Perth Voice Interactive

Michelle Sutherland—who is married to Mt Lawley Liberal MP and parliamentary speaker Michael—will contest Bayswater’s north ward at the October 19 council elections.

The Noranda resident and geography teacher at Hale School says she is passionate about preserving trees, transforming the Morley Galleria precinct into a town centre and improving the city’s cultural life with “street festivals and concerts”.

She notes people shouldn’t make assumptions about her based on her marriage, noting she comes from a Labor-voting family with a grandfather who was a card-carrying communist.

She says she was a socialist herself in her late teens but her views changed after visiting eastern Europe—then still behind the Iron Curtain—in her early 20s.

“It was a beautiful part of the world, but there I saw that the ideals of communism didn’t match with the practicalities of life—people were queuing for food and extremely poverty stricken.”

After hooking up with Michael she joined the Liberals about 10 years ago.

The 46-year-old says she has always been interested in council issues and feels she now has enough life experience to make a contribution.

“I feel that I have time to devote to the job,” she says.

“I worked in rural schools all over WA before moving back to Perth, so I have loads of experience with people from all kinds of backgrounds.

“I would like to see a tree audit done in the city, as I keep seeing lots being subdivided and trees disappearing.

“More trees should be planted on the verge, so the city can emulate some of the older, leafy suburbs in Perth.”

Ms Sutherland says if elected, she plans to vote independently and avoid the council’s infamous factions.

The council has been plagued by in-fighting for years: Mayor Terry Kenyon sued two councillors and others walk out during meetings.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

 

Perth lord mayor Lisa Scaffidi is bringing some Britpop to Perth. Photoshop image.

London taxis are set to hit the streets of Perth.

The WA transport department confirms it is planning to trial up to 100 purpose-built cabs in the metropolitan area for four years.

The DOT is seeking expressions of interest from manufacturers until August 30.

The trial will begin as vehicles become available.

Drivers of the the five-seater taxis will be screened off from passengers, improving safety.

The Voice understands Chinese company Zhejiang Geely, which manufactures the TX4 taxi, is a frontrunner to land the tender.

Other purpose-built taxis include the Mercedes-Benz Vito and Nissan’s NV200 London Taxi.

The TX4 has wheelchair access, wi-fi connectivity, power points for phones and laptops, and a driver-passenger intercom.

The Voice understands each TX4 will cost around $60,000 to hit the road.

Veteran cabbie Stephen Satchell says the cabs will be a great asset for Perth: “The screened cockpit will be a win for both passengers and drivers, increasing safety,” he says. “I believe the cabs will have disabled access for around 80 per cent of all wheelchairs and the state government will waive the passenger ‘lifting fee’. I would love to see a hybrid or practical full-electric taxi being used.”

The Voice understands the taxis could be white, keeping them 15 to 20 per cent cooler than the traditional black.

WA taxi council CEO Olwyn Williams wants more information about the trial: “We had a taxi council meeting this week and have put together a list of questions over the details of the trial,” she says. “In general we’re in favour of it—we just want more information on the nitty-gritty.

“For instance, the turnaround time for expressions of interest from manufacturers is quite short.”

In February Zhejiang Geely acquired the London Taxi Company, which had manufactured the iconic London cab since 1948 at its factory in Coventry, England.

In October 2012 the LTC went into administration having failed to record a profit since 2007.

ZG has signed a research and development agreement with the Tanfield Group to develop an electric-powered London black cab.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

The Liberal Party was a no-show at a packed climate change forum Monday night with federal Tangney MP Dennis Jensen pulling out just days beforehand and no other candidate or MP willing to stand in.

The WA Civil Society roundtable at UWA was hosted by Fiona Stanley and saw Labor’s Alannah MacTiernan debating Greens senator Scott Ludlam.

Convenor Jamie Hanson had hoped to have a Liberal representative on hand to discuss Tony Abbott’s “direct action” policy and punters were left “disappointed” by the last-minute cancellation.

“Dr Jensen…pulled out a few days before the forum saying he had other commitments,” Mr Hanson said.

“We asked every single candidate, senator and sitting MP for the Liberal party in WA if they could come and they all claimed that they had prior commitments, which was disappointing.

“If I was someone who was interested in climate change and I went to a sold-out public forum at UWA…. and the state Liberal party wasn’t able to find a single candidate who was willing to defend the Coalition’s climate change policy, I’d have serious doubts that they really believe in the policy.”

Mr Hanson saysthe civil society represents a broad base of interests from churches to Oxfam so they’re not a bunch of “lefty ratbags” looking for a cheap shot.

Mr Hanson also tried to get Ms MacTiernan’s Liberal opponent Darryl Moore on board but he also said he had other commitments.
Dr Jensen’s office says other things came up and the well-known climate change sceptic had tried unsuccessfully to find a replacement.

Ms MacTiernan says the no-show demonstrates the Liberals aren’t serious: “That is one of the reasons I am standing,” she says.

“I don’t think the leadership of the Liberal party is serious about climate change.”

by DAVID BELL

Vincent locals will march at 2pm today, Saturday August 10, to protest their community being split down the middle by premier Colin Barnett.

Mt Lawley couple Gabrielle Mews and Trevor Cross have lived on Chelmsford Road for 15 years and are in the part of Vincent being shipped off to Stirling.

Since hearing the news they’ve boarded the campaign to instead merge all of Vincent with Perth, and have knocked on a hundred-odd doors and handed out countless fliers.

Ms Mews says they were “devastated” to learn of the split.

“We were surprised and disappointed,” Mr Cross says. “And so were all our neighbours. There’s a very strong feeling of being let down.

“We’re certainly not against amalgamation, I’ve always said it had to happen in Perth,” Mr Cross says, adding that where he’s seen country shires amalgamate it’s worked well.

But he thinks all of Vincent should go in with Perth to preserve the community feeling.

“We’ll lose the community,” the part-time mining consultant and collector of whale-bone carvings says. “Eventually you’ll drift apart.

“We’re going to be the bottom end of Stirling, and Stirling doesn’t have the experience of running an inner-city suburb.

“Unfortunately we’d be such a small section of a big council area that we’re not going to get the same service.”

Vincent mayor Alannah MacTiernan this week wrote to the premier to tell him Vincent formally opposes the split, and instead wants to be taken in entirely by the enlarged capital.

“Mr Barnett has totally misunderstood the nature of these inner-city communities, and that sense of identity and belonging that has developed.”

She says the campaigners have “logic and passion on our side”.

Ms MacTiernan says this plan was sprung on the council at the last minute and wasn’t a part of last year’s Robson report nor community consultation, giving them little time to comment on it.

The rally starts at the Angove Street strip. So far 100 people have joined the Facebook event, but Mr Cross says they’ve spoken to many more outside the social-media set who are also interested.

“We’ve spoken to 90-year-old ladies that are going,” he says.

Stirling mayor David Boothman is confident his council can provide “more services and lower rates” and says customer satisfaction surveys show Stirling’s at the higher end of the scale.

by DAVID BELL

The Mt Lawley Society is planning a town hall-style meeting to protest Colin Barnett’s plan to merge Mt Lawley into Bayswater.

Astor Theatre owner Bruce Zimmerman has offered his theatre, free of charge, for the event.

“I want the council boundaries to stay the same,” he says. “This is an important issue for the community and I want to help them out.”

The vast majority of Mt Lawley and all of Inglewood will shift from Stirling and Vincent into a merged Bayswater-Bassendean super-council.

Last year Stirling council won an award for outstanding heritage practices by a local government and the council had established heritage protection areas in Mt Lawley, Menora and Inglewood.

Aghast society president Bruce Wooldridge says heritage is the big loser.

“It is not a coincidence that Mt Lawley has the best-preserved federation era housing in Australia, as it takes a willingness and ongoing commitment by council to ensure that this is achieved,” he said. “The local community has not been listened to. It continues to be our—and the overwhelming majority of local residents— preferred option that there be no change in local government boundaries for Mount Lawley, Inglewood and Menora.”

Meanwhile, Perth Liberal MP Eleni Evangel says now’s not the time to be talking about whether she’ll cross the floor on a bill to stop locals having the power to stop mergers.

She wants all of Vincent in Perth instead of being split and says her efforts are best spent trying to convince the premier it’s the better option.

“I’m working within the boundaries of my government to ensure we get the outcome we want,” she says.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

“I heard you have accommodation. I don’t have anywhere to live and I need a place for me and my grandson to stay—I’m praying for a miracle.”

Those were the words of Veronica Wallam, a 65-year-old homeless woman, when she rang St Bart’s shelter earlier this year.

Ms Wallam—with 14-year-old grandson Zachari in tow—is one of a growing number of women “couch surfing” with family or friends because they can’t find somewhere permanent to live.

She recently left a violent relationship and relocated from Sydney to settle back in her hometown of Perth.

Perth’s tight rental market—with a particular lack of affordable private rentals—is keeping her homeless. Her priority listing with the WA housing department won’t see her access public housing for another two or three years.

“It’s not just the cost of private rentals that are prohibitive, when a landlord finds out you’re Aboriginal a lot of them don’t want to know,” she says.

“My grandson goes to school and I don’t drink, smoke or take drugs, so we would be great tenants.

“I currently sleep on my sister’s couch, who’s 78 and disabled. It’s hard because I’ve got a lot of health problems too—diabetes, sleep apnoea, high blood pressure and I’m blind in one eye.”

St Bart’s research shows that just under half the 13,000 people classified as homeless in WA are women, and the fastest growing demographic is women 50 and older.

St Bart’s CEO Andrew Hogan says the “new face of homelessness”—also known as “the invisible homeless”—will shock many.

“There has been a significant jump in the number of women and young children struggling to find a place to live and at present there are limited services that provide appropriate accommodation,” he says.

“It’s difficult to provide an exact number on how many homeless women and children there are but it is significant and growing.

“This group typically feel shame and failure so they hide and hence are dubbed ‘the invisible homeless’.”

The most common reason women seek assistance at St Bart’s shelter in East Perth is family violence, closely followed by financial difficulties.

Mr Hogan adds the organisation is trying to raise funds to refurbish its old Brown Street premises to house people like Ms Wallam.

To donate to St Bart’s visit http://www.stbarts.org.au. Homeless Week—unlike homelessness—ends August 11.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

Labor candidate Dan Caddy (right) is prepared to make big sacrifices to wrest the federal seat of Stirling from Liberal frontbencher Michael Keenan.

He is a single dad with a nine-year-old son and, if elected, will have to spend umpteen weeks in Canberra every year.

“My son’s old enough to Skype and his mother lives close by. It is a sacrifice, but I believe I can do the job and still be a great dad,” he says.

The 40-year-old needs a herculean 5.6 per cent swing to wrest the seat from Mr Keenan, 41, who’s held it nine years and turned it into a relatively safe seat.

Mr Caddy believes his chances of winning have improved following Kevin Rudd’s resurrection as Labor leader.

“Kevin Rudd connects with the people and is definitely a better communicator,” he says.

“I feel we’ve got some momentum going again and I can win the seat.”

He says he is keen on investing in education and in particular the government contributing to before- and after-school care.

“As a single dad I can relate to the pressures of being a working parent, so I feel it is really important,” he says.“Giving kids a good education will help safeguard the country’s future.”He says that Colin Barnett’s till-recent failure to sign-up to Labor’s Better Schools package was “political posturing” and could have led to WA kids being left behind.Mr Caddy, who has a BA in international studies and politics, joined the ALP 20 years ago and worked as an adviser to former WA senator Chris Evans. He is a member of the Left faction.“I’m a firm believer in candidates and MPs living in their electorate,” he says.“I stay in Joondanna and am entrenched in the local community.“Although, I will concede that I am a die-hard Fremantle Dockers fan.”Mr Caddy owns a small business specialising in corporate merchandise.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

The Help End Marijuana Prohibition Party says it can’t get any WA candidates to stand at the federal election because they’re scared of being pinged by the cops.

President Michael Balderstone and Tayla Moylan, 18, are listed as HEMP’s WA senate candidates, but both live in NSW.

“No-one was keen to put their hand up as a candidate when the WA party branch was formed in Perth a few weeks ago and I am happy to give WA residents a chance to have a say without anyone risking a police visit,” Mr Balderstone says.

“I have no job to lose—am on the old-age pension—and being open about my cannabis use, and coming from Nimbin where I am already judged by many as a druggie, have little to lose.

“I only realised one did not have to live in the state to run because of Julian Assange running from London.”

He says the party’s decision to go online has seen a surge in people signing up, with a HEMP registered in every Australian state.

“Cannabis consumers must be allowed to grow their own supply,” Mr Balderstone said.

“We are not criminals—the law is the crime, and anyway it is foolish to not regulate and tax the industry.

“Legal cannabis could potentially make billions in tax revenue and save billions in expensive law enforcement, policing, gaols, health and social costs, etc.”

He says there are around 90 HEMP members in WA, 10 in the recently formed Perth branch.

HEMP was formed in 1993.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

Jonathan Hallett has put his hand up for the Greens in Perth for a fourth time.

The 32-year-old Northbridge local has stood for the state seat twice and in the 2010 federal poll scored a 5.8 per cent swing. A lecturer and researcher at Curtin university’s school of public health, Mr Hallett was preselected unopposed by local party members.

Key to his agenda is shining a light on Kevin Rudd’s cuts to things like:

• $213 million from the biodiversity fund;

• $143 million from carbon farming futures;

• $362 million from the clean technology program.

On a local level he wants city people to have better access to fresh food, directly from growers.

The Greens’ $85 million four-year plan would see grants connecting growers with local farmers’ markets, mobile markets and community food boxes, aiming to help them compete against Australia’s grocery duopoly.

And he says local families will benefit from a new Greens plan to invest in social housing, noting some families are on waiting lists for a decade. The Greens want to build 122,000 new houses nationally in 10 years.

With Labor losing compassion-cred among voters concerned about its new PNG policy for asylum seekers, Mr Hallett is hoping to appeal to voters who are “appalled” by the big two parties’ attempts to out-tough each other.

“We’ve always maintained that punishing refugees after they get here isn’t actually going to stop boats in any way, and the only way to stop boats is to create a safe alternative which currently doesn’t exist,” he says.

“A better option would be for us to better resource the UNHCR to procure people quicker, to increase our humanitarian intake.”
The Greens want the intake bumped from 23,000 to 30,000.

“We want a proper regional solution like the one we had with the Fraser government after Vietnam.”

by DAVID BELL