Perth Voice Interactive

PLANS to open Bayswater’s first pop up food van have so flummoxed council staff they want six months to scratch their heads before agreeing to it.

Catherine Ehrhardt understands the bureaucrats’ desire for a formal policy to be in place, but reckons she should be allowed to open in the interim, even if only for a trial run.

She’s keen for the Franklin Foodies van to sell American-style comfort food outside her Blackcurrant Clothing boutique on Railway Parade between 11am and 1pm Monday to Friday, with an option for breakfasts if it takes off.

Ms Ehrhardt reckons it’ll stimulate trade in the area and draw more people over the bridge.

“Apart from Dome, there is not much choice for people on this side of the railway line,” she says.

“It would offer people more variety and would be a good way of testing the waters without someone having to commit to the cost of opening a full cafe.

“Similar food vans have proved popular in places like Fremantle and Perth.”

In July 2013, Fremantle city council began a trial of food vans to activate “forgotten” public spaces.

The trial allowed 12 food van licences and identified 13 locations in parks and reserves to limit competition with nearby businesses.

Bayswater staff say the concept is new and the council bylaws don’t cover the category.

“There may be some impact on existing businesses’ trade,” staff wrote.

“There has been no consultation to date with these businesses to ascertain the extent of the potential impact on their operations.”

Council staff want the application put on ice for six months to give them time to develop a policy.

The matter comes before the council for a vote later this month.

MARIE WYLIE is giving Bayswater Waves the third degree—over 1.5 degrees.

The 65-year-old has submitted a 51-signature petition to Bayswater city council asking for the Waves’ 25-metre lap pool to be kept at 31.5 degrees all year round.

The council currently keeps it at 31.5 in winter but drops it to 30 in summer.

Ms Wylie suffers osteoarthritis and walks in the lap pool as she is unable to exercise on hard surfaces.

“Over the years there have been various problems with the boilers resulting in fluctuating water temperatures, which we accepted even if we are not happy about it.” she wrote to council.

“…Our concerns to staff members seem to have fallen on deaf ears although we have been told that our concerns had been passed on to higher management.

“The cooler water adversely affects our joints, etc. making exercise sometimes quite uncomfortable.”

Ms Wylie, who lives in Stirling but has been a Waves member since 2003, added that some cubicles in the female changing rooms were also in need of maintenance.

Council staff argued that increasing the temperature of the pool would make life sweaty for the other 450 people who use the pool for swimming and aqua aerobics.

“Bayswater staff try to strike a balance in the temperature of the pool that does not adversely affect any particular group,” wrote council officers.

“If a pool is operated at a higher temperature there is an increased risk of excessive bacteria and amoeba.”

Council officers recommended lowering the temperature in the summer.

The motion comes before council later this month.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

LETTERS, medals, photos and memories of Perth during WWI are sought (for loan) for an upcoming exhibition Perth on the Verge of War.

Richard Offen from Heritage Perth says “we’re trying to put together an exhibition by the people, for the people, as it were, and looking for those personal things that just tell us what life was like in Perth during that period”.

Anne Chapple is lending her grandfather’s medals and family documents to the exhibition. One of her artifacts—a telegram informing her grandmother her husband had been wounded—illustrated the unsympathetic manner of the government at the time. She was given nothing more than a single sentence with no details beyond him being “wounded,” and she then heard nothing else for two months until her husband arrived home.

“The treatment of people was far less sympathetic,” Mr Offen says. “They were cannon fodder, literally… they were seen as weak if they came back with afflictions.
“There were lots of WWI veterans about, people who’d had arms blown off, eyes blown out, and they managed to have jobs in all sorts of unbelievable situation. Again, it was the same thing: You bloody well have to get onto it.”

He said there’d likely be a lot of old memorabilia sitting around in attics or in the garage “and just forgotten about until you go rooting around and find great-uncle Albert’s medals”.

The exhibition is at St George’s Cathedral in October, but they’re starting the curating now. If you have a war-era item to lend to Heritage Perth, get in touch on 9461 3244.

by DAVID BELL

BAYSWATER city council has awarded a $2.9 million tender for a nutrients-stripping wetland at the Eric Singleton bird sanctuary.

It is part of a joint project with the Swan River Trust to be ensure the long-term health of the wetlands.

It is estimated the work, scheduled to start in summer, will prevent around 40 tonnes of general rubbish, 1.3 tonnes of nitrogen and 200kg of phosphorous from entering the river every year.

These nutrients contribute to the formation of toxic algal blooms.

As part of the project, water from Bayswater Brook will be diverted to run through the sanctuary. It will flow through a trap that removes sand, rubbish and any other large materials before entering the wetland to flow through alternating deep and shallow vegetated marshes to aid nutrient removal.

“Since the 1980s there have been reports of algal blooms in the wetland, additionally it has been required to be filled with bore water,” says Bayswater mayor Sylvan Albert.

“The poor ecological condition of the site means that there are currently far less numbers and species of birds than would be expected to occur at the site.”

John Williams, Friends of Lightning Swamp president, says the wetlands will need ongoing monitoring: “Past investigation and tests highlight the Bayswater drain which feeds into Eric Singleton Wetlands is a major contributor of pollutants,” he says. “A project like this needs continual monitoring after completion and on-going works to maintain the optimum result of lowering nutrients.”

INVESTIGATIONS by Bayswater city council into potentially contaminated sites could stall due to a lack of funding.

The council is investigating 19 sites which could be potentially contaminated.

Based on advice from the WA environmental regulation department, Bayswater Riverside Gardens (east and west), Maylands peninsula golf course, Maylands yacht club and Eric Singleton Bird Sanctuary have been prioritised.

Some were built on old landfill.

Detailed site investigations can be expensive and time-consuming: the bird sanctuary inspection cost $200,000 while a preliminary investigation of the golf course cost $10,910.

“If the funds are not carried over, then the costs will need to be allocated in the next financial year’s budget.”

“Should the city encounter a significant contamination issue during its investigations, costs will potentially be significant and it is unlikely that there will be funds remaining in the reserve account,” wrote council staff.

“If the funds are not carried over, then the costs will need to be allocated in the next financial year’s budget, which will reduce the available funds and prevent any additional investigations from being undertaken during that financial year.”

To meet any shortfall, staff recommend transferring any surplus capital funds for contaminated sites investigation to the landfill restoration reserve fund at the end of each financial year.

Mayor Sylvan Albert says so far investigations have not found any risk to the public.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

PERTH computer game developers are down to their last token after the Abbott government cut Screen Australia funding by $25 million in the federal budget.

SA has since announced it will shut down its $20m interactive games fund a year early and will not accept any more applications for games funding.

Let’s Make Games general manager Anthony Sweet says federal funding was crucial for local indie developers because, unlike eastern states developers, they cannot apply for funding through their state body (Screen West).

“The grant let indie developers fill the gaps in their expertise,” he says.

“Games are usually created by coders, who need designers to add visuals, or designers who need coders to provide the back end.

“Without the grants, it will be harder for top quality games to be made, that’s for sure.”

Binary Space founder Saxon Druce says he received $30,000 in federal funding to make an Android version of his iOS game Zombie Outbreak Simulator.

It earned $40,000 from 250,000 downloads.

“Developers will have to rely on their own resources, meaning that time that could be spent on developing games will instead be spent doing other work. 

“I have been able to spend the bulk of the funding on hiring another programmer and an artist to help me out,” he says.

“Without their help I would have had to do all of the programming myself, which would have taken much longer, and I would have had to settle for lower-quality artwork.

“Also, about a third of the budget is set aside for marketing, which should help promote the game on release beyond what I would have been able to achieve otherwise.”

Black Lab Games founder Paul Turbett says his outfit uses federal funds to release a sequel to the successful sci-fi strategy game Star Hammer Tactics.

“The grant has meant that five developers can work on the new title, where the original game was mostly just me, with a small amount of assistance from two or three people,” he says. “The impact is that it will now be much harder for talented developers to create commercially viable games products.

“Developers will have to rely on their own resources, meaning that time that could be spent on developing games will instead be spent doing other work.

“The flow-on effect is that the quality of games will suffer to meet deadlines, or releases will be less frequent.”

In late 2012 Screen Australia came under fire from Perth game developers when it held funding consultation sessions in Victoria, NSW, SA and Queensland—but not in WA. WA gamers had to settle for a webinar and phone calls.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

AFTER a suicide, eight convictions, a three-year investigation and almost $1 million recovered, a final corruption and crime commission report on rorts at Stirling city council is imminent.

In 2010 a CCC inquiry revealed collusion dating back to 2003.

Investigators believed a former building manager had received kickbacks in return for guaranteeing contracts to suppliers, regardless of whether they cost more.

Contracts worth more than $5 million were signed, with jobs being done at inflated prices, or not completed at all.

The day the man was to testify in 2010 he committed suicide. His name has—extraordinarily—been suppressed from publication ever since.

CCC spokesperson Amanda O’Brien said the powerful body’s final report on the rort would cover a number of councils.

“Because of the time that has passed since the original investigation the commission has decided to incorporate its findings in relation to the activities at Stirling city council into a wider report on procurement activities across a range of councils,” she says.

“Following the CCC investigation, the city announced it had successfully recovered around $848,000. “

“That report is currently being finalised.

“The CCC investigation into serious misconduct at Stirling city council uncovered an extensive web of criminal behaviour in regard to procurement.”

Eight people—seven contractors and one lawyer—were charged with offences ranging from corruption and destruction of evidence to providing false testimony.

The final court case was completed on February 10.

Following the CCC investigation, the city announced it had successfully recovered around $848,000.

Former Stirling councillor Paul Collins welcomed the news and says if it was not for the pro-active response of the city’s audit committee and subsequent motions moved by the council, the fraudulent issues discovered by the CCC may not have been discovered quite so soon, if at all.

“This was an example of councillors diligently applying their mind to the prospect of fraud occurring within the city,” he said.

In 2012, the CCC returned to the council and were satisfied with the improvements the city had made it to it procurement policies following the rort.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK