Perth Voice Interactive

TWO BUCKS for train station parking doesn’t sound like much but for cancer carer Ray Payne its contributing to a $700 a year hit he could do without.

The 64-year-old looks after his friend Jennifer Porter (57) recently diagnosed with kidney cancer.

Ms Porter doesn’t have a car so every week Mr Payne drives her to Maylands or Midland train station, from where they ride to the Royal Perth or Sir Charles Gairdner hospitals to see specialists. As of July, he will be pinged $2 a day to park at the stations, with no concession for seniors.

“It’s really difficult to get parked at the hospital and when you do it can cost up to $20, so we like to park at the station and take the train,” Mr Payne told the Voice. “Jennifer can’t drive and I want to support her during her treatment.

“It doesn’t sound like a lot but I also have to visit my doctor every week which could be another $7, so it all adds up.”

Mr Payne, who has suffered kidney cancer himself and survived two heart attacks, parks at Maylands station four times a week; he’s uncomfortable driving in built-up areas.

He is determined to support Ms Porter in her fight for life, and also takes her shopping and helps out.

Maylands Labor MP Lisa Baker says the decision to charge pensioners and concession card holders parking fees at Transperth car parks from July is distressing people who already find it hard to make ends meet: “The Barnett government is hitting vulnerable residents with fees where it hurts the most,” she says. “Seniors are contacting my office worried they won’t be able to afford regular trips to the doctor because of the additional costs being imposed on them by the state and federal governments. Not only are people expected to pay an extra $7 when they see a GP, they will also now have to pay even more for transport.”

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

A YELLOW CARD has been issued to Paddington Alehouse’s bid to screen World Cup games throughout the night and into the early morning.

A 4-3 vote at Vincent council looks like cruelling the bid, with councillors concerned noise, parking and general soccer-related hooliganism may upset Mt Hawthorn locals.

The application now goes into extra time, with the final decision up to the WA liquor department. It can either red-card the bid or whistle it through.

“At the risk of being called the Fifa grinch, I’ll be voting against it,” Cr Ros Harley told colleagues. “I don’t believe this is the appropriate place to do it, it’s not a nightclub, it’s not an all-night venue, it’s a residential area.”

“I’m no wowser and I love the World Cup… I love the Paddo but my inclination is to say no because of where it is.”

Cr Laine McDonald, hoping to be the “Fifa fairy,” said “it’s an event that happens once every four years”: “It’s an event that gets people up at 3am even though they have to work in the morning because they’re so excited.”

Cr Matt Buckels, a known fan of the game, said, “it’s just an amazing experience to be in these places when things go nuts”: “It might be noisy for the neighbours, but it’s a small price to pay for a one-in-four year event.”

Cr James Peart said locals knew a popular pub came with the territory when they bought into Mt Hawthorn: “The pub’s been there 100 years, and nobody’s moved in more than 100 years ago.”

Cr Josh Topelberg demurred: “I’m no wowser and I love the World Cup… I love the Paddo but my inclination is to say no because of where it is.”

by DAVID BELL

BAYSWATER and Bassendean councils are at it again.

The soon-to-be-amalgamated pair has fallen out over proposed ward boundaries for the new super council, with Bayswater resolving that Bassendean’s proposal “treats the existing Bayswater residents with disdain and irrelevance by not having any regard to the existing north, central and west wards which have been in existence since 1913-14”.

Bayswater moved that Bassendean’s map—which divides the Swan River between three wards—perpetuated an “us versus them” attitude with no regard for demographic trends.

Bassendean mayor John Gangell has hit back saying Baysy’s boundary map is “illogical”: “They talk about communities of interest but they have a river ward which runs from Bassendean to East Perth—it doesn’t make sense,” he says.

“Our proposal uses common dividing roads like Tonkin Highway and Wellington Road, which is far more logical.

“Trying to get Bayswater to compromise or negotiate on anything has proved difficult.”

Representatives from both councils joined forces on a local implementation committee to smooth the merger process, but failed to reach a consensus on a new name, mayoral election system and ward boundaries:

• Bayswater wants the merged council to be called Bayswater; Bassendean proposes Bayswater-Bassendean.

• Bayswater wants the mayor elected by the council; Bassendean wants a popular vote.

• Bayswater wants five wards with 14 councillors; Bassendean four wards with 12 councillors.

The councils have ended up submitting separate proposals to the local government advisory board. Bayswater mayor Sylvan Albert tried to play down the rift, despite the “disdain and irrelevance” mentioned in the council motion: “Bayswater and Bassendean can’t agree on everything, but in general the negotiations have gone well,” he said, diplomatically.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

VINCENT city council is considering legal action against the Barnett government over mergers says mayor John Carey.

Mr Carey broke the news at a special electors’ meeting Monday night, addressing a 90-strong crowd who’d gathered to debate local government reform.

He said the council was involved with the councils for democracy group—which is lobbying for ratepayers to be given the right to determine whether amalgamations go ahead—but was not yet officially part of the group.

“If the city launched a legal action on our own and lost we could be up for hundreds of thousands in legal bills,” he told the crowd.

“But if we do it as part of the councils for democracy we can share the burden and might it only cost us around forty or fifty-thousand. We have to be ready for a number of eventualities.”

The meeting was triggered by 81-year-old Denham “Bob” Boulger submitting a 142-signature petition that calls on the council to keep its boundaries intact, and not merge with Perth.

Despite a passionate speech, in which his jowels glistened and he name-dropped Winston Churchill, Mr Boulger lost his motion calling on the council to withdraw from merger talks with the state government. A similar motion from Ian Ker, a former deputy mayor, was also defeated.

Mr Carey says he prefers keeping Vincent intact but says it’s politically unrealistic: withdrawing from negotiations will simply leave the city exposed, with no say at all in its fate: “Mergers are going to happen,” he said, bluntly. “The [local government] minister [Tony Simpson] had described this as his legacy. So we have to be at the table fighting for what we can get.”

A motion for the council to consider legal action was carried unanimously.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

NERVOUS kangaroos and Yagan’s genitals are proving to be sticking points for staging 5km runs on Heirisson Island.

Organisers of Parkrun stage a weekly event around Claisebrook Cove and are keen to start another at Heirisson Island, an area known as Matagarup to local Nyoongars.

The Whadjuk working party, which provides advice on sites of Aboriginal significance, fully supports the runs but has reservations about people running past the statue of the naked warrior.

Aboriginal people have long-complained that Yagan’s nakedness is culturally inappropriate but their calls for the statue’s privates to be covered have fallen on deaf ears.

“The Whadjuk [working party] did express concerns about the state of Yagan and the fact that the statue depicts Yagan naked, a fact which they find culturally unacceptable,” a council report into the run bid said.

“The WP expressed a desire to address this problem at least during Parkrun race times so that the ‘impact’ that it may have on sensitivities can be reduced.”

In 2005 Nyoongar elder Richard Wilkes called for Yagan to be given a covering as it would be more historically accurate and in 2002 Joe Walley, a member of the Bibbulmum Aboriginal Corporation, stated, “the wrong impressions are given to schoolchildren both black and white and the wider community… the South West Nyoongar had cloaks called a boorka, made from kangaroo skins and also possum skins”.

The PCC is considering throwing in $5000 to get the free 5km event off the ground, but the marketing committee is lukewarm about Heirisson Island as a location.

Cr James Limnios wants to see an alternative route along the riverside, fearing runners may disturb the island’s mob of western greys.

“Why on Earth would we have to go through and stress those kangaroos there?” he asked, suggesting an alternative route along the river down to the belltower. I don’t feel comfortable interrupting these animals on a weekly basis.”

PCC services director Garry Dunne says there are four or five kangaroos in that part and “a lot of people who go looking for them can’t find them”.

Councillors asked staff to get back to Parkrun and discuss an alternative routes.

by DAVID BELL

AFTER a fierce propaganda war was waged on the streets for and against underground power, Vincent councillors have decided to roll it out in North Perth’s Brookman and Moir Streets precinct.

Some residents like Mark Greenshields are keen to get power lines buried, hoping it’ll improve the heritage streetscape by no longer having to butcher trees. It’s also predicted to add value to homes (about three per cent according to an ANU study).

“It’s also predicted to add value to homes.”

Others like Roy Gilbert say the $8260 cost is too much to force residents to pay. He says it’s a “want” not a “need” and if people want to spend that money on their home they should be able to decide for themselves what improvements to make.

The council had already carried out an initial round of consultation and won a pretty decent “yea” rate, but following pressure from undergrounding opponents decided to go back out for another round to make sure more people had their say.

Despite a less resounding 53 per cent saying they wanted it, the council will go ahead with the $1.2 million project, affecting 115 properties.

by DAVID BELL

A BIG loophole that gives developers freebies in Vincent will be closed.

A rash of recent developments has been able to stack an extra storey on top of their projects by calling it a “loft”.

In recent cases like the Pacific Motel development and the Brewer Street six-storey units, a divided development assessment panel has been awarding a full-fledged extra floor instead of what a loft is meant to be: a little living area tucked away in a pitched roof.

Mayor John Carey moved to ban the phony lofts and councillors unanimously agreed.

The other way builders get an extra storey is for projects to exhibit “design excellence”.

Mr Carey says sometimes they decide to build a loft instead because it’s easier and the result is “a really bad design outcome” with odd-looking “loft” levels jutting out from the top.

Genuine lofts like those built into pitch roofs will still be allowed.

by DAVID BELL

BAYSWATER city council has double-faulted on its decision to slash the number of courts at Maylands Tennis Club.

Two months ago the council decided to reduce courts from 17 to 11, after a council review revealed the club only had 78 members and was costing ratepayers around $1400 per member.

The council is responsible for most maintenance of the 14 grass and three acrylic courts.

After a heart-felt plea from Cr Michelle Sutherland, the council agreed to maintain all courts for another year, giving the club time to boost its membership and prove its viability: “The club has just got a new coach and that is vital to its growth,” Cr Sutherland said.

“The coach is the linchpin around which a club grows and we need to give it more time: look at the effect the coach at Bayswater tennis club has had.

“I’m confident we can get the numbers back up there.”

“Lots of our sporting facilities, like gyms and swimming pools lose money, but we don’t close them down.”

Cr Terry Kenyon says the club has had several chances to boost membership and had failed miserably: “Most of the members don’t even live in Maylands and some of the courts are waterlogged in winter,” the former mayor said. “Bayswater tennis club thrived because of its location but this club is out of sight on a reserve. Some of our other facilities may break even or make a slight loss, but we don’t subsidise them to the tune of $1400 per head.”

Club president John Hogben says a number of measures to boost membership have been mooted, including a new website, coach and two-for-one membership deal.

“We have already boosted membership by 30 per cent and have launched a $40 winter deal, which lets you play as much as you like,” he says.

“I’m confident we can get the numbers back up there.”

Mr Hogben adds the historic club, established in 1930, is one of a dying breed with grass courts. The club has been at Clarkson Reserve since the early 1980s.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

NEARLY 30 Mount Hawthorn locals fronted Vincent council meeting this week to oppose a set of units in their quiet residential street.

Lynton Street residents don’t want the four dwellings built on the block which at the moment holds just one house which will be demolished.

The owner’s hired gun developer Tuscom says the development “will deliver an acceptable form outcome for the locality,” which has a scattering of two-storey houses.

Residents fear it’ll mean more traffic and parking troubles and more tenants in the area, and they’re worried it’ll set a precedent for 20-odd similarly sized blocks in the area.

Brad Wright said it’s the kind of neighbourhood where kids play outdoors and neighbours bring out jugs of lemonade for each other.

“We do not want to have multi-dwellings in our street,” he said. “We want to retain that sense of community.”

Mr Wright says he used to live in a townhouse in a busier area but decided to move further out to quieter surrounds.

“We made a conscious choice before we had children to move. We never thought we’d now be having a four-unit multi-dwelling proposed opposite us.”

Many residents the Voice spoke to were concerned the units would be populated by tenants, rather than owner/occupiers.

“The only troubles we’ve ever had in Mount Hawthorn are with renters,” Mr Wright says, adding he’d endured “two years of hell” from particularly troublesome temporary neighbours.

The group clapped as councillors rejected the application on the grounds it was too close to the edge of the block, but it came with a warning.

Cr Josh Topelberg pointed out units were allowed in that area, and if the applicant came back with a rejigged plan that was set back further from the street the council wouldn’t have a leg to stand on in knocking it back.

Cr Ros Harley reminded the chamber there was nothing wrong with renters. A tenant for 16 years, she said they “are our neighbours, they are our community… not all renters are bad, and not all home owner/occupiers are good”.

Projects like this will soon be disallowed in the area: after the WA planning commission’s new amendments go through, blocks this size may fit just two dwellings.

by DAVID BELL