Perth Voice Interactive

The legal battle to try and stop a concrete plant being built in Bayswater will cost ratepayers at least $170,000.

The unelected but powerful state administrative tribunal is on the verge of approving a concrete batching plant over the objections of the elected council and hundreds of local residents.

In June 2011 the council rejected the proposal for Collier Road after receiving 400 protest letters citing noise, truck traffic and pollution concerns.

Ransberg wants three 19-metre silos and 16 storage bins on a site that is close to homes and Joan Rycroft Reserve on the fringe of the city’s light industrial zone.

The SAT has ordered the council to submit a list of rules for the plant in the event it is approved.

The council’s legal bill is already around $109,000, but will rise to at least $170,000 by the time its lawyer’s attend the SAT final hearing.

“I think it is the responsibility of council to continue to represent the ratepayers, as the development if approved will have a significant undue impact on the amenity of the area,” mayor Terry Kenyon said.

Cr Marlene Robinson said normally an SAT challenge cost the council around $20,000, but the concrete plant was a complex one-off case.

“This is a really important one to defend, as it could set a precedent across the city and people’s health are at stake,” she said.

Cr Robinson would like to see a third party appeal system allowing residents to appeal planning decisions. Currently the seaside city of Albany is WA’s last bastion of third party appeals, and is under massive pressure from the state government to strike it from its planning scheme.

Cr Kenyon was philosophical about the financial cost of the SAT appeal process.

“We have to operate within a statutory framework,” he said.

“No doubt there are other models, but WA local governments have to work within the SAT process.”

In April, Bayswater deputy mayor Barry McKenna hinted the council was prepared to go to the supreme court to stop the concrete batching plant being built in the city.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

The Liberal candidate for the federal seat of Perth, Darryl Moore, opposes gay marriage.

Mr Moore told the Voice this week marriage should be between a man and a woman “as defined by the Marriage Act”.

Earlier the Australian Marriage Equality lobby group had issued a press release calling for Mr Moore to outline his position after he failed to respond to a survey it had “repeatedly sent to him in recent months”.

The former mining engineer was also initially reluctant when contacted by the Voice.

“I’ll speak to my campaign officer, I’ll speak with my party director, I’ll speak with my campaign committee and let you know,” he said, adding a response would come in a press release.

When given a nudge about getting a personal opinion rather than a party line (Opposition leader Tony Abbott has ruled out a conscience vote if the issue is raised in Parliament again), he said marriage should be “between a man and a woman”.

“The wording in the act, in my personal opinion, without reference to anyone else, is perfect as it is and I wish it to remain just as it did when those proposed changes were rejected by the federal parliament last year,” Mr Moore said, adding his views weren’t linked to a religious belief.

“I have been brought up with that my entire life. I think it’s right, I think it’s proper, and I don’t want to change it, I think the definition is perfect.”

Mr Moore says he’s mystified why so many people are interested in same-sex marriage, yet few seem to be interested in engaging him on the myriad other issues the election will be fought over.

“It seems to be a particular button to push, this one,” he said.

by DAVID BELL

While some predicted traffic chaos when train lines went down this week it was hard to fault the Public Transport Authority’s handling of replacement buses.

On Monday morning buses ranging from little nightspot tour vehicles to five-star coaches were press-ganged into service by the PTA to bolster its own fleet.

They picked up thousands of extra passengers pushed off the trains by the city link upgrade.

The Voice took replacement buses three days this week and ran into no problems.

The drivers were cheery, passengers weren’t grumpy despite the weather, and the trips were free.

While the timing drew criticism from footy fans who were left without trains on derby weekend (“Rail work to cause traffic woe”, Voice, July 4, 2013), the school holidays meant the roads weren’t overly packed and taking the bus was only about half an hour slower than the usual train ride from Perth to Fremantle (coming in under the PTA’s predicted 45 minutes extra).

And no one could claim they hadn’t been informed of the shutdowns and given plenty of time to prepare. Opposition transport minister Ken Travers claimed the government hadn’t adequately advertised the shutdowns, but anyone who’s been at a train station in the past month would have seen the army of people the PTA has hired to hand out flyers.

And there’s been pamphlets left at just about every Smartrider tag-off point.

The second round of shutdowns on July 31 to August 4 will be the true test, as replacement buses compete with soccer mums making the morning run to schools.

by  DAVID BELL

The co-naming of Weld Square as “Wongi Park” is off the table.

Vincent council had approved the dual naming in principle, but mayor Alannah MacTiernan told the Voice it was dropped following meetings with the indigenous community (last week we reported the name had been adopted).

“There wasn’t a great deal of enthusiasm,” Ms MacTiernan says.

Wongi means having a chat in Nyungar, but there’s also a mob from the goldfields called Wongi and the locals felt this might cause confusion.

Ms MacTiernan says while the name’s a no-go, the council still wants to recognise the significance of the park for Aboriginal people, and they’re currently trying to secure a sculpture that was historically outside the nearby Aboriginal Advancement Council.

by DAVID BELL

Vincent city council’s community consultation is under fire.

Locals have complained about not being notified of big developments and projects in their neighbourhood.

Leederville traders Debbie Saunders and Stuart Lofthouse say the council failed to notify them of new works at the Oxford Street Reserve, which turned out to be a snafu with the council’s database.

Over in North Perth, Hesson Razavi, Craig Willis and Paul O’Brien say they didn’t receive notification about the Albert North Perth project (mayor Alannah MacTiernan contended that given the amount of exposure she found it hard to imagine anyone could have missed it).

At next week’s meeting councillors John Carey and Josh Topelberg will ask for the consultation process to be reviewed.

Cr Carey says he’s not criticising staff but it’s sensible to look at whether it can be done better.

“We have feedback from some residents that they haven’t received information about a consultation.

“I don’t think you can ever rest on your laurels and say we’re totally happy with the way things happen.

“We can always improve the way we consult and engage with the community.”

Crs Carey and Topelberg want a working group with the mayor, two councillors and staff to review consultation.

Cr Carey said old-fashioned doorknocking might be better than mass-posted missives when it comes to important issues like town centre upgrades. This’d ensure no one’s missed by an outdated database and make sure traders—and not just the landlords—get notified of big projects.

A checklist for developers engaging the community is also on the table.

“One of the things that’s very clear from our council meetings is that time after time we have developers come along and they haven’t done the basics.

“They don’t think about it, about engaging local residents, consulting with the community.”

He wants the checklist to tell developers “don’t take a secretive approach, but engage people and bring them along with you”.

by DAVID BELL

Stirling city council has defended spending $16,375 to send a councillor to an audit conference in Florida even though he’s not on its audit committee.

Cr David Lagan flew business class return to Orlando to attend the Institute of Internal Auditors international conference from July 14-17.

The cost included flights, registration, cash advances and seven nights accommodation ($1971)—the conference lasted four days.

He was accompanied by Cr Joe Ferrante, a member of the audit committee, who was also allocated $16,375 from the councillor’s training budget.

Council voted to approve the audit trip at the March 19 council meeting.

Stirling’s acting CEO Trevor Holland said virtually all decisions made by councillors involved money and the $16,375 was justified.

“In his role of councillor, Cr Lagan is required to participate in decision making relating to all reports provided to the audit committee,” he said.

“In fact, everything councillors do revolves around finances and the understanding of compliance.

“Cr Lagan pays a great deal of attention to the councils financial position and regularly requests information about our financial status overall and for specific projects at committee meetings and directly to officers.”

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

A dog owner has escaped with a $400 fine after his two staffordshire bull terriers mauled a dog in front of two terrified children in Mt Hawthorn.

It is the second time in a year the staffies had been reported to Vincent city council for attacking a dog.

The two boys, aged four and six, were walking an elderly neighbour’s 10-year-old Lhasa Apso along Federation Street with their father when the staffies escaped from their yard and attacked.

The father of the boys managed to fend them off before their owner’s son intervened, but his leashed charge had sustained bite marks to its front leg.

Vincent council acting CEO Rick Lotznicker said the owner of the injured dog does not want the staffies put down.

“Destruction of the dogs is unlikely to be attained as the attacks were between dogs only and no injuries were sustained by any persons as a result of the attack,” he said.

“The offending dogs’ owner is very cooperative, remorseful and apologetic and has indicated they will comply with any requirements the city determines appropriate on the matter.”

He said the previous attack by the staffies on July 20, 2012 was of a “minor nature involving another dog that received minor superficial injuries and did not require veterinary attention.”

Council issued the owner with a $200 fine for not leashing the dogs in a public place, and $200 for the dogs causing a nuisance.

The city is applying to have the dogs declared “dangerous” and forced to be muzzled and leashed.

Vincent mayor Alannah MacTiernan said the response from council was appropriate to the severity of the attack.

“The severity of the attack does not justify the dogs being destroyed,” she said.

“If the dogs are declared ‘dangerous’, it will have severe implications for the owner and help to ensure public safety.”

Mr Lotznicker added that punishments are more severe when a dog is declared “dangerous”.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

Golfers are having to book a week in advance just to get on a course in Bayswater.

The city has gone all Caddyshack following the closure of the Burswood public golf course in April, with golfers suffering withdrawal symptoms swamping the Maylands Peninsula and Embleton courses.

Bayswater mayor Terry Kenyon said the freshwater lakes made Maylands Peninsula a challenging and picturesque 18-hole course.

“It is becoming the course of choice and natural replacement for many of the golfers who previously played at the Burswood,” he said.

MPGC has a a floodlit driving range, pitch and putt and motorised cart hire.

EGC is a tighter, more challenging nine holes.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK