Perth Voice Interactive

IN the same week that the CCC has blasted lord mayor Lisa Scaffidi for failing to disclose travel information, her CEO has told the Voice to lodge a freedom of information request if we want to know how much ratepayers’ money is being spent on clothes, gifts and travel for elected members.

The FOI process is lengthy and expensive. The last one we lodged took eight weeks and a couple of hundred bucks.

This time we lodged requests with the council’s media team to see elected members’ annual accounts (which should be public documents). Three weeks later, CEO Gary Stevenson has come back to tell us to lodge an FOI.

Last month the Voice locked horns with Mr Stevenson and his media team over the way they handled inquiries about Ms Scaffidi’s part-ownership of a building that houses a notorious backpackers’.

Now, with Ms Scaffidi’s election rival Reece Harley making clothing expenses an election issue — he plans to ban the perks — the FOI stumbling block means the information will not see the light of day till long after election day.

Along with ending clothing reimbursements—a position backed by WA local government minister Tony Simpson this week—Cr Harley wants gift and travel registers put online, as the City of Melbourne does, so ratepayers can peruse them at their leisure.

Across the border at Vincent, councillors recently resolved to put their gift register online, and mayor John Carey says there’s no way he’d require that anyone lodge an FOI just to get expenses information.

“All that information should be available,” he says. “It should just be handed over.”

The Voice took a look at the Vincent gift register recently. There wasn’t much on it except for a couple of free movie tickets for local film festivals, and one time a resident gave the mayor a $10 bottle of red wine.

by DAVID BELL

STIRLING city council say there is nothing it can do to improve the visibility of flashing speed signs that WA Main Roads installed behind leafy trees.

The 40kph signs were placed near Inglewood primary school in June in a bid to improve safety, but the local P&C and Maylands Labor MP Lisa Baker say the Crawford Road signs are virtually invisible to drivers (“Peekaboo,” Voice, October 3, 2015).

The Voice asked Main Roads if it was going to move the signs to a better location, but it avoided the question and handballed to Stirling council.  “A Main Roads traffic team has inspected the signs and we have contacted the city of Stirling, who own and maintain Crawford Road,” Celena Chamoun said. “It is understood that the city of Stirling will prune the vegetation, and this will improve the visibility of the signs.”

Council parks manager Ian Hunter says pruning isn’t on the agenda: “The trees cannot be pruned to establish sign visibility without destroying the trees,” he says.

“The city of Stirling calls on Main Roads to work with the city to better place these signs so children’s safety and established street trees can be protected.”

The flashing speed signs were installed, along with two more sets at Inglewood pre-primary and kindergarten, as part of a WA government roll-out.

A KURDISH woman who gave birth in an Iraqi gaol under the brutal dictatorship of Saddam Hussein before fleeing to Australia is just one of many refugees to be honoured in a performance of Requiem at St Mary’s Cathedral.

Funds raised from the performance go to MercyCare and The Humanitarian Group, which provide legal assistance to asylum seekers having protection claims processed in WA: “It is also a consciousness–raising event to highlight the need to respond with compassion to the needs of those who seek asylum,” organiser Anne Stephens says.

The psychologist works with refugees and asylum seekers at the intensive english centre at Nollarama primary school. She says she used to see many refugees from Sudan, but now sees more from the middle-east.

She hails the story of the Kurdish woman as a “success story”.

“Her daughter is now in her 20s and after attending TAFE went on to study law and is now about to qualify as a lawyer,” Ms Stephens says.

“That is just one story about someone who has come here as a refugee and has given something back to the community and country that took them in.”

The performance of Requiem, written by Welsh composer Karl Jenkins, will feature Lux et Veritas (chorale) and Camerata 1685 (orchestra), and be conducted by local musician Jangoo Chapkhana.

“The world is going through a particularly turbulent period with huge numbers of displaced people, many of whom do not have access to refugee camps, and unfortunately asylum seekers have been portrayed in Australia as people attempting to enter Australia illegally, whereas it is in fact legal to seek asylum,” Ms Stephens says.

“I am resolved to be part of the movement to redress this situation and to bring about a more just response.”

To book tickets for the October 11 performance visit http://www.ticketswa.com/event/requiem-karl-jenkins.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

THE placement of election signs can reveal interesting and unexpected support around Vincent.

Mayoral contender Malcolm Boyd (whose election material says he opposes a planning scheme that favours developers over residents) has had posters pop up on several Domination Homes properties, the company run by Domenic Minniti.

There’s a bit of a contentious history between Mr Minniti and the council over controversial developments, one of which up on Hobart Street nearly brought a neighbour to tears as she appealed to the council for help.

Mr Boyd says he’s had plenty of people come forward to help him because they’re unhappy with the current regime.

“My position is simple: thank you for your support and if I am elected the City of Vincent will have a capable and honest mayor who will always put the people of Vincent first.”

Vincent councillor John Pintabona is up for re-election and his posters have appeared on properties owned by Perth lord mayor Lisa Scaffidi’s husband Joe along Vincent Street. He’s also popped up in election material with Scaffidi-supporter Jim Adamos.

Mayor John Carey’s mug is on a poster in the window of Fibber McGee’s, despite Fibber’s owner John Little paying for an ad in the Voice that criticised Mr Carey’s decision not to renew John Giorgi’s contract as council CEO.

Mr Carey says they disagreed on that issue but see eye to eye on others (Mr Carey’s recently been pushing for transparency reforms but Mr Little was an early adopter: he always refused gifts back when he was a councillor).

Meanwhile mayoral candidate Debbie Saunders definitely wins the most striking poster award, with her stoic pop-art style countenance plastered across a dramatic rising sun background.

It can be seen stuck up around the Leederville cafe Greens and Co run by her ally Stuart Lofthouse.

by DAVID BELL

PERTH artist Ben Mitchell has taken people watching to a whole new level with Stainspotting, a series of artworks of unsuspecting train commuters that he draws on used tickets.

The project began as a way to fill in the long commute between his Bassendean home and Midland studio, and reflects earlier art pieces of cargo trains at Midland, with their stains and rust, and the cult movie Trainspotting: “It’s a play on words about these things,” Mitchell says.

Torn train tickets collaged into a small sketchbook, became his medium.

When more were needed to expand the project he approached Transperth, which happily handed over two big garbage bags of used tickets.

Pulped and reconstituted to create larger canvas they’re still recognisable, Mitchell says.

“It was important to keep that these are people on a train.”

Despite being captured in a public space Mitchell’s subjects are in their own private world, via mobile and tablet and unaware they are being sketched.

“This generation live their private lives in public,” the artist says.

Many of his subjects wear sunglasses, further cutting them off from their surroundings: “They feel shielded from the world and they are nonchalant.”

He says he’s spoiled for choice when it comes to characters, which include drunks, cyclists, hipsters, mountain bikers and business people.

“Many could be found with an earpiece. Although the drunk ones would spend more time yelling than listening.” Mitchell says. “All public space is political space—or so I learned.”

Over the weeks only one passenger challenged him, “who…said ‘are you drawing me, you can’t do that, you are invading my space’.” The sketch was handed over and artist and subject parted on good terms.

See if you can spot yourself among the Stainspotting portraits at small bar/cafe The Bird on William Street, Northbridge, until October 17– open noon to late 7 days.

by JENNY D’ANGER

TWENTY FOOD trucks are hitting Stirling streets as part of the city’s 12-month trial.

The trucks will be parked at eight locations, including Yokine Reserve, Charles Riley Reserve and Mirrabooka town centre.

Dippin’ Dots ice cream will be at Yokine Reserve on Tuesdays and the weekends, and the Pasta Truck on Sunday.

“This initiative reflects our commitment to ensuring the city of Stirling is a vibrant place to live, where people feel connected to the community,” says Stirling council CEO Stuart Jardine.