Perth Voice Interactive

Small business tax boost

February 23, 2017

NEW changes to payroll tax are being offered by the Liberal party in a pre-election bid to win over small businesses like Lake Street cafe owner John Vallini.

He’s run Tarts cafe for 10 years and says small business is very sensitive to fluctuations in the economy.

He employs a half dozen staff, but last year was his toughest yet, with the mining slump forcing him to slash staff hours.

“With last year’s downturn we’ve had to let [some staff] go and I’m working more here,” he says.

With a couple weeks till the polls, the state Liberals are offering small businesses cuts to payroll tax, upping the threshold from $850,000 to $900,000 from January 1.

“I think it’s good news for small business,” says Liberal Perth MP Eleni Evangel.

“We should do anything we can do to reduce red tape and assist small business, they’re the largest employee’s in the country.”

The plan’s won praise from the WA chamber of commerce and industry for bringing in new jobs for ”mum and dad businesses”, but Labor shadow treasurer Ben Wyatt called it a “desperate” move.

by DAVID BELL
Beaufort zones out

February 23, 2017

BUREAUCRATIC delays are jeopardising a key planning amendment for zoning on Beaufort Street, says The Mount Lawley Society.

The amendment area, stretching between Salisbury Street and Walcott Street, will introduce new rules for subdivision, protect buildings built prior to 1960, and simplify zoning categories.

The amendment received unanimous support from Stirling council in May last year, but has been held up by the WA Planning Commission and now won’t be considered until after the state election—even though planning commissioner Donna Faragher promised the society it would be heard this month.

“There has been a slight delay as further advice has been sought from the office of the government architect and state heritage,” wrote Ms Faragher in a letter to the MLS.

• Mount Lawley Society members Christina Gustavson, Rita Tognini, Sheila Robinson, Roger Elmitt and Paul Collins. Photo by Steve Grant

Society president Paul Collins say the amendment balances high density development and heritage protection, and enjoys near-unanimous support from the community.

“For the first time all were united in its support. It was then sent to the ministry of planning and it’s been there since,” he says.

“The society really hoped this would be resolved before the election. We were given a commitment as little as three weeks ago, and now this commitment has been broken.

“The consequence of delaying this amendment is it creates greater uncertainty in development for the activity corridor on Beaufort street; heritage buildings are deteriorating because they don’t have the planning certainty for future restoration and redevelopment.”

by TRILOKESH CHANMUGAM
New home for RSL

February 23, 2017

PERTH council has voted to demolish Anzac House on St Georges Terrace and replace it with a 10-level, mixed use facility for the Returned Services League WA.

The new purpose-built facility will provide RSLWA with the ability to take advocacy and welfare to a new level.

The $18.5 million building will include the RSLWA club and offices, a function room, cafe, and commercial office space.
Funding pledges thick and fast

February 23, 2017

THE pre-election funding pledges are bombarding schools, sports clubs and community groups in a last ditch effort to win votes, with the major parties making it rain with promises.

Cash for Mt Lawley society

Mt Lawley Labor candidate Simon Millman has pledged $10,000 to the Mount Lawley Society to help them archive historical documents and plans.

The group fights for preservation of old buildings in the area but currently occupies a 3sqm basement below a commercial kitchen, with drainage pipes running through it.

Society president Paul Collins says “the commitment was unsolicited and came about after Simon Millman… attended our 2016 AGM and heard of the society’s archival and storage woes.”

Because the digs are in such dire states, Mr Collins says “our records are at risk and certainly aren’t available for members to view”.

Stirling council is helping the MLS find a more suitable home and Mr Collins says the Labor pledge will help them pay for new equipment: “Our scanner for digitising our archival is outdated and we lack computers and printers, instead using members’ machines”.

• The Mount Lawley Society’s current digs are’t exactly fancy.

Undercover play

The Liberal party is promising an extra $500,000 for a North Perth undercover play area if reelected.

Perth Liberal MP Eleni Evangel has been lobbying the party for the cash, saying the school desperately needs the undercover area before winter.

She says the school population’s getting so big that not everyone fits in the current assembly area and in recent rainy seasons families have had to watch their kids get awards while standing in the rain.

Pledge for girls’ football

With the launch of women’s AFL getting a huge response and bumper crowds, Mt Lawley Liberal MP Michael Sutherland has pledged $75,000 to help develop girls football if the Blues win the election.

The Coolbinia Bombers will benefit, having been granted a 2017 female football licence, which will let them field girls teams from year 4 to 6 and 7 to 9 this year (and younger girls can play in their AusKick program).

They’ve had a headstart on the girls’ footy phenomenon, with previous president Keith Hennecker starting the district’s first program back in 2006 and their “Bomberettes” expanding every year since.

Registration’s open now at bombersjfc.asn.au/registrations-and-fees/

Not-for-profits
get boost

Maylands Labor MP Lisa Baker has cash promises for NGOs and volunteer organisations in her electorate, with $85,000 to be dolled out among Environment House, the Filipino Australian Club of Perth (based in Bedford, they need cash for a dance floor), Bayswater SES and the Maylands Peninsula Association, which needs a boost to get into the digital age.

Under Labor, local precinct groups Inglewood on Beaufort Inc and the Baysie Rollers will each get $40,000 to keep activating their areas, and there’ll finally be cash for a local loo in the Maylands town centre, alleviating all the problems and accidents that entails.

on the hustings
by DAVID BELL
LETTERS 25.2.17

February 23, 2017

JDAP cares
I THANK the Joint Development Assessment Panel (JDAP) members, made up of three industry experts and our two councillors Joshua Topleberg and Matt Buckles for listening to our Precinct’s concerns on the proposed application submitted by Rosewood Care Group at 67 Cleaver Street.
It included a 421-signature petition, 40 objections, and 5 comment letters from locals clearly indicating that the size and bulk would be an imposition on our residential community and would have an enormous and lasting impact.
The proposed development certainly pushes the envelope, totally out of keeping with the local area and would leave a lasting legacy as a good example of an over-built property.
What the JDAP did acknowledge was community input requesting consideration with respect to height, “institutionalised architecture”, overshadowing, landscaping, commercial content and questioning the number (152) patients for the size of structure that were to be looked after.
The Cleaver Precinct clearly welcomes an aged care facility to exist harmoniously within the surrounding residential precinct, as noted by 60 letters of support to the proposal made up entirely of patients and their families who reside outside the precinct! Objectors to the proposal requested more open consultation with the architectural component, seeking a “win-win” solution between the applicant and the community, requesting a showpiece statement so that the precinct on the outside can enjoy it as well as those on the inside.
Unfortunately it comes down to $$ and time and community gets a “third” on the podium, particularly when there is $15 million of Federal money at stake that Rosewood needs as part of its Not For Profit venture!
Thanks again for listening JDAP.
Alf Parolo
Chair, Cleaver Precinct

Game changer
THE soon to be completed Charles Street bus bridge and bus lane project will bring significant benefits to residents of North Perth and beyond.
The most obvious benefit will be the reduced time it will take for buses to get into and out of the CBD.
For example, the bus stops adjacent to Royal Park (on the corner of Vincent Street) will result in a journey to and from the Perth Bus Station of less than five minutes.
With some innovative thinking, this project could realise other significant benefits and be a game changer for the area along and surrounding Charles Street.
Given the short journey time to the CBD, the desirability of living and operating a business on Charles Street will increase.
There is an exciting opportunity to upgrade the street from its present car-dominated, blighted and degraded state into a world-class activity corridor.
Land use and density should be reviewed and better facilities for pedestrians and cyclists are required.
Powerlines could be placed underground and large shady trees planted.
In addition, the construction of a dedicated southbound bus lane north of Vincent Street is urgently required.
Buses that use Charles Street are often held up by traffic in peak times, which will mitigate the time saving benefits that the bus bridge will bring and therefore, the ability of bus services to attract new patrons that would otherwise drive.
Another exciting opportunity to increase the catchment and patronage of Charles Street bus services, is to encourage people to cycle to identified bus stops by providing secure bike storage facilities.
Initially, an ideal location for bike parking is the Royal Park reserve. To further reward those that ride, bus trips should be free of charge to and from this location.
It would be interesting to hear the views on this matter from candidates running for the seat of Perth in the upcoming State election.
Andrew Main
Alfonso St, North Perth

Ad mad
I RESIDE in the seat of Perth but often travel through the seat of Mt Lawley.
I have endured for eight years close-up images of the ageless face of Liberal candidate Michael Sutherland confronting me on bus stop after bus stop.
Whilst his family may think it is wonderful to travel through a family photo album every day, for me it is visual pollution.
Over in the seat of Perth, about four months ago the Liberal candidate Eleni Evangel went from little advertising to a blitz.
What I find most interesting is that she has had her party logo stripped off many of her billboards and advertisements.
An instance of many is the huge billboard on the corner of Francis and Lake Streets. Another is her advertisement in the last edition of the Perth Voice.
We could say this is smart politicking but for me, either stand with pride or don’t stand at all.
I also received from Eleni a glossy brochure which claimed she was involved in “establishing new Community Gardens” accompanied by a photo of her with a spade in her hand at the North Perth site.
My family has been involved with that project from its inception. To my knowledge Eleni turned up once, had her photo taken, never to be seen again.
Last week I received an official-looking envelope with “Important Postal Vote Information” on it.
Recipients could only conclude it was from the electoral office, but it had come from the Liberal Party and inside was a brochure for Ms Evangel and a postal voting form.
I have spent my long professional life in corporate governance at state, national and international levels.
I demand integrity and transparency from my elected officials.
I sat on the sideline and observed the City of Vincent undertake huge change under John Carey, introducing greater transparency.
I want him in state parliament applying his energy and can-do attitude to forcing similar standards of transparency on that body.
I do not ever want to read again an Auditor-General’s report lamenting the fact that as an independent statutory officer he cannot perform his role because the government will not release information (e.g. the Perth Stadium costs) under the pretext of commercial confidence.
Good governance requires full disclosure.
I am not a member, and have never been a member, of the ALP.
I am not a member of a Union.
I did not know John Carey personally, other than through his mayoral duties until I wrote to him on the November 16, 2016 and said I wanted improved standards of governance in the state parliament and would assist him to that end.
Laurie Factor
Ruby Street, North Perth
The Ed says: This letter was edited for length.
The perils of preferences

February 23, 2017

WITH bookies predicting his seat could go to Labor at the March 11 election, Mt Lawley’s Liberal MP MICHAEL SUTHERLAND writes a midnight lament against the wonky vagaries of the preference system and the “horse trading” that’s let bizarre microparties slip into power with a minuscule sliver of the vote.

THERE has been a lot said and written about the preference deal struck between the Liberal Party and One Nation for the state election.

Giving and taking preferences by parties is a way of ensuring survival of various candidates and also of winning government.

To be elected to the Lower House a candidate must secure 50 per cent plus one, of the total votes cast. It is not unusual for a candidate to rely on preferences from another party, “to get over the line” and win.

The Labor Party almost always preferences the Greens and visa versa. The policies of these parties may and do differ in some major respects but that does not matter, they take each other’s preferences irrespective to maximise their position and win seats.

Perhaps the time has come to amend or move away from the preference system. Must we stick to the preference system simply because it has always been used?

The preference system can be changed to allow optional preferential voting.

This allows voters to decide if they want to have their preference allocated or not.

By numbering more than one box their preferences are distributed, but a vote is still valid if not all boxes are not numbered. At present, unless all boxers are numbered, the vote is invalid; that accounts for the majority of rejected ballots.

The National Party, Greens and minor parties would oppose this change as they are most reliant on having candidates elected on preferences.

If the preference system is scrapped, the “first past the post” system could be introduced.

The candidate with the highest primary vote wins irrespective if they have got more than 50 per cent of the vote. There is no distribution of preferences.

This stops all the pre-election “horse trading” between parties and makes voters decide which candidate and party they really want to represent them without going through a convoluted count and without parties having to do “sweetheart deals” which can come back and bite them.

At the 2013 state election the ALP retained the seats of Maylands and Midland after trailing the Liberal Party on first preferences by 97 and 873 respectively. In the 2016 federal election Jeremy Quinn, Liberal, led Tim Hammond , Labor, by 4133 primary votes and lost. These seats were won by Labor on Green preferences.

To get changes to the system the Electoral Act need to be amended and unless a majority can be obtained in both houses nothing can be done. It would be up to the Liberal and Labor Parties to agree in order to get such a change through.

In the case of micro parties in state Upper House elections, members are elected on a quota system.

The stitching up of preference deals with other micro parties and taking the residual votes from the Libs, Labor and Greens, after a quota for a seat is reached by them, means that a micro party can win a seat with a miniscule first preference vote.

Parties can win a seat after losing their deposit, which is money paid by candidates to the Electoral Commission to stand in an election.

Unless the candidate gets a certain number of votes their deposit is forfeited.

It is laughable for a candidate to be elected on a miniscule primary vote, even more so if that person lost their deposit.

The preference system rendered the NSW Upper House unmanageable. Prior to 2003 there were no less than nine minor parties represented. In the case of NSW legislative change occurred, and micro parties and individuals cannot automatically pass on preferences to each other. The number of parties contesting the Legislative Council fell from 81 in 1999 to 16 in 2003.

Pundits are now predicting that the same problems could beset the WA Upper House.

We could be in for a rough ride causing more disillusionment by the general public about the efficiency of Parliament.
Unchain my heart

February 23, 2017

WITH Fringe World kicking off in Cathedral Square, the swish eateries at the revamped Treasury looked appealing, but unfortunately nearly all the prices dwarfed a journo’s pay.

There was one exception, but that didn’t open in time to make the show, so we ventured east and ended up at City Heart on Pier Street.

The hyperbole on the restaurant’s website reminded me of Sonny Kapoor, the overly enthusiastic manager of the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel:

“Undoubtedly set to be one of the city’s most happening hotspots. [And] with its majestic status, its thousand flavour menu and its irreproachable welcome the City Heart imposes itself as an elegant, trendy and delicious restaurant.”

Trendy it isn’t, and the alfresco tables have seen better days.

But it’s the food that counts, right?

Of course it is, and there was no faulting the delicious dishes from India’s northern states — or the enthusiastic welcome and prompt service.

A mango lassi ($5) is a must at any Indian restaurant and City Heart did this staple justice.

It was so thick it was almost a smoothy and the mango flavours burst through with a roar.

We kicked off with onion bhaji ($6) and an aloo malai tikki ($10).

The onion fritter bhaji were crisp and flavoursome, while the potato and paneer cheese cakes, served with dried nuts and chutney, were out of this world.

For mains D’Angerous Dave and I shared a chilly fish fry, an aloo gobhi, a vegetarian biryani (all $14), and a garlic nan ($4.50).

The spicy batter gave the fish fillets a real zing and we wolfed them down.

Aloo, with its potato and cauliflower, is one of the most popular dishes in northern India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh, and this one was a credit to its popularity.

The potato and cauliflower, nestled in a spicy sauce, retained their texture while being soft enough to require little chewing.

The biryani was dum pukht (slow oven cooked), a technique that gently releases the flavours of the ingredients.

And the basmati rice, with saffron and cardamon, was crammed with flavour, and light and fluffy.

With an exotic and satisfying meal under our belt, we headed off to enjoy the weird and wacky Fringe World.

by JENNY D’ANGER

City Heart
48 Pier Street, Perth
6161 7990
open 7 days lunch and dinner
licenced
Nature collides

February 23, 2017

A NUCLEAR explosion was the first contact Martu elder Nyarri Nyarri Morgan claims to have had with the outside world.

The aftershocks of colonisation were slower to infiltrate the remote desert land he calls home, so Morgan’s country remained relatively untouched by western influence until the mid 20th century.

Growing up, Morgan had no knowledge of western culture and had never laid eyes on a white person.

During the 1950s the isolated town of Maralinga in South Australia was used as the base for a series of nuclear tests conducted by the British army.

As radioactive dust fell on Australia’s remote regions, Morgan — without any knowledge or concept of western culture — perceived these extraordinary atomic explosions as the manifestation of God.

“We thought it was the spirit of our gods rising up to speak with us,” he says.

“Then we saw the spirit had made all the kangaroos fall down on the ground as a gift to us of easy hunting.

“So we took those kangaroos and we ate them,” he claims. “And people were sick. And then the spirit left.”

Collisions is a virtual reality/art experience that transports the viewer to the Pilbara desert where Morgan now lives.

The exhibition is an innovative project by acclaimed Australian artist Lynette Wallworth, whose award-winning art and film pieces have been showcased around the world.

• Nyarri Nyarri Morgan. Photo by Piers Mussared

Trade route

“These Maralinga Tjartuja were largely removed off the area that was taken by the British for testing but there was a trade route through this area that Aboriginal people from other groups moved through,” she says.

“Nyarri was moving through such an area with two family members when he saw the test.”

The film stunningly encapsulates the “dramatic collision between Nyarri’s traditional worldview and the cutting edge of western science and technology,” says Wallworth.

“Nyarri has waited a very long time to tell his extraordinary story. We’ve used the newest technology to talk about something that is ancient in this country.”

The virtual reality headsets break down the passive boundaries of storytelling, and transport the viewer to a 360-degree view of the outback as Morgan takes us on a journey of his homeland.

“The powerful sense of presence in virtual technology makes everything personal”, says Wallworth.

“You’re present, you’re not standing or sitting outside the film, you’re actually inside the world that is being shown to you”.

The piece illustrates the impact of destructive technology on the earth and how this resonates today as Morgan protests against the government’s plans to build a uranium mine on Martu land.

“The film is a gift sent from a private world. It contains an old story held close till now”, says Wallworth.

Collisions is screening at the Perth Institute of Contemporary Art in Northbridge until April 16.

by JASMINE KAZLAUSKAS
ASTROLOGY February 25 – March 4

February 23, 2017

ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)
It’s time to resolve internal conflicts. If you haven’t figured out to be a host to both your adventurousness and your capacity for tender delight, now is the time to do so. Where we are with all our internal guests is reflected in our relationships. They mirror our internal relationships.

TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 20)
If you find yourself coming out with blunt statements reeking of home truth, it’s because Venus is in Aries. She is nudging you to be overt rather than taking the usual path of gentle retreat. You will engender controversy but you will learn a lot in the process. Where is that line in the sand?

GEMINI (May 21 – June 21)
Communication, your usual strong suite, is proving to be seriously obscure territory. This will pass. In the meantime, you would be best to dig down into your feelings and figure out what they are saying. If you can get comfortable with non-verbal interaction, you will remain stress free.

CANCER (June 22 – July 22)
The Moon begins her week in Aquarius. This gives you the sense that you don’t have to be restricted to options that you know. There is room to explore options and alternatives that you have never explored before. The choice is between life and fear. Follow your magnificent courage.

LEO (July 23 – Aug 22)
The Sun is in Pisces. Lions and oceans don’t really mix. Even big pussycats such as yourself are shy of water. Feelings, especially oceanic expanses of feeling, are overwhelming. Your best bet is to knuckle down and do what you need to do to get joyously through your everyday deeds.

VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sept 22
Life isn’t exactly attuned to your conscious agenda. In fact, to all sense and purposes it seems to be opposing you. This means you are going to have to dig deep to get to your most meaningful moves. It takes courage to let go of pre-set agendas. This is what is required. Be unknowing.

LIBRA (Sept 23 – Oct 23)
Venus and Mars are in Aries. Relationships need rejuvenation. Allow yourself the freedom to wish your own wishes. If you are entangled with another, and we all are tangled in one way or another, note the need for freedom in your dance partner/s. Truth is a creative and revitalising force.

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 21)
Every now and again we are gifted a patch of time in space, where we get to ponder the deeper patterns of life. This is one of those times. Exercise your capacity for reflection and philosophise to your hearts content. As you fathom the significance of things, so your motivations deepen.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21)
The planets are set up in such a way that there will be two distinctly different outcomes, depending on how you deal with any power that you might have. If your ego gets in the way and you forego your sensitivity, you will strike all sorts of difficulties. If you are wise, you will flow and fly.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19)
Adventure with awareness and sensitivity. Expand in ways that are just and harmonious. If you tread on the toes of your friends, you will know it – in your belly first. These are sensitive times. To get out of step with the sensitivity of your personal ecosystem will have instant impact.

AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18)
The Moon begins her week in Aquarius. This gives you an emotional charge. No matter what feelings surface, they are all designed to get you to the truth at the core of your being. As you get close to the truth, so you may need to reset your compass. This is a good, revitalising thing.

PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20)
There are plenty of planets in Pisces. They are keeping you company. They are giving you the feeling that you have the strength and integrity to follow through on your deepest wishes. When you move, you really move. There’s no stopping the tide. You are anything but becalmed.
Light of my life

February 23, 2017

YOU can trip the light fantastic at this Maylands home, because everywhere you look are fantastic chandeliers.

Some are elegant oblongs, others are traditional, while at least one is a funky mix of light shade and chandelier.

The generous main bedroom, with french doors to the rear garden, has a chandelier.

As does the ensuite. It’s a classy touch to an elegant room dominated by a solid white-stone bathtub.

Even the laundry has a bit of bling.

This 1912 four-bedroom cottage, sitting on 558sqm in Crawford Road, is gingerbread-house sweet, with a white picket fence, and filagree timber touches on the bullnose verandah.

Manicured lawn, roses, and a wrought iron rotunda add to the charm of this weatherboard dwelling.

The vendors’ spared no expense in restoring the home to its original splendour, with delicate ceiling roses, stained glass front door and windows, fireplaces and polished jarrah floors.

Three of the four bedrooms, and a central lounge, are in the original section of the home.

Step into the rear extension and you’ll find an attractive open plan, with a chandelier dangling over the living space, and a huge bank of casement windows.

Modern kitchen

During renovations 1945 newspapers were found, along with a photo of a mother and child, probably taken in the 1930s, attesting to the home’s distant past.

The original owners would fall in love with the generous modern kitchen, featuring a sweep of white Caesarstone tops, deep white-porcelain sinks (with stylish black taps), and walk-in-pantry.

They would have also felt at home with the cooker—a sparkling take on a massive old wood stove, albeit with an induction top and electric oven.

Whip up something tasty and step head out to the covered alfresco area for a relaxing breakfast, lunch or dinner.

A swathe of grass separates the house from a matching weatherboard garage and workshop, accessed off a right-of-way.

Nearby there’s a heap of funky cafes, restaurants, shops and small bars, as well as Maylands train station.

And the popular Monday night food market is a mere 750m away.

by JENNY D’ANGER

84 Crawford Road, Maylands
from $1.099 million
Natalie Hoye
0405 812 273
Acton Mt Lawley
9272 2488