Perth Voice Interactive

AFTER years going by the unprofitable moniker “Leederville Oval”, naming rights for Vincent’s premier footy venue have been sold to Sullivan Logistics in a $120,000, three-year deal. 

The oval hasn’t had a corporate name since 2016, when Medibank’s deal expired. 

Profits from the sponsorship will be split three ways between Vincent council and the East Perth and Subiaco WAFL clubs who call Sullivan Logistics Stadium their home ground. 

A 20 per cent commission will also go to Playbookx, a sport/media group which was brought in to find a sponsor after a long dry spell with no naming rights. 

They found Sullivan Logistics, a local family-owned and footy-mad transport company. Vincent council advertised the idea in June and the three-year deal’s now been signed, with an option for a two-year extension. 

Vincent mayor Alison Xamon announced the naming this week in a statement saying: “Sullivan Logistics is a great supporter of grassroots football and we are happy to work with them to make the oval thrive under its new name for years to come.” 

Sullivan Logistics’ managing director Tim Sullivan said in a media release: “The town was abuzz for the 2022 WAFL Grand Final and we would love to see events of this scale bring the city and the stadium to life like it did that day.” 

THE ‘shop local’ message was heard loud and clear in Vincent at a record-breaking Young Makers Christmas Market on December 3.

This makers’ market hosted more than 100 sellers from ages 6 to 25 vending their hand-made wares in and around North Perth town hall, besting the previous record set by makers markets held on Christmas 2022 and Mothers Day 2023 which hit a high mark of 72 stalls.

If you’re still in need of a gift that doesn’t involve Amazon or Alibaba, there’s another chance to shop local at the December 16 Beaufort Street Christmas Twilight Markets, running 5pm to 8.30pm.

MEGA-COUNCILS should pay their elected members more for handling extra constituents, according to councillors from the populous City of Stirling.

They are currently paid $32,960 a year, and can claim around $10,000 in other benefits and reimbursements, according to the rules laid down by the Salaries and Allowance Tribunal for “band 1” councils.

But Stirling’s councillors reckon “the band system is broken” resulting in “serious inequities”, according to a submission to the tribunal written at the behest of councillors. 

“Band 1” can include councils as small as Fremantle and Belmont, which have a population under 50,000, while Stirling has more than 234,000 people.

“The inclusion of councils with populations and revenues less than a fifth of the size of the City of Stirling‚Äôs has watered down band 1,” the submission states.

“Many band 1 local government elected members will attend council meetings once a month, represent a few thousand residents and have far less demanding roles. That role is much smaller than the role of elected member at the City of Stirling.”

The submission says each Stirling councillor submits an average of 200 elected member inquiries on behalf of community members each year.

At the December 5 meeting Stirling councillors unanimously endorsed the submission to the SAT, which calls for “a significant increase in the fees and allowances payable to elected members” in the four “mega councils”: Stirling, Wanneroo (population: 221,000), Joondalup (165,000) and Swan (167,000).

The submission says they should be the only four councils in band 1, and that given the rate of inflation alone a 15 per cent increase in fees and allowances “is necessary to keep pace with the cost of living”.

Cr David Lagan said at the December 5 meeting: “The case here for the increase, I think, is valid given that most of the councillors here would attend between 30 and 40 meetings a year, and workshops, and deliberate over very large budget figures and very large projects.”

Massive reports

“And read massive reports,” Cr Tony Krsticevic said, with this week’s agenda coming in at 566 pages.

When the SAT gave councillors a modest 1.5 per cent pay increase this year, its determination said: “The Tribunal considered this appropriate given the expectation of a degree of voluntary service as an elected member, and as fees and allowances are not intended to be full time salaries.”

But Cr Lagan contended: “There’s not many volunteers that spend three nights a week at a council chamber, respond to thousands of emails every year, and then spend – as many of our elected members do – both days of the weekend attending numerous community events.”

In a cheeky gambit, the submission also contains a table pointing out how hard Stirling councillors work compared to salary tribunal members; Stirling held 41 formal meetings in 2022 for a pay rate of $32,960, while the SAT members only held 12 formal meetings and got paid a smidgen less at $31,214.

by DAVID BELL

IDEAS for revitalising the Maylands town centre are sought for a new masterplan governing the future of roads, paths and streetscapes.

Main Roads is running the consultation in the wake of the closure of the Caledonian Avenue crossing in 2022. 

The constantly-clogged crossing was infamous for backing up traffic, and the state government said closing it was necessary for the new Forrestfield-Airport link.

At the time locals were concerned about the knock-on effects of cutting off a main pedestrian and bike route (“Pedestrians passed over,” Voice, March 26, 2022).

Some mediation measures are proposed as part of the masterplan, including improved pedestrian crossings (scheduled for 2025-26), traffic calming on Whatley Crescent and Seventh and Eighth Avenue (subject to future funding), and (maybe a bus station adjoining the train station (subject to future planning, and future funding).

Comments are invited until December 11 via mysaytransport.wa.gov.au

AFTER being ranked the number two priority for recreational facility in need of upgrades, North Perth Bowling Club’s ancient toilets have been upgraded.

The club opened in 1907, and the previous loos looked like they couldn’t have been much newer than that. Aside from falling apart, they’d fallen out of compliance with current standards, and had attracted an $80,000 election funding promise by Labor in 2021.

A Vincent council report from March 2023 ranked the toilets as number 2 priority in need of state funding.

The cash has now come through and alongside co-funding from Vincent council the works are complete and they have new male and female loos along with an accessible unisex toilet.

Mayor Alison Xamon and Perth MP John Carey joined club president Ken McCabe for the ribbon cutting ceremony this week.

“We have waited and watched the progress for this upgrade and are very pleased with the outcome,” club committee member Glenys McCabe said. “There has been numerous comments from patrons expressing their gratitude that we now have modern, top-class facilities.”

Ms Xamon said, “the new toilets are a huge boost to the club and will benefit people of all ages and abilities”.

“The North Perth Bowling Club is a great sporting organisation that brings people together in our local community – it’s a hub of activity and events and these upgrades are much-needed,” Mr Carey added.

A SEVEN-storey, $30 million development has been approved for Oxford Street in Mount Hawthorn after Vincent council’s elected representatives were once again outvoted on the state Joint Development Assessment Panel.

JDAPs were introduced by the former Barnett government to streamline and “depoliticise” high-priced development applications which often provoke local discontent, consisting of five-member panels with two local councillors and three state-appointed members, usually planning experts

Unpopular

The latest project by applicant Redhorn Development Pty Ltd would amalgamate a series of blocks into 36 apartments with four commercial tenancies at ground floor, including a food and beverage offering on the corner with Wilberforce Street.

It’s been unpopular with some locals because Wilberforce Street has been deemed a “character protection area”, meaning a majority of locals supported rules that guide developments to fit with the current low-rise surroundings.

One Wilberforce Street resident local told the November 24 JDAP meeting the project was a “visual abomination” that was “obviously designed without any consideration to the character or the identity of the area”.

Vincent planning staff prepared a report for the JDAP members, recommending refusal in part because the new project would “present a building bulk and development outcome that would result in adverse visual amenity impacts and that would be incompatible with the character of the surrounding residential properties that are located within a character protection area”.

The two Vincent councillors on the JDAP, Jonathan Hallett and Alex Castle, sided with that recommendation and lodged no votes.

Outvoted

But they were outvoted by the appointed members, Francesca Lefante, Lee O’Donohue, and John Syme.

“I really think this is a very well designed building. I think it’s extremely attractive,” Ms O’Donohue said. “I don’t agree that buildings of this kind should be designed to replicate the character areas that they sit next to.

“I just feel that there is sufficient separation provided and we have a unique building that is in no way going to try and blend with what exists in the character residential area, but that will stand out and provide a lot of positives in terms of built form, materials, articulation, and a range of facilities on the ground floor that will invigorate this part of Oxford Street.”

At the prior JDAP meeting on November 10 Vincent’s two reps, Cr Hallett and Ashley Wallace, were also outvoted when the specialist members approved a drug crisis support centre at 37-43 Stuart Street, Perth.

Another huge decision for Vincent’s future rests in JDAP hands at the upcoming November 30 meeting, the day after the Voice goes to print. 

Celsius Development is asking for approval for revised plans for its Fitzgerald Street project.

Celsius initially proposed a 16-storey apartment block in an area council rules limit to six storeys.

They trimmed a few levels off, but in December 2022 a 13-storey version with 97 apartments was rejected by the JDAP.

The latest design is nine storeys.

Mayor Alison Xamon is planning to attend the meeting to urge the DAP to vote against the proposal, arguing the plan doesn’t fit with the desired future scale and character of the North Perth town centre.

by DAVID BELL

MOTORSPORT in Perth’s CBD is up in the air after organisers were offered reduced funding by the city council.

The event had been known as Targa West since its inception in 2005, but this year’s has been organised by familiar faces under the monicker Tarmac West.

TW director Ross Tapper told Perth councillors at their November briefing the event faced skyrocketing road closure fees and rental for using public parking bays.

Parking bay fees have varied hugely in past years and are charged by City of Perth Parking, a semi-corporate entity running the City’s carparks.

TW had asked for $100,000 funding for the 2024 event in August and September, which would feature classic cars, a “city sprint”, and family activities in Langley Park and Forrest Place.

The council had previously granted Targa $80,000 – $140,000, but just $209,297 is left in its annual $1 million sponsorship budget with six new events vying for a slice.

The council’s sponsorship panel recommended sparing only $49,397 of the remaining cash for Tarmac West, considering factors such as crowd sizes.

Mr Tapper says they can’t afford to put it on with half the funding they’d requested. 

“Our options now are to discontinue with the City of Perth and move the event to another location and to keep running the rest of the four-day event,” he told the November 14 council briefing.

Expenses

“Or, have the funding increased to a level where we can cover the majority of our expenses, which we estimate to be around $150,000, and that’s just within the City of Perth’s part of the event.”

At the November 21 council meeting, councillors voted to go ahead with the sponsorship panel’s recommendation of $49,397, but were plaintive about not having more funds to spread around. 

Lord mayor Basil Zempilas said it was a “difficult balancing act” trying to meet expectations of the community and also fund a large variety of events.

Mr Zempilas said some applicants would be disappointed to get less funds than they’d asked for, but the number of requests were a vote of confidence in staging events in the city.

Mr Tapper says they won’t know for a while how the 2024 event will pan out. 

“Obviously, this isn’t the answer we were after from the City of Perth so now we need to work out what we can do,” Mr Tapper told the Voice.

“Running events isn’t easy or cheap, and in our case, it is a free event for the public to attend. 

“We now have three months after we receive the offered contract to sign it and to make alterations where we can. 

“The City of Perth provide events with financial support but then invoice events for the use of their property, in our case that is Murray Street Mall, Forrest Place, Langley Park, Terrace Road Car Park and any affected street parking. 

“We will not be signing a contract until we have a fixed price on these components, especially the Terrace Road car park.”

In previous years the price of using the bays in the Terrace Road car park has varied from $30,000 to $13,000.

“The alternative to receiving sponsorship is to cut back on expenses,” like advertising, but Mr Tapper had noted at the briefing that could hurt attendance.

“Hopefully an answer can be found in the next three months.”

Other events to miss out on funding included the Buddha’s Birthday and Multicultural Festival, St Jerome’s Laneway Festival, and a new fashion festival called Fashion West. 

Funding winners included the Strange Festival for $80,000, and the Chung Wah Association got $80,000 for its Chinese New Year Fair 2024.

by DAVID BELL