of feelings expressed, it’s important to take time to reflect. Now is that time. The general social and political milieu requires the voice of wisdom to speak it’s piece. Share what you know. Powerful challenges evoke fresh responses.
CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19) Goats can be a little prone to dour feelings when the going gets tough. To be able to register some of the amazing things that are going on unreported in the world, you would be best to tap into Mars, who is over in Taurus. His present brief is to find delight, no matter what else is going down.
AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18) As the Sun’s journey through inflammatory Aries slows down and becomes more self-reflective, so you are invited to contemplate change. Not being one to totally bow to the status quo, life’s present challenges are insisting that rebelliousness comes with a powerful vision, not just reactivity.
PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20) To figure out what kinds of changes are on the cards, the most creative suggested astrological option, is that you listen to the archetypal messages of your opposite sign, Virgo. The message coming from Virgo is to learn to listen to your body. It speaks quietly. Listen respectfully.
Perth Voice Interactive 