Perth Voice Interactive

MAYLANDS activist Alex Bainbridge will contest WA’s senate re-election as a Socialist Alliance candidate.

After the lost-votes snafu the high court is now fermenting a final decision but a fresh poll is widely regarded as about as certain as Tony Abbott’s victory was in September.

Mr Bainbridge says the election must be held soon so new senators can take their spots as scheduled from July: Any delay in forming the new senate could result in loopholes that may allow the Abbott government to bypass the usual Senate scrutiny of its bills.

There was a public backlash when Sports Party candidate Wayne Dropulich was elected in September with 0.2 per cent of the vote following a round of maths wizardry and complex preference swapping deals with other parties. Mr Dropulich must recontest a new poll if he wants to keep his spot.

Mr Bainbridge is hoping that blowback won’t harm his chances, noting the Socialist Alliance has been around in one form or another for decades.

“It’s true we’re a minor party, but it’s not like we’ve come from nowhere like a lot of these parties have done.

“We’ve got an active record of engaging with elections and activism.”

He says a major policy of the Socialist Alliance is “to bring the big mining companies and banks under public ownership” in order to “democratise those resources and enable a fair distribution of wealth”.

Mooted Medicare copayments (which would see many pay $6 for a doctor’s visit) are also in his sights. He wants the government to reduce support for private health insurers and channel that money into Medicare.

While his party’s chances at the polls are slim, Mr Bainbridge says it’s still important to get out and run.

“We are trying to build support, we are trying to make a gradual progression, one step at a time, to go from a minor party to a major party.

“We are saying something in this election that no one else is saying.”

While he supports most Greens policies he says Socialist Alliance’s plans are “more far-reaching and more practical.

“Implementing the Greens’ agenda in full will necessitate a challenge to the capitalist system, which so far they haven’t made clear that they are prepared to do that.

“Over the last term of government we’ve seen compromise [from the Greens] that I’ve found disappointing.”

by DAVID BELL

JAMES PEART will have another tilt at the Vincent council by-election, after narrowly missing out in October’s eight-way race.

A south ward vacancy was created when Cr John Carey was elected mayor.

The nearest two contenders were former Labor adviser Katrina Montaut with 907 votes and Mr Peart with 828.

Mr Peart, who’d coordinated volunteers in Vincent’s efforts to get fully merged with Perth, says he wants to run again because he had a great time working with the council on the campaign.

“It was a really positive experience, everyone working towards a common goal: The councillors, staff, and volunteers,” he says, having become a regular sight around town on his campaign banner-laden bike.

The urban planner says one key priority is to make sure Vincent’s new bike plan works for pedestrians too. He says there are some easy fixes that can be made while putting in the paths to make sure pedestrians have an easier time getting around.

He also wants to set up a schools network which would work like “a super P&C” so schools can meet regularly with council to discuss issues like parking and traffic management.

Mr Peart says a greening plan to plant more trees around town has to be followed with an eye to detail, so that walking to town centres doesn’t involve a sweltering march through sun-baked terrain (an oft-heard criticism of Beaufort Street).

He says a detail-oriented councillor is important as he’s heard criticisms from locals that sometimes elected members don’t understand the intricacies of policy.

“One of the things I’m keen on is being there in the council meetings to say: ‘Does everyone understand the policies?

“I’ve seen it in council meetings that people haven’t got their heads around it.

“From my experience—and this was a few years ago—but there was a clear lack of understanding of the heights policy for Oxford Street.”

Mr Peart says when staff recommend items for approval that are contrary to regular policy, there should be detailed explanation of why.

He is not a member of any political party but says he can get along with everyone, from the Labor-aligned mayor to the local state Liberal MP.

“Last week I had a beer with John Carey, this week I had a coffee with Eleni Evangel,” he says.

Mr Carey has endorsed Mr Peart for council.

“I think he’s an outstanding candidate and this is based on a number of reasons: Firstly he brings experience and expertise as an urban planner so he’s going to hit the ground running. He’s not going to need to learn the ropes, he has that experience, and given that many of the issues we’re facing regarding density, zoning and the new town planning scheme, I think he’s a great choice.

“Secondly if you look at all the candidates that ran at the last election, he was the standout in terms of his commitment and energy for the ‘Vincent all-in, one-in’ campaign.”

Mr Carey says in other parts of the country mayors will back candidates of their own party, but “that’s not the case for me: James is independent”.

He says his endorsement is based on Mr Peart’s “energy and experience” and adds “I don’t have any expectations or promises about how [Mr Peart] is going to vote”.

by DAVID BELL

KATRINA MONTAUT has expressed doubt about running for council again, despite being first runner-up in October.

Ms Montaut, who worked for ex-Perth MP John Hyde, says she’s been approached to run again but isn’t keen as she isn’t part of the inner-circle on council: “I don’t know how easy it would be to effect much change given that I’m not in the loop that’s been created.”

Mayor John Carey says there is no inner-circle: “I find those sorts of comments just bizarre. We encourage diversity of views on council, we encourage debate, but we have council working together as a team.”

A NEIGHBOUR came close to tears when she stood to oppose a new development mooted for the corner of Shakespeare and Hobart Streets.

Vincent councillors knocked back the 18-unit project on Tuesday night but the decision will be appealed to the powerful but unelected state administrative tribunal.

The Mount Hawthorn project attracted the ire of speaker after speaker at question time, with locals concerned about the height and bulk of the Baker Investments-owned plan, to be built by Domination Homes.

One nearby neighbour approached the microphone on the verge of tears as she described how the builder had started demolition without notifying her and left her backyard looking like a war zone.

“The development is absolutely overbearing for residents next door to it.

“The developer is not community-minded, it’s all about making money,” she said, voice wavering.

“He is extremely arrogant, he does not respond to emails. To send his architect [to council and not come himself] is incredibly cowardly.”

The site used to be home to the Mt Hawthorn Masonic Hall.

Mayor John Carey, who’d voted against the hall’s demolition in 2011, said it was unfortunate it was knocked down.

“I thought it did have heritage value,” he said.

When council approved the demolition the project to replace it had five fewer units than what is now proposed. Former councillor Dudley Maier noted at the time that even if the council had rejected demolition, the SAT would most likely have allowed it on appeal.

by DAVID BELL

 

IF you find it hard to hail a cab at night over the festive season, you can thank the federal immigration department.

It turns out that a crackdown on international students working illegally has had a significant impact on the number of people available to drive taxis late at night.

Veteran cabbie Stephen Satchell says over the past three months the feds have targeted international students exceeding their allowed 40 hours of paid work per fortnight.

Swan Taxis and other companies have been slapped and ordered to ensure their drivers follow the rules.

“Drivers are panicking because they’ve been told by the taxi companies to bring their visas in to be checked,” he says. “Some of these drivers are working 20 hours over two days, never mind a week.

“All of a sudden, over the past three months, there’s load of vacancies for nightshift drivers.

“I’ve also heard of the immigration department turning back drivers when they come off the plane at Perth airport with their brides, telling them they’ve broken the conditions of their visa.”

Immigration minister Scott Morrison told the Voice the department didn’t target specific industries.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

A NORTH PERTH woman who courageously shared her experience of post-natal depression and anxiety on YouTube has been congratulated by the national mental health commission.

Judi Barrett-Lennard bore all in a video for the commission’s 2013 report on mental health and suicide prevention.

“I gave birth to my son in 1984 and became overwhelmed and anxious in the most debilitating way,” she says.

“These feelings were not something I had ever dealt with. I was a professional, successful woman. Eleven years later, I had another child. The self-blame started on delivery.”

Ms Barrett-Lennard managed her depression with the help of a peer support group at her local hospital.

“This helped me heal and I started to recognise my own resilience,” she says.

“One year later I was facilitating the support group as a volunteer and had started a psychology degree.”

In 2010, she developed and delivered a program called making sense of motherhood.

She continues co‑ordinating and facilitating the course, designed to support the relationship between a mother and baby.

Prof Allan Fels, NHMC chair, says mental illness is more common than we think.

“Around 45 per cent of us will experience mental illness during our lives, but it’s important to remember that mental health is not about facts and figures, it’s about people and families,” he says.

“Hearing the stories of people like Judi is invaluable because it helps all of us to better understand the importance of peer support, and the impact that sharing lived experience of mental health and suicide issues can have.

“People need a stable home, something meaningful to do, something to look forward to, strong connections to family, community and culture, with preventive supports available as well.”

You can view Ms Barrett-Lennard’s story at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ms0FZiyA8-Q.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

A NEW heritage lobby group “Save the Horseshoe” has sprung up to oppose plans to demolish some of its balustrading in order to allow pedestrians to move more freely between it and a new plaza and the station.

Local artist Andrew Nicholls started the Facebook group, which has prompted some confusion since the 110-year-old bridge isn’t actually being pulled down.

He says the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority’s plans to change it are a threat to its heritage.

“The designs revealed plans to knock through the central section of 110-year-old balustrading,” he says.

“This ‘adaptive reuse’ of the structure (to use their terminology) would destroy the uninterrupted horseshoe curve that has been an architectural icon of our city for over a century.”

He says he’s not anti-development and thinks the city link is a good project overall, but this aspect needs to be done more sensibly.

“I’ve always been really interested in the history of Perth. It’s changed a lot, but historically this city hasn’t been good at retaining our heritage or recording it.

“Given that we’ve got comparatively few heritage buildings left, I think they need to be thought about in a sensitive way.”

Matt Buckels, a councillor at neighbouring Vincent, posted on the Facebook page’s wall: “This is certifiably the most pointless cause ever.”

A dozen other commenters were similarly groaning at the group’s sentiment but most others agreed too much had already been demolished in Perth and the bridge needed saving. The page has 363 likes so far.

Mr Nicholls is urging people to write to the premier, heritage minister, lord mayor and the MRA chief Kieran Kinsella, asking him to reconsider.

by DAVID BELL