Perth Voice Interactive

FIFTY protestors gathered outside federal Perth MP Patrick Gorman’s electorate office on Wednesday calling for stronger environmental laws – only to find his office closed.

The protesters say Mr Gorman had been invited to a community forum about new federal environmental law reforms, but when he didn’t respond they decided to bring the event to him.

The Wilderness Society’s Jenita Enevoldsen said it was disappointing to find the office closed when his staff had been advised of the event.

“It’s disappointing that an elected representative has refused to meet with the people he has been elected to represent, particularly on the subject of community participation in our federal environment laws,” Ms Enevoldsen said.

“This is a clear example of why community participation is so important. 

“Today we had 50 people turn up, ready and willing to have a conversation around progressing critical nature protection. 

“Meanwhile, the member for Perth was nowhere to be seen – but there were plenty of police in his place.

Impacts 

Ms Enevoldsen said the protestors want “unacceptable impacts” to be defined in the new nature law reform bills, strong national standards and climate change and deforestation to be addressed in the federal Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.

“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to end deforestation, halt extinctions and ensure that communities have a fair say in environmental decision-making,” Ms Enevoldsen said.

BAYSWATER council may take over responsibility for contacting private property owners about their significant trees to try and encourage more nominations onto the City’s register.

Bayswater’s 2022 Private Trees Policy was recently reviewed, but when it came before the May 6 meeting, Cr Elli Petersen-Pik pushed for more changes because he says its currently so restrictive few trees get nominated and none have been accepted.

Cr Petersen-Pik says the loss of trees on private property is the leading cause for the significant decline of tree canopy in the City. 

He hopes to “significantly reduce the ongoing and unnecessary reduction of mature trees on private land, especially by developers”.

Cr Petersen-Pik wants to follow Mandurah’s lead and have the City contact private owners, rather than leaving that up to ratepayers who are forced under the current policy to approach the owners themselves and get written approval before a nomination can be lodged. 

Under the policy, nominated tree need to be of a significant size as well as having an historical importance or a special genetic value, but Cr Petersen-Pik says that’s too restrictive and needs to be reviewed.

The Bayswater Urban Tree Network fundamentally disagrees with private property owners having veto rights over trees on their land.

The network’s online administrator Greg Smith says there’s currently no regulation of tree-killing on private property in the City unless the tree is heritage listed or on the significant tree list.

“There needs to be a conscious decision made rather than developers clearing the land without thought,” he said.

Mr Smith says these policies were written with “significant bureaucratic hurdles and people haven’t decided to overcome those hurdles to get places listed”.

Regulation

He argues regulation of the private use of land for the benefit of the public is fundamental to town planning. 

Mr Smith says all trees proposed to be removed, and any to be planted as part of a development need to be clearly stated in the plans. 

He says developers’ current modus operandi is to simply clear a site before submitting any application.

“The current policy on town planning is reducing Bayswater’s canopy but increasing the urban heat island effect and making a mockery of Bayswater’s ‘Garden City’ motto,” he told the Voice.

by CINDY CARTOJANO

STIRLING council is planning to increase the number of trees it plants in the coming year by an additional 4000.

Since 2008, the City has planted 962,593 trees and shrubs, with a total of 65,624 trees and shrubs planted in 2022/23. Of those, 8000 were trees.

The City has included $216,420 for its Urban Forest Plan in this year’s budget, aimed at enriching tree retention, planting and canopy coverage across both public and private land. 

“The City recognises the importance of trees to create functional and attractive streets and reserves, and remains committed to the planting, establishment and maintenance of trees with the goal of preserving and improving our tree canopy cover to 18 per cent by 2040,” mayor Mark Irwin said.

This year as part of WA Tree Festival, the City hosted 35 events with over 4500 participants, including providing almost 30,000 free trees and plants to the community. The City is also is hosting a series of five community planting events from May 4 – June 22 in its conservation spaces and reserves.

THE union representing many of Perth’s public transport officers is pushing for body armour to be issued following a rise in violent incidents in the last couple of years.

According to the latest figures from the Public Transport Authority, the number of overall incidents on Perth trains rose from 3204 in 2021/22 to 4081 in 22/23. Bus drivers reported a similar rise from 2916 to 4121 over the same period.

While an increase in smoking and vaping accounted for a significant part of that increase, attacks on drivers and guards rose by more than 50 per cent.

Australian Rail, Tram, and Bus Industry Union WA branch secretary Joshua Dekuyer says train stations and bus interchanges experience a disproportionate number of violent incidents as they are “more confined,” while people prone to violence tend to “utilise the transport network”.

Mr Dekuyer said while working as a transport officer he had been “assaulted a number of times,” with objects ranging from syringes, knives, and an ornamental spear.

“To suggest that these types of experiences aren’t being experienced by officers’ day to day, they would be sadly mistaken,” Mr Dekuyer said.

He says the RTBU is also looking at trying to get body cameras for drivers and guards because of the increasing violence.

The union is also pushing for mandated double-staffed stations to ensure its members’ safety, as many around WA are considered to be “lone working stations,” which are overseen by a single member of staff, for up to 10-11 hours a day.

But Mr Dekuyer says the network under Metronet is growing quicker than the state government can recruit new staff, particularly when they’re competing from the same pool as other professions such as prison guards.

VOICES for Climate sang up a disruptive storm for the Australian Energy Producers’ annual conference at WA Museum Boola Bardip on Monday evening.

VFC sang a re-purposed version of Stop in the Name of Love to draw attention to the capitulation of governments to the short-term lure of gas, coal and oil royalties.

VFC spokesperson Heath Greville said state and federal governments had committed billions of taxpayer dollars to fossil fuel subsidies, ignored science and their own carbon reduction targets. 

“They are actively contributing to what the United Nations has warned is ahead if fossil fuel driven warming continues on its current trajectory; global chaos, war and untold human suffering,” Ms Greville said,

“We are not talking about fringe science, we are talking about the science used by the Bureau of Meteorology, the CSIRO and the Water Corporation. 

“Yet our elected leaders are not listening to their own scientists.”

A MEMBER of a Bayswater tree canopy advocacy group has criticised the local council for considering removing two healthy verge trees because a resident has complained they damage his lawn.

The fate of the two mature melaleuca trees on Bath Road in Morley is up for debate at this month’s council meeting.

The owner had requested their removal due to issues with “root cavity occurring in the lawn and damage to irrigation”. 

The council rejected his initial request in 2020, but in January this year, he emailed again and was incorrectly told by a City employee that the trees needed removal.

Because of the error, City officers have recommend the trees be removed and replaced, arguing the advice would have created an expectation for the owner.

But councillor Elli Petersen-Pik is concerned about the removal of any healthy verge tree without strong justification because the City is “far from reaching our tree canopy targets”.

Cr Petersen-Pik says trees planted along footpaths are crucial to protect pedestrians and cyclists from the sun. 

Bayswater Tree Canopy Advocates member Rhiannon Italiano agrees with him. 

“I don’t think we should be removing trees that are already there given we have such difficulty having trees grow when they’re planted,” Ms Italiano says. 

Growing large, healthy trees is not feasible in Australia’s hot weather, she argues, as it requires significant watering and maintenance. 

“If we could magically transplant two trees that were exactly the same size and be guaranteed they would survive, then that would be fantastic,” she says.

“But unfortunately, that’s not possible.”

Ms Italiano is most concerned about the way the council has dealt with the request as she believes it sets a dangerous precedent. 

“It’s a concern that if someone is given incorrect information, what the City’s response to that might be,” she said.

“They might actually agree to whatever action has been promised in that incorrect information.”

by CINDY CARTOJANO

A $925 MILLION domestic violence package in last week’s federal Budget is “weak” and “tokenistic” says one of the organisers of last month’s rally in Perth.

The Albanese government’s five-year Leaving Violence Programme, is designed to help people leave abusive relationships and to provide support for up to 12 weeks, including $5000 in cash and pre-paid goods and services.

Anguish

Frances Cheffins was one of the organisers of the What You Were Wearing protest, which attracted thousands to Forrest Place on April 28 as part of a national movement sparked by a dramatic increase in the number of women killed by men known to them.

Ms Cheffins, says the crowd was filled with “anguish, hurt, and desperation”, alongside a sense of “unity and strength in numbers”.

“Emotions were high, people were hurt, and a collective desperation was ever-present.” Cheffins says.

Demonstors called for authorities to acknowledge gender violence as a national emergency.

But Ms Cheffins says the Budget measures fall way short.

“$925 million doesn’t even meet half of the national requirement for funding,” she said.

“The government just throwing money at these concepts is sot close to enough.”

Ms Cheffins says providing immediate services for domestic violence survivors is crucial, but how gender-based violence is viewed and responded to has to be rethought.

“Acknowledgement and legitimisation of all kinds of gender-based violence must occur in the justice system, education curricula, and service accessibility,” she said.

Domestic violence had claimed the lives of 28 women in Australia this year to April. 

The Australian Institute of Criminology reports a rise of almost 30 per cent in the number of women killed by intimate partners in Australia between 2022 and 2023.

Former assessor of criminal injuries compensation Robert Guthrie says a “growing claims consciousness” had led to an increase in domestic violence applications. 

Additionally, he noted a rise in the severity of injuries among the increasing number of women seeking compensation.

Dr Guthrie describes it as an “iceberg situation”.

“Those women that have been killed [are] the growing group at the top who’ve suffered the worst kinds of domestic violence, but there is this huge mountain of violence which is occurring, and a lot of it that we don’t see so much in the courts is around coercive control issues, which are very, very difficult to uncover.”

Compensation for victims of domestic violence is one of the last steps in a long process, and survivors of domestic violence require financial assistance much sooner, Dr Guthrie says.

“The women have been to the police, have been through court, and they’ve come to us to get compensation for their injuries, but [it was a] long time before that their troubles are beginning.”

Education

Dr Guthrie says funding towards education in schools, men’s groups for behavioural change, and the prevention of violence against women being shown on the internet and in pornography is the right direction.

Ms Cheffins agrees: “Effective investment into behavioural change programs, early intervention strategies, affirmative consent education, and avenues alike must occur.”

by AIMEE HAFFORD