South Perth Election Results

Just a quick note. Click here for the election results. I’ll post some comment tomorrow. Congratulations to the successful candidates and thank you to the outgoing Councillors.

Some upcoming items for Como include an update on Canning Bridge developments, parking, Right of Ways and others. I’m planning another residents meeting on a Sunday afternoon in a few weeks, on the South end of Como and will post more when I’ve had a chance to chat with our new Ward Councillor, Glen Cridland.

I have been holding off on these issues until after the elections but now it is time to get some action again.

 

Please feel free to have your say by clicking on “Comments” below.

Caring for Our Country

In Local Government we take pride in being passionate about local issues. Does this then make us less capable of thinking about broad, bigger picture matters? Metropolitan Perth has big issues, such as waste disposal, river walls, climate change, education, population growth, transit links, economic development. Some of these questions are too small for State and are too big for Local Government. Even if all our councils are viable, the metropolitan area needs amalgamations to address these and other big question matters. Financial analysis of Councils’ financial sustainability misses this point.

Over the past year it has been my pleasure to work with some amazing people from the Perth regional Natural Resources Management Group. This organisation aims to promote sustainable, coordinated  development to the local Councils of the region. They do this at the same time as working to promote a national strategy devoted to Caring for our Country.

Issues addressed recently have included climate change, waste management around Perth, environmental impact of light industry, sustainable, integrated land use planning, documented systems for environmental management and runoff from building sites and factories into the Swan River.

Some of these high phrases can be described much more simply; in the case of runoff, it is simply ethically unacceptable to let our crap run down the drains and to dump our waste in the Swan River. In the case of light industry, that is where sixty percent of the world’s pollution originates so let’s fix it first.

My own take on this is that people who have access to natural areas are generally happier and healthier. Therefore it makes sense to have the concept of Caring for Our Country as part of the decisions, operations and the processes that we manage every day.

Have your say by clicking on ‘Comments’ below.

Red Bull Air Race

It’s back again, with new dates of Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 April 2010. Previous events have been fun, very well attended and a credit to the City’s organisation skills. Previously the race here has been in November; it is now in April, the most enjoyable month in Perth’s year.

For more information you can click here on the events page.

If you can’t wait to experience the adrenaline I’ve posted a short video from last year, with sound, so turn up your speakers and click on this link :-) (This is a fresh edit and includes the RAAF)

Have your say about this event by clicking on “Comments”, below.

Tree Planting on James Mitchell Park

Hooray! After years of consultation, the Council has approved new tree planting on the South Perth foreshore.

SJM is one of the key components to the identity of the City of South Perth, to state the obvious. In recognition of this, the City has commissioned at least 19 reports and plans for the area in the last 20 years. At all stages the City has worked closely with many respected and trusted organisations. The City has also gone to extreme lengths to maintain contact with residents.

Recognising that the park is many things to many people the City has developed a Management Plan for the area. One of the ways that the City of South Perth leads the field of Local Government in Australia, and something that we can be really proud of, is our use of Sustainability Assessment Analysis. City officers have drawn together the threads of diverse demands, expectations, science, history and economy. Many people have been passionate in promoting their particular facet of interest in SJMP. I recognize the genuine feelings of all these people for this iconic component of South Perth, even those who want the trees removed.

Last Tuesday we received a detailed briefing on the Sustainability Assessment report regarding tree planting in SJMP. The report came after extensive consultation and analysis. It involved rigorous study, passionate input from diverse members of the community, and most important of all, a systematic analysis of all inputs.

In reaching this stage the City put out information sheets and Feedback Forms, advertised in the Southern Gazette, placed items on our web sites, held two community meetings, developed an Advisory Group of community members, distributed one thousand information sheets and feedback forms at Fiesta and yet more to residents of Mill Point and Civic Wards. 403 forms were returned. The vast majority of respondents wanted more trees. Other important points raised were about environmental issues, more flowering trees, respect for existing views, more shade near facilities, safety and more lighting.

A petition signed by over 200 people was also received, asking for improved security and safety, better drainage, additional lighting, improved environmental management, new seating, removal of mud from beaches, preservation of open spaces and planting of more trees in other parks.

Key aspects of the selected plan are:

• Additional trees to be located to provide shade for people using recreational areas
• Planting to be in small clusters, maintaining existing view corridors
• Some planting to be near the river to intercept fertilizer run- off and to protect the banks from erosion, a matter of great concern
• Plantings to be in natural configurations, supporting environmental integrity
• Species to be mainly Salt Sheoaks (Belah), Paperbarks (Cadjebut) and Swamp Banksias plus a small number of Flooded Gums and Peppermints.

Recognition of the value of this plan comes from the peak body representing the river, the Swan River Trust, who write that “The tree planting proposal is clearly in line with the values and actions of the Management Plan and is STRONGLY SUPPORTED by the Trust”

I look forward to enjoying summer days in the park.

Please feel free to add your thoughts by clicking on Comments, below.

Surprise Treasure

This week I was picking up my post in South Perth, just like on any other day of the year, walking past the same bushes I see every day and was almost bowled over by the sight of this. What I had thought for years was just another Bottlebrush was a Bird’s Beak Hakea in full bloom.

The seed pods look just like small birds keeping watch over the blooms. These flowers, in turn, bloom directly out of the branches, not out of stems like any other plant.

Sometimes the most amazing things are there to be discovered on a perfectly ordinary day. (You can click on the images to expand them and see the bird- shaped seed pods.)

What have you seen recently that took your breath away?

Storm Damage

The recent storms across Perth certainly tested the river walls. Here are some photos of the Como beach area, showing the effect of waves, active erosion close to the freeway and the greater effect of back- flow erosion after waves, with traffic in the close background. (Click on the images to enlarge them.)

Here, too, are some pictures of the palm trees, a few weeks before, and then during the storms. Previous weather events had removed nearly all of the root supports for these trees. The City of South Perth wisely removed the trees when the weather forecast predicted storms. Had they not done so I am sure that the trees would have crashed across the bike path and affected freeway traffic.

  The world is in constant change, and always has been. Our challenge is to manage our place in this change.

Got any thoughts on the issue? Click "Comments" below.

Dogs in McDougall Park

There's been a little discussion around dogs in McDougall Park recently so I contacted the Council on the matter. The Manager, Environmental Health & Regulatory Services for the City of South Perth reports that the Dog Local Law clearly prohibits dogs in McDougall Park.

Some of the signs are not clear on this matter and will be replaced in the near future. Meanwhile it would be good if we could encourage dog owners to walk their pets somewhere else, not in McDougall Park. We all love our park, the wild birds and our pets and sometimes we have to enjoy them separately.