Perth Voice Interactive

VINCENT council has taken another breather on a plan to turn part of Harold Street into a one-way street after deciding residents hadn’t been adequately consulted about which direction it should go.

The little slither between Beaufort and Vincent streets has long been a source of frustration for locals because of rat-runners and pick-ups from the Sacred Heart primary school, and last year the council ditched a Main Roads-funded plan to block right turns from Harold (“Vincent steers away from blocks,” Voice, August 31, 2024). Objectors feared it would simply push the problem onto other streets.

The City’s traffic planners went back to the drawing board and modelled Harold as a one-way street and found the analysis stacked up.

“Overall, the study found that providing intervention treatments that divert traffic is not desirable because while crashes may be treated at the intersection in questions, adjacent intersections are consequentially likely to be negatively impacted with an increased safety risk,” a report to this week’s council meeting said.

It said traffic volumes on Harold would decrease and speeds would be slower.

Despite the planners’ confidence, North Ward councillor Alex Castle successfully moved to defer the item, saying she had concerns.

“If we make this road one way I realise that would achieve a drop in volume, but we are restricting movement between Harold Street heading north, because if you were to go Beaufort to Vincent you can only turn left, you can’t turn right,” Cr Castle said.

“The other bigger concern is that when we discussed this at council last time the reason we didn’t make a decision at the time we because we wanted to consider it in the context of the entire precinct.

“I’m really cognisant that the community is desperate for a solution and I’m not comfortable that we are taking so long with that, but I also don’t like a proposal that hasn’t got the rest of the precinct planned in it.”

Cr Castle was also unhappy that residents hadn’t been consulted on which was the traffic should flow if Harold went one-way.

Several residents fronted public question time to urge councillors not to delay a decision.

Ian Merker lives a block away on Broome Street and said Harold had been acknowledged as a black spot, though a note in the planning report said while it hadn’t been assessed as such, Main Roads had approved a black spot project.

Mr Merker said he was a little alarmed by the council’s consultation which found that out of 60 respondents, 34 were against any change to the flow and only 21 supported it.

“I’d like you to look a little bit deeper into those numbers, because a lot of the people who were against it, we believe were parents from the school who just want to look at literally dumping off their children in the morning and picking them up after school,” Mr Merker told the meeting.

Mt Lawley resident Ralph Greenwell said those parents would be more likely to support the change if they prioritised safety over convenience.

“We are all aware the community will be voting for immediate change following a child, parent or resident being seriously injured,” Mr Greenwell said.

“As Harold Street residents we have all witnessed motorists speeding up our street to Vincent Street.

“My recent experience was on the first day of school in late January when a motorcyclist decided to do a wheelie up the street from outside our house at 8.15am in the morning.

“Just 15 minutes later when the school drop-off started, who knows what might have happened.”

by STEVE GRANT

BAYSWATER residents have questioned why an area of their town centre shown as leafy green in Metronet’s concept plans for the new train station has ended up barren concrete and paving.

Metronet insists it has lots of plantings to come shortly – more trees than it took out to build the new station, which is the first stage of the proposed Morley-Ellenbrook line and connects to the completed Forrestfield-Airport link.

But Bayswater deputy mayor Elli Petersen-Pik can’t see how the area in front of the post office and IGA on Whatley Crescent can be greened up, given no gaps were left in the paving.

“They have put in some garden beds at the bottom of the hill, closer to the road, but there’s nothing along the footpath,” Cr Petersen-Pik said.

“We are struggling with the developments of the 70s and 80s and we can’t do anything about the difficulties they create, but this was a brand new development.

“The whole town centre requires more trees, especially around the station – that’s what was promised and is shown on the concept plan.

“There’s space for trees, they can still do it,” he said.

Cr Petersen-Pik said he wasn’t alerted to any stepping back from the greener concept plans, and said it was disappointing for business owners who’ve put up with major disruptions during the construction work, only to be left with a drab result.

Bayswater Deserves Better shared a post by Cr Petersen-Pik on the topic amongst its members, generating a string of gripes about the lack of greenery.

“You nailed it,” BDB member Tessa Hopkins said.

“Baysie town centre is a barren desert of concrete.

“I asked Metronet if they’ll be making planting holes in the many metres of footpath paving, and in the new fully concreted median strips, but they didn’t provide a response. 

“It’s bad enough that the state government steamrolled the community and council to approve high rise apartment blocks in our town centre, the heritage heart. 

“But building a super-sized train, bus and car junction without the opportunity for any trees? 

“A local town centre destroyed and a local community gaslighted. Too much collateral damage.”

A spokesperson for Metronet said landscaping and revegetation were due to occur when majority of the structural works for the new station were completed.

“Within the station precinct and town centre, a variety of 174 trees of various sizes will be planted, including 100L, 200L, 500L and 1000L to 1500L, which are typically 2.5m to 5m tall trees,” they said in a statement.

“The planting will include 16,000 species planted within 4,300 square metres of new garden beds.

“There will be a focus on planting in the station precinct and surrounding locations including Railway Parade and Whatley Crescent between Hotham Street bridge to Station, and Whatley Crescent from Station to East of Cobden Street. 

“Trees planted will incorporate water-sensitive urban design principals and include rain gardens. 

“Metronet has worked closely with the City of Bayswater to determine tree planting locations outside the main station precinct along the rail corridor.

“A mixture of irrigated and non-irrigated trees will be planted in the space along the rail corridor.”

by STEVE GRANT

A 31-STOREY student accommodation tower has been approved for Wellington Street, with an opening date coinciding with plans to move Edith Cowan University’s campus to the CBD in 2026.

With a gym, cinema and podcast rooms on the first floor podium and a sky lounge, terrace and games rooms on the rooftop, the flats will have beds for 858 students.

They will be managed by Australia’s largest student accommodation operator UniLodge, with executive chairman Peter Bates telling the decision-makers on the JDAP panel the development will re-activate an under-utilised vacant lot and complement the new Switch students digs across the road.

Wellington

“Wellington Street west of King Street is lacking streetscape activism, impacted by a largely transient workforce,” Mr Bates said.

“The Switch development has already seen a significant increase in streetscape activation outside of traditional working hours.”

Describing the Wellington Street precinct as a fast-emerging “educational hub”, Mr Bates said more students living in the area would improve safety and comfort.

“The new Edith Cowan campus relocation to Yagan Square will drive demand to the CBD for international and domestic students.

“We understand Edith Cowan will not be replacing any of the decommissioned accommodation from the Mt Lawley campus and therefore will create a structural undersupply of purpose-built accommodation, even before consideration of the additional enrolment a new campus will attract.”

The development was also supported by Study Perth CEO Derryn Belford: “Having seen significant investment in both Perth Arena and the CityLink buildings, the area west of King Street is still a very quiet part of the CBD,” Mr Belford said.

“Student accommodation in this location will make it both a neighbourhood and a destination, and I’m sure will attract future investment as foot traffic and out-of-hours activities increase.”

by STEVE GRANT

THE nation’s keenest treetop athletes will descend on Bayswater for the ArbWest State Tree Climbing Championship this week as part of ArbFest 2024. 

World number 2 climber Jack Lewis will compete, as well as Australian women’s national champion Alana Murray, who is ranked fourth in the world.

ArbWest vice president Kelvin Ussher said ArbFest was a “three-angle approach” to showcase the arboriculture industry, with the climbing competition running alongside an industry expo complete with machinery displays, and family-friendly activities such as an eight-metre climbing wall. 

Mr Ussher says community understanding of arboriculture is necessary to protecting Perth’s urban tree canopy, as the city’s capacity for canopy is very low. 

Mr Ussher says the education campaign is a “big push” to make sure the Perth public is onboard to boost the city’s tree retention and to minimise the environmental impacts of tree-lopping. 

“It’s all about returning trees to urban areas and increasing the canopy coverage throughout the city,” Mr Ussher said. 

Another facet of the education campaign is to educate Perth residents about the prevalence of uncertified and untrained tree-loppers in the metropolitan area, which is also a risk to the urban tree canopy.  

Mr Ussher says that untrained service providers are a threat because they will often tell clients to “unnecessarily” remove trees when there are often other solutions.  

“The quality of advice that you get from someone who has never studied arboriculture, compared to those who have, is considerably different,” Mr Ussher said. 

“You can’t provide education if you haven’t been taught it.”

Mr Ussher says the risks associated with using uncertified tree-lopping services can result in safety issues for both client and provider. 

“What we find is a large portion of them don’t follow the occupational health and safety regulations or WorkSafe guidelines,” he said. 

“If someone employs a contractor like that, not only are they getting potentially ill advice, but they are also putting themselves at risk.”

State and local governments have cracked down on these fraudsters in the last decade, but Mr Ussher says there is still a long way to go. 

“It has gotten a lot better,” he said, “however I would still say there is a probably fifty-fifty chance that the contractor is uncertified. 

“We’re really angling to tell the public to not just use Arbwest members but to use anyone that’s certified.”

Mr Ussher hopes the community-based theme of this year’s ArbFest will help draw people to find out more about the industry and to enjoy the “spectacular” skill of the climbing, which he says will be “adrenaline packed”. 

“Arboriculture is an untapped outdoor career,” he said. 

“ArbWest membership has grown 35 per cent in one year. We’re really starting to gain traction, which is excellent.”

ArbFest 2024 will be held this Sunday, March 16, at Claughton Reserve in Bayswater. The climbing competition will begin at 8am and will continue throughout the day. It is free entry to the competition and industry expo, and food and drinks will be available. For more information, visit the ArbWest website.

by KATHERINE KRAAYVANGER

THE Cook government has announced it will put $12 million into Highgate Primary School to ease pressure on its crowded classrooms, but negotiations over a new school for East Perth have become bogged down in another tiff between Labor and lord mayor Basil Zempilas.

Education minister Tony Buti announced the Highgate extensions this week, saying it would create six classrooms for students and additional toilets in a two-storey modular classroom. It will be connected to the school’s existing two-storey building.

The Education Department has also signed an agreement with Vincent council to allow students to access nearby Birdwood Square for exclusive play during school hours, while school staff may get allocated council parking bays so some at Highgate can be repurposed into green space.

“Highgate Primary School is a great school, with fantastic students, teachers and staff, that is in demand,” Mr Buti said.

“The Department of Education has worked very hard with the school community to produce an innovative solution to the growing enrolments, while we build the new inner city primary school planned for East Perth.”

But that process has been bogged down by a dispute over council-owned land behind the WACA that’s been flagged for the school.

Mr Zempilas has insisted he wants the Cook government to pay for the land up-front, citing correspondence 12 months ago that he says show they offered to buy it from the City. 

But Mr Buti says that’s not the case, and while the wording in the correspondence was “unclear”, he thought he’d cleared up with Mr Zempilas that the government wanted the land gratis.

The land is the Queens Garden carpark in Nelson Crescent, which earns the City around $1.5 million each year in parking revenue.

The City says the state government wants about two-thirds of the site for the school, which would need approval from Parliament to change an Act introduced for the 1962 Commonwealth Games. The Chevron Hilton Hotel Agreement Act 1960 requires the City to provide parking on the site. 

The Cook government has said it would happily repeal the legislation – if the City gives up the site, saying a new primary school would provide it with enormous benefits.

Perth MLA John Carey said the East Perth school would be the biggest investment in a primary school in the state’s history.

“Our community has advocated strongly for enhanced education facilities, as we see continued growth and more families choosing to live in the inner-city area,” Mr Carey said. 

“As our city evolves, the State Government has made significant investments to schools across the inner-city including Bob Hawke College and Mount Lawley Senior High School.”

by STEVE GRANT

MARCH is Women’s History Month, and although the women about to be profiled are not historical, they are certainly making history. This is the first in a series of articles about some of the 2024 inductees to the Western Australian Women’s Hall of Fame. 

LORRAINE HAMMOND is an associate professor at the School of Education at Edith Cowan University.

That’s what the Melville resident describes as her “day job”. However, she has also worked around the country from Fitzroy Crossing, through Canberra, and down in Tasmania, implementing a new approach in teaching literacy to young children. 

It is significant work. 

“Being literate has a huge impact on your life chances,” Prof Hammond says. 

“Your capacity to economic success, social success, to be able to engage with other people, your employment, your wellbeing,” she lists. 

Previously, Prof Hammond says, young Australians were taught to read using the ‘whole language’ method which “really wasn’t considered to be evidence based”.

“When you went to school, you would have been encouraged to read from the beginning and you would have been given books that had lots of pictures,” she said.

“You would have been encouraged to look at the first letter and guess, and if you got really stuck then you might read at the end of the sentence and go back and try and figure out what the word is.”

The whole language method assumes reading is a natural ability in children, which Dr Hammond says “isn’t terribly effective”. 

“The human brain is not designed for reading as such, it’s designed for talking,” she said. 

“That assumes that talking is the same as reading, and they’re different.”

Prof Hammond has advocated for evidence-based teaching – which incorporates “phonemic awareness, phonics, and comprehension” – and which requires explicit instruction, instead of assuming the child will learn to read naturally. 

“We help children become aware that the words that you speak comprise of sounds and those sounds match up to letters,” Dr Hammond said. 

“If you learn to apply that code, and you do it enough, then your brain starts to starts to automatise the process of reading.

“Suddenly you can read anything new and you can read words we’ve never been taught before, because your brain has got the hang of this system.” 

Explicit instruction is important to Australian children because the English language is notoriously difficult to learn, Dr Hammond says. 

Languages

Unlike more sensible languages such as Spanish, which has 28 letters and 28 corresponding sounds, English has 26 letters and 44 sounds that has been built throughout history and which is difficult to learn without explicit instruction. 

“The French came in and gave a layer of language to English, and then there’s the Anglo Saxon layer and then there’s the Greek layer,” Dr Hammond said. 

“It’s really complicated.” 

Dr Hammond has worked extensively on the Department of Education’s Kimberley Schools Project, which she says has had a large impact on Indigenous children living in remote communities such as Fitzroy Crossing and Halls Creek. 

“There are some children in remote communities who are now better off than their parents,” she said. 

“The significance of that is of course, these young people can now consider going on into high school and they will have to access to go on to university or TAFE, because they’re literate. 

“The reason that’s changed is because we have changed the way we teach reading.”

Dr Hammond was inducted into the Western Australian Women’s Hall of Fame last week for her services to education. It follows an Order of Australia during the 2019 Australia Day honours for her contribution to tertiary education.

Dr Hammond says she is “very proud” to accept the induction, which she shares with the teachers who chose to take “a big leap of faith” for better student outcomes. 

“The way you’re taught to read was incredibly popular,” she said, “but it wasn’t the right way to teach reading.

“So many teachers have said ‘Okay, we’ll do what this research says’, and then their children have done really well.

“I share recognition with them because they got on board and made a big difference to children’s lives.” 

by KATHERINE KRAAYVANGER