The View From Perth, WA

Welcome, and Happy Australia Day

2012-01-25T10:46:00.001+08:00

Wow! Summer time in Perth is just so good. Cricket, the Arts Festival, blue skies, time with friends, a little travel, good conversation and Australia Day.

We live in a wonderfully safe country, we have jobs and businesses in a booming economy, our health and education services are very good indeed, our community is safer every year, our parks are green, our tap water is healthy, our transport systems flow freely, we are tolerant of others, our legal system works, our public services are excellent. There is so much to be thankful for.

On Australia Day I’ll do as I have for five years: join the volunteers, take a big bag of Council Welcome flyers and walk the foreshore from end to end all afternoon, welcoming people to South Perth’s free family events. It’s a marvellous way of meeting thousands of people, with smiles all around. On New Year’s Eve in Melbourne, when walking the whole length of the City area, with a total ban on public alcohol, through six hundred thousand people from six to midnight, I noted not even one aggressive incident. Perth: we’ve started a trend, we don’t need a boozy Australia day!

On Clean Up Australia Day - Sunday 4 March 2012 we’ll be working around James Miller Oval and Manning Hub in South Perth, starting at 9:00 am. You are very welcome to join us, to make our neighbourhood cleaner and have a chat too. Our event is on the web: click here to register or just turn up. With a few more volunteers I’ll even put on a free barbecue. Pickup bags are supplied free for you.

These are such positive events, where we get to connect with others, to make a difference around us and to help neighbours. We don't have to look far to find people much less fortunate, doing it tough, with physical and mental health issues, affected by discrimination or misfortune. Yet there seem to be numbers of ordinary people who are a little grumpy. My experience is that there’s a simple fix for a lot of this feeling - get out and help someone else, volunteer.

Our country is incredibly diverse in so many ways. Through events like these we can meet people from different backgrounds and rebuild some of Australia’s famous trust and friendliness. We have some inspirational community leaders. Can we join them in building our communities and connecting people? I feel really good when this happens, and hope you can too.

Please pass this on as far as you like. Have your say by clicking on Comments, below, (log in as Name) or just email me and I’ll publish for you.

River Care and Mosquitoes

2012-01-16T20:51:00.001+08:00

"Poison the river! Drain the swamp!" These are the calls in South Perth for a public meeting about mosquitoes, tomorrow, Tuesday 17 January.

We love our rivers. They are where Noongar Wadjuk people lived, where the Swan River Settlement was formed in 1829. We swim, fish, sail and walk in and by the rivers most of our lives. In 1930 the City tried to drain wetlands and imported Gulf of Mexico mosquito fish. It didn't work; the fish just ate other stuff and are now the most common fish in the Canning River. In 1940 we built Canning Dam, reduced flow by 98%, stopped fresh water flow and left wetlands around Wilson, Shelley and Manning permanently salty. By the 1960s mosquitoes drove families indoors at sunset.

A group of residents wants the City to fog wetlands and lay bait for young mosquito larvae. Fogging chemicals kill all insects, including bees, dragon flies and moths. Larvicide kills all larvae, of all types. Species that naturally eat mosquitoes are eliminated; our rivers are poisoned and natural balances disrupted. The effect of fogging on mosquitoes lasts only a few hours.

We love our rivers; they belong to all of us. We love watching moon rise over the water, pelicans skimming low at sunrise, swans nesting. We are horrified about dead dolphins and disappearing birdlife. These rivers are at the core of our lives and we want them managed with the depth of appreciation that we all share.

Even during the recent, spirited debates about Canning Bridge development, residents, the Como Action Group and Ward candidates spoke and wrote of a desire for “pristine rivers.”

On 7 p.m. 17 January, tomorrow, Tuesday, South Perth is hosting a public meeting at the Civic Hall, corner of South Terrace and Sandgate Street, South Perth. A group is attempting promote an argument to poison the river. Please be there to provide a voice to speak up for care of our beautiful waterways and their complexity, to say that this is just not on.

Please feel free to add your thoughts for all to see, by clicking on Comments below or by emailing me. (Anonymous comments might be edited.)

Manning By-Election

2012-01-11T11:01:00.001+08:00

Today I’ve nominated for the Council by-election in Manning Ward, South Perth. May I ask for your support, please?

My commitment to Manning:

• For you to feel safe, at home and on the street

• To respect you, your opinions and your values

• To be available for you to call, any time

• To listen and respond to your concerns

• To include the whole community, younger and older, and from every background

• To continue to use my record of experience as City Councillor to get things done in Manning, for you

With a lifetime of commitment, I’ve coached many junior football and cricket teams and enjoy working with our local groups, clubs and charities. I own a small, local business. My family and I enjoy living here.

I grew up in inland Australia, love our country and commit to including all members of our society, of all ages, from all cultures. I believe that a good community balances care for all of our social, financial and environmental values.

Your vote counts. Few people vote in by-elections so your vote is really important. I will speak up for the entire community, so make your voice heard, please.

More New Ideas in the City

2011-12-14T09:19:00.001+08:00

A recreational club with two thousand members, operating seven days a week, with strong competition and a buzzing social scene? This can be a new South Metro Bridge Centre. An expanding demographic of older players could really appreciate a new facility for this rapidly growing pastime. With goodwill and some imaginative funding this could be easily achieved. The present club is on City land zoned R80, being very valuable and potentially contributing to a new centre.

South Perth Bridge Club is feeling squeezed by new developments near their Como home of thirty years. Melville Club has been given two years to vacate their old building to make way for Riseley precinct developments. There is opportunity to start afresh. With a new site on Manning Road, close to the freeway, Canning Bridge Station and the new light rail service, this could be easily accessible to the whole Perth region. Merging the two local clubs and bringing in new members could easily create an exciting new venue near the Manning Library, on Council land. Regional tournaments could be accessible to all between Mandurah and Joondalup. Can we make this happen?

More events last weekend included a spirited party hosted by Moorditch Keila, with food, music and smiles. Wow, Dena, Garry and friends do wonders in our community.

Speaking of making things happen, the McDougall Farm Community Garden people are a bundle of energy. Another workshop on Sunday brought more people and ideas together. John McBain and friends are about to commence preparing worm farms and compost, ahead of an anticipated Spring 2012 planting.

For younger residents, this weekend the new McDougall Park play area is expected to be open. What a job the City has done here :-) More new ideas in action.

People in this City are moving with energy. Councillor Gleeson speaks of visionary planning and the need to be “not tied to the dinosaur of our old Town Planning Scheme.” Councillor Reid speaks of keeping the open feel of our neighbourhoods, not closing off our families behind high walls.

Do you have some ideas about the future? Click on Comments below to add your thoughts, or just email me and I’ll publish them here for you.

What About Small Voices?

2011-11-23T14:50:00.001+08:00

An affordable housing development in Manning was last night refused by South Perth Councillors. The property at 4 Downey Drive is owned by Homes West and has a dilapidated house on it. In partnership with an architect, Homes West submitted plans to construct a block of six affordable apartments with a street-facing office. They planned to sell four units on the open market, use the cash for more building, and to sell the other two units on a Shared Equity arrangement to approved buyers. The City’s planning officers recommended the application for approval by Council.

Manning has for many years comprised welfare housing, including houses for returned soldiers from the 1940s. At times as much as 50% of dwellings were social housing. That figure is now down to 17%. In recent years people have been buying land in Manning cheaply and building grand houses on their blocks. Three such new houses can be seen adjacent to 4 Downey Drive, above. The rest of the street remains mostly in its old form.

In September Councillor Sharon Hawkins-Zeeb, who lives next door, raised a petition of more than a hundred local residents to protest about this proposed building next to her property. At the consequent public meeting speaker after speaker rose to express their feelings against the amount of social housing in Manning. As each finished the crowd clapped and cheered. A representative of the Department of Housing pointed out that the development was not for social housing but that the units would be sold. His words appeared to be not understood by members of the crowd, as they continued to demand less Homes West tenants in their suburb.

At last night’s meeting Councillor Hawkins-Zeeb declared a “Proximity Interest” and left the room during debate. There was no debate. When the Mayor introduced the item not one Councillor even twitched to move or second the motion. Not a word was said. The motion therefore lapsed. Councillor Colin Cala then moved that the application be refused. He spoke of the size of the building being out of character with the streetscape, noting that as more good quality homes are being built their amenity should be protected. He said the proposed building would have far-reaching effects on adjoining property. Cr Peter Howat spoke to say that the building would affect the neighbours and was not in keeping with the neighbourhood. Not one person spoke up for affordable housing, for the needs of people who can’t afford big houses, for people such as nurses and police, whom Homes West sees as likely buyers of the proposed units.

The motion to refuse the application was supported by all except Councillors Lawrance and Hasleby. Of course I do respect that many in our City have homes that they worked hard for and can be proud of. I do ask: should not our Council represent all residents, not just the wealthy? What of young people who can’t afford a big house, the elderly with no family living at home, others who just don’t need all those rooms?

Click on Comments, below, to have your say, or just email me, to have your thoughts added to the blog.

Verges, Gardens and Economic Development

2011-11-16T20:40:00.001+08:00

Our McDougall Park Community Garden meeting last week was full of energy. We had lots of conversation about why we are going to share a garden space, how, what our shared values are and much more. What wonderful neighbours we have around here. For more information you can click here to go to the Facebook Group. If you click “Add Friend” you can be part of the group too.

Recent Council moves to amalgamate various tiny pieces of land in the parking area behind the Windsor Hotel and to sell the combined block have caused some concerns. Some residents have suggested that they could lose walking access across the car park. Others are concerned about loss of parking spaces and about local street exit at the rear. These are important points. Might it be possible to use “and” instead of “or” in our thinking to achieve the desired development and to maintain these amenities? I’m sure this is what we can expect with good architects, planners and local input? Have your say when you get the chance.

Preston Street too is in the news. Along with ideas for al-fresco dining and street art some have suggested that if we installed more bike lock-up points there would be fewer cars, less congestion and happier shoppers. The street is wonderfully popular; now what if we changed the dominant colour to be less beige?

Back in June, after work by myself, John McBain, Mark Taylor and many others, the Council changed the verge law so that we do not need permission for:

Natural lawns, reticulation, verges mulched with organic mulch or low-growing Waterwise verge gardens.

This means we can have native plants, mulch and even edible herbs on the verge. Click here for more details.

My last achievement before leaving Council was to have the City commit to composing an economic development plan. Surprisingly, we don’t have one. One of the CEO’s KPIs for the year is to get this moving. There is so much happening and I’m hugely encouraged by the way our community joins in planning for our future. Do you have thoughts on this?

Please pass this on to your family and friends. You can add your thoughts by clicking on Comments below, or email me and I’ll publish for you.

Two and a Half Opportunities to Have Your Say

2011-11-03T00:00:00.001+08:00

What’s a democracy? Is it somewhere that you get to have your say about the law? Here are 2.5 chances to do just that, one about now, one about later. Both are to do with our Councils, what they are and how they work.

For the first, WA State Government has a Local Government Amendment Bill currently progressing through the Lower House; it could reach the upper house next week. It’s all about discipline, payments, investments and underground power. There’s a summary below or you can click here for a full copy and here for explanations. If you’d like to have input you could contact your State MP or you could email me to pass on, or you could click on Comments, at the end of this blog. You should be pretty quick on this one.

Your second chance is to do with the future role of Councils, what they are, what services they provide, how big they are and much more. You can go directly to the Metropolitan Local Government Review web site or read more about the 23 questions below.

Chance three is to say stuff ‘em all, I’m going to make a difference near home. The Great Freeway Clean-up is on for 27 November 2011, between The Narrows and Cranford Av, right past Mill Point and Como. Click

here for more info.

___________________________________

1 Now) Local Government Amendment Bill key components:

new disqualification provisions for council members so that they cease to hold office when elected to Parliament or when convicted of a major crime
modifying the current power for the Salaries and Allowances Tribunal to recommend the levels of local government chief executive officer salaries and remuneration to making a binding determination which must be complied with by local governments
inclusion of a new power for the Salaries and Allowances Tribunal to set the levels of fees and allowances paid to council members
addition of a new head of power to enable regulations to be made to regulate the types of investments that local government may invest their money in
clarifying the powers of local government to impose service charges for underground power and the ability for rebates to be paid under the Rates and Charges (Rebates and Deferments) Act 1992
inclusion of a new power to enable the Minister to suspend a council for up to six months and/or require members of council to undertake remedial action where a council has become dysfunctional

___________________________________

2 Later) Metropolitan Local Government Review

Submissions should be sent to: Metropolitan Local Government Review Panel GPO Box R1250 Perth WA 6844 or mlgr@dlg.wa.gov.au

Submissions can also be made via the website: metroreview.dlg.wa.gov.au

KEY QUESTIONS

1. Do you think there is a need for better local government arrangements in metropolitan Perth? Why? Or why not?

2. If you think there is a need for a better local government system, what should the priorities of the new system be? What should its objectives be?

3. What are the best aspects of local government in its current form?

What is your vision for the future of the Perth metropolitan area?

5. What do you think are the biggest issues facing metropolitan Perth?

6. Do you think local government in metropolitan Perth is ready to face the demands and challenges of the next 50 years? If not, what do you think needs to be changed?

7. Do you think that local government in Perth will be able to deal with national and international issues such as climate change and growing populations?

8. Do you think local government should be responsible for managing these issues, or should they be the responsibility of the State or federal governments?

9. Who should pay for the social and physical infrastructure and services required to cope with these issues?

10. Is metropolitan Perth in a position to be an effective international competitor? If not, what would you change?

11. What do you think about the other governance models discussed here, such as those adopted in Auckland or Vancouver? Which aspects of these models would work in Perth? Which aspects would not work?

12. Do you know of any governance systems that work well elsewhere, either in Australia or overseas, that might work well in Perth?

13. Should more be done by local governments to engage with the community?

14. Should voting be compulsory for local government elections?

15. Does metropolitan Perth have too many local governments? What would be the advantages and disadvantages in reducing the number of local governments?

16. If the boundaries and/or roles of Perth’s local governments are changed, what should be the criteria for doing so? Are the LGAB’s factors (cited above) the right criteria?

17. Should local government boundaries be set by an independent body and reviewed at regular intervals?

18. If Perth’s local government boundaries do not change, how do you think services to communities could be improved?

19. What do you consider are the main roles and responsibilities of local government?

20. In an urban area like Perth, which functions should belong to the State or Commonwealth governments?

21. Are there any State-provided services that local government might be better placed to provide?

22. What do you consider to be the principles of good governance at a local level?

23. Do you think there should be greater State government oversight of issues, such as key performance indicators and senior local government employee appointments and salaries?

___________________________________

Whew, this not being a Councillor is a busy job.

Just click on Comments, below, to have your say.

Your Council, Your Connections

2011-10-27T13:45:00.001+08:00

Your Council meetings are open to the public. To see and hear what goes on you can walk in at (almost) any time. In South Perth the formal monthly meeting is usually at 7 p.m. on the last Tuesday of the month. On the Tuesday before that there is normally a formal briefing session on items in the month’s agenda. This is where ratepayers and residents can submit questions to the Mayor on agenda items and where you can make a deputation to Council on these items. Recent topics have included Dog Law and HomesWest developments. Meetings only sometimes extend past two hours. Go on, participate in Democracy!

During the month Councillors will have many other forums, workshops and briefings. These are not generally open to the public and have a very informal style. Some Councillors also attend training sessions, for example updates on the Law, Code of Conduct and Rules of Conduct, on understanding financial reports, on Planning, and so on. It’s a bit of a work load.

When Councillors swear their oath of Office they voluntarily surrender some of their Constitutional right of free speech. Decision-making in an effective Council is in a collegiate style, rather than one of “getting the numbers”. This always gives a much better outcome for the City’s future. Councillors agree, too, to support the group’s decisions, whether they personally agree or not, voted in favour or not and even whether they were present or not. There are many laws about process and behaviour. One that surprises some is that a Councillor must have an open mind, be open to argument and not have a fixed position.

Perhaps you’d like to represent your community. Click here for some thoughts on what you might bring to your community.

In my area this month I’ve got Neighbourhood Watch onto Facebook, Twitter and the Web. You are welcome to join as a Friend, to Follow and to browse. I’ve also added a Community Calendar to this Blog, for you to use. You can link to it on the right side of this page. Feel free to send in your events, it’s free.

See you at the Community Garden planning session at McDougall Park on Sunday?

As always, we’d love to read your thoughts. Click on Comments, below, or email me and I’ll publish them for you.

Rooster to Feather Duster

2011-10-21T00:57:00.001+08:00

Congratulations to Mayor Sue Doherty on selection by the community to lead our City of South Perth. Congrats also to Councillors Bill Gleeson, Fiona Reid and Sharon Hawkins-Zeeb who will represent us on Council. For myself, there’s lots to do in the extra thirty hours a week I now have as an ex-Councillor. Rooster one day, feather duster the next. Tonight I’ve updated the Neighbourhood Watch web site and created a Facebook page for that tremendous group of committed people. Now for a Blog update. Oh and click here for my Facebook page.

A common theme in the election was the community’s sincere concern about change and how we plan for a future that will be very different to anything in our past experience. Canning Bridge development was certainly a big issue.

Exciting presentation last night with ABC's Josh Byrne on Community Gardens. South Perth's projects at McDougall Park in Como include a shared garden for the community, a wonderfully imaginative kids' playground and preservation of the heritage dairy farm buildings. I love the way this park is going, with about five phases of people passing through each day and swans and other birds nesting in the middle.

McDougall Park was originally a dairy farm, started in 1914, operating until 1946 when Neil McDougall retired. Neil and Hazel gifted the farm to the Council and Hazel’s will specified that the house and farm buildings be preserved. They are now heritage listed.

I am excited about this project because I have seen others working well in Perth City, Fremantle and in Africa. What a great way to bring people together! You are invited to the next planning meeting at the park on Sunday 6 Nov 10am to 12 noon, Clydesdale St, Como. It’s open to everyone, especially if you live in Manning, Como or McDougall wards. See you there!

I’ve had a number of calls from people who received voting papers for the Mayor but none for the Ward Councillor. If this happened to you, or you received none, especially in Como, please let me know so I can advise the WAEC.

Next week sees a Special Electors Meeting at 5:30 on Monday at Manning Bowls Club, in response to a petition against development by Homes West at 4 Downey Drive, Manning. While many in our city are doing well, there are others that are in hard times and need our support. All in our community need shelter and security, basic needs for all that live on Earth. There are real questions around how we ensure such core needs for our residents, in an envelope of trust and respect. It is certainly not easy and I hope all that attend share these key values.

Manning residents will choose a new Councillor soon, as Cr Les Ozsdolay resigned this week. Les has worked hard and done wonders, being the driver behind Clontarf Markets, the chef for innumerable sausage sizzles and an ear for many residents. A by-election will happen some time soon. With heaps of support, I will be nominating and hope to be as useful.

Click on Comments below or just email me, to have your thoughts published here.

Preston Street for Dinner?

2011-10-11T14:43:00.001+08:00

It’s Friday night in Como. Where shall we go for dinner? Preston Street of course! Sunset view down the hill, sails on the water, a cool drink to hand. Ahh, I love this place.

Now, what can we do to make it even better? What if we encouraged the restaurants to place tables on the pavement, leaving a walkway on the building side? Patrons at Just Tapas, Empress, Coffee at Cygnet, Wild Lime, Golden Mile, Lago di Como and others could enjoy sunset even more.

Then what if we did a bit of engineering and shaped the pavement a bit so tables stood straight? What if the businesses chipped in for the cost? What if we had a bit of gentle street music?

Do you have an idea? If we work with our Council we can do wonders with our City. Click on Comments below or just email me, to have your thoughts published here.

Highlights and Thank You

2011-09-27T11:40:00.001+08:00

People of our City are amazing. Over the past four years as Councillor I’ve had the absolute pleasure of working with wonderful community members. So many people are contributing their time, energy, skills and funds towards the future of our neighbourhood.

Some of the high points have been:

The Friends of McDougall Park, who get together to tidy, weed and manage a beautiful locality. This park is an oasis of peace, where a pair of black swans is nesting right now.

Lyndon Lewis, who has personally contributed very large sums towards environmental landscaping of the Canning River shoreline.
Members of Neighbourhood Watch, who work tirelessly to make our suburbs safer. It has been my pleasure to chair some of their Council liaison meetings and to design their web site.
The people of Como, who value their neighbours, trust each other and regularly turn out at our Tea in the Park events, and join conversation about our future.
The crew at SERCUL, working every day to safeguard our rivers. I’ve learned a lot while representing the City at SERCUL and while chairing the Local Government Reference Group of Perth Region Natural Resources Management Group.
The Heritage Society, who have such passionate and interesting members, working on historical, natural and artistic heritage of the City.
Millennium Kids, who create the leaders of tomorrow, conscious of our world.
Members of Perth Bushwalkers, for whom I’ve been the Treasurer, sharing appreciation of our rich natural diversity.
SIDS Foundation, based in our City and achieving wonders for families across WA.
The Library team at the City, who have created a wondrous space.

The Staff and Councillors at the City of South Perth, who show how good a local Council can be.

I’ve also learned a lot while being on bodies such as the WA Local Government Standards Panel, consultation groups around transport, light rail and river management, the Local Chambers business group and quite a few others.

Thank you to all of these people, for allowing me to be part of what you do and to contribute my own pieces to your objectives. It has been a satisfying, positive and enjoyable four years.

What more can we do together? How can we all make a difference? What do you think? Comment below, or email me, and I’ll get your thoughts published here.

Trust and Economy of our City

2011-09-16T11:19:00.001+08:00

Do we think enough about what makes our local economy work? Transport, housing, environment, community services and sense of place all get attention at Council level. But what do we need to do to build local businesses, jobs and economic connections?

Trust is the bit we take for granted and it is the core of what makes Australia work, as a community and as an economy. In many poor countries there exists a culture that says it’s OK to cheat someone who is not a family member. In some places cheating is even seen as a sign of clever business. Willingness to trust strangers is what puts Australia at the top of league tables charting economic strength. It’s also why I enjoy street food markets in Asia.

Our position on the trusting spectrum is what makes us different. Trust is so much a part of our life that we treat it like oxygen. We trust that our customers will pay us, that our land tile is secure, that our kids will learn useful skills and sound values at school. We trust our friends, our neighbours and strangers at the shop. Is this the key to developing local jobs and being more of the village community that many of us seek? Is trust an asset to be nurtured, one of which we are not aware?

While the mining economy powers ahead, should we do more to consciously build local economies and promote local jobs? Can we have more jobs near where we live? Do we have to treat our suburb like a dormitory that we leave every morning for work, and return to, for food and sleep? Can we build local business so we are more a part of the life in the veins of our community?

Can the large number of home and small-office consultancies be part of this. Will National Broadband allow businesses to be quite different to anything in our past. I already know people who work for big UK and USA businesses, while living in Perth, using the Internet to help them service opposite time zones. Will the development of one of the world’s biggest super-computers in Kent Street next year spur innovation? Could Mend’s Street be the centre for fashion retail in WA? Can services for education capitalise on the rapid growth of Curtin Uni?

At Council this week I commenced a formal conversation around how we can promote the City’s economy. We went on to include this topic in the CEO’s key performance indicators for 2012. My dream is that Council can do much more in this direction. We’ve already begun, with a vision for Canning Bridge and for the area between the Freeway and the Zoo. The new library has small rooms available for business start-ups and community groups. Manning Hub redevelopment includes a significant business rejuvenation. There is thought around a business component of funding heritage preservation and the Old Mill.

What structures, ideas, inspirations and changes can we promote? How can we make a difference? What do you think? Comment below, or email me, and I’ll get your thoughts published here.

Empty Seats on Council

2011-09-06T16:34:00.001+08:00

Nominations for WA Local Council seats close on Thursday afternoon 8 September 2011. Does this matter to you?

A number of Councils around the State still have empty positions. Others have only one person nominating in many Wards. Sometimes this means a good person gets straight in without being distracted from their good works; other times it means that a less skilled person get to lead your community.

Do you care enough to make a difference?

If you are reflecting on how you might contribute to the City’s future, and what it takes to do it well, you might like to look into one of my questioning blogs by clicking here.

There are some interesting electoral profiles out there. I like to look at what a person has done already, before I look at their view of the future. Oh, and I hope they have such a thing as a view. My ideal candidate should have an active history, should care a lot about others, should have already done a lot for others, should be a good listener and should have a focus on what our City will be like in our grandkids’ time.

My ideal candidate might have some connection with politics, but must be able to bring their personal values to the Council Chamber, and leave their party allegiances outside. They really must be able to work together and, when necessary, to disagree agreeably. Oh, and quite a few, I hope, don’t fit the standard model of greying male. (There are enough of us already.)

Go on, like Ernie says, get out there.

Do you have something to add? Click on Comments below or just email me, to have it published here.

Happy Birthday Perth

2011-08-13T00:22:00.001+08:00

This week in 1829 the City of Perth was founded. (Lisa Scafidi has just alerted me to this fact.) A hundred and thirty five years earlier, in 1696, Dutch explorer Willem de Vlamingh landed here. For many thousands of years before that the original inhabitants had built a strong relationship with this place.

The early European settlers nearly starved. South Perth Mill was built to grind wheat, grown where the Royal Perth Golf Club now resides. The mill was our first industrial development.

The mill and the peninsular represent many things in both Colonial and Indigenous history. For this reason the proposed museum here will show both lines of history. Recognition of this is important to our future. Our old buildings, artefacts, oral and written history, works of art, our people and much else make up this history. My recent blog on preserving Heritage House asks about ways to show our respect for South Perth’s heritage in its many lines.

Susan Harris and others have written about early farms, bird nesting sites, an old fig tree, Canning River wrecks, dreaming and learning trails, artists such as May Gibbs and very much more. Susan’s thoughts about the depth of our shared heritage, what that might include and how we might preserve and understand it can be downloaded here.

In any case, the matter is a broad one and we do things better in this city when we all contribute to the conversation. A motion to Council next week asks us to investigate building a community reference group around heritage matters. There are other views developing around this theme as we begin to appreciate heritage value in a time of rapid change. Do you have something to add? Click on Comments below or just email me, to have them published here.

Our Safer City

2011-07-11T10:47:00.001+08:00

What a community this is. We want a safer city and we are doing something about it. We take responsibility, we work together, we look out for our neighbours.

The City’s planning approach now includes a Design-Out-Crime aspect, so that our streets are in clear view and have lots of pedestrians. We try to make our precincts active at all times of day. Neighbourhood Watch is very active, with members all over the place; members use the new web site we set up to make contact and update information. Since I started the wipe-out-graffiti project others have joined in, cleaning the streets of scribble as fast as it appears. This is all about people reclaiming their own streets.

Moorditch Keila, with support of the Council and SouthCare, has done wonderful things to connect indigenous young people. They’ve organised regular sporting and cultural events, had a lot of fun and significantly reduced the trouble that some members had got into.

Our Sports clubs are a really big part of enjoying life and connecting people, young and old. Hundreds of volunteers give their time and skills to make life better for others. Youth groups like SPYN- South Perth Youth Network, develop opportunities for young people and enjoy doing it. The image of our City is changing fast, getting even better and includes young people in our future.

By bringing young people into our lives, our planning for the future and everything we do, our City is safer, more enjoyable and more likely to be resilient in a changing world. Millennium Kids has really connected with hundreds of young people. Hey they even have a project called ‘Have Fun, Eat Chocolate & Care for the Environment.’ Older people have formed groups such as Friends of McDougall Park to take care of local parks, making them cleaner and safer for all of us.

Since we started Next Door Day on the last Sunday in October each year, so many people have taken up the idea, as far away as east coast towns. Inviting the neighbours over for food and drink, sharing and having a chat has been popular and fun. It also makes our neighbourhood connected and safe. We’ll be doing it again this year.

We don’t outsource our caring about safety to a contractor, we don’t delude ourselves that private security cars make any difference. Melville has had security patrols for many years. People there like seeing the cars around a couple of times a year, but doubt their effectiveness. The Mayor of Melville comments that for workplace safety reasons the patrol officers must not approach possible offenders. Patrols must stay back, observe and call the police, just like any other resident. As I learned a few years ago, when my son was looking at jobs, private security officers are often new arrivals in Perth, working night shift, on their first jobs here. It’s a thankless, boring job, with little backup or support.

Working with our Police officers from Cannington and Kensington, especially on community projects, has had much better results. Our Eyes on the Street project has involved nearly everyone in the City, so that there are literally thousands of people watching out for each other, keeping us safe. By supporting the work of WA Police in our City we link to their network, skills and experience. Their fantastic work on Australia Day demonstrated how very effective our police are when the going gets tough.

Yes, our city can be safer, and by watching out for each other, by being involved in our community, we can make it that way. I’m doing my bit for a safe city; won’t you come with me?

Congratulations: Canning Bridge

2011-07-01T00:29:00.001+08:00

Woowie! I did the big Toyota leap today when the Planning Minister, John Day, announced that WA State Cabinet has endorsed our plan for Canning Bridge precinct.

Congratulations to all of the hundreds of community members on both sides of the river who have contributed to this plan. Big thanks also to the thoroughly professional staff members and consultants who put it together. Sincere recognition too for the Councillors of South Perth and Melville who worked on and supported the ideas.

This development will be about diversity of lifestyle choices, a lot less use of cars, lower environmental impact and a living space where pedestrians come first. A community style called Transit Oriented Design is based on being close to public transport. The Minister said that he expected that the final developments could see over a billion dollars of State, commercial and private investment in the precinct.

Today’s announcement echoes recent policy announcements indicating that our city will rely less on cars and a lot more on public transport. Detailed planning can now commence, for the myriad things that go into a place where people want to live. Changes won’t happen tomorrow but we are certain to see progress over the forthcoming years.

The first step is likely to be a new bus facility, right off the bridge. This will make the bridge safer, easier to use and will ease the crowding that comes from its popularity. The latest designs were shown this week; they get better with every review.

In living memory the precinct has changed from one with dairy farms and horse transport to being at the front of WA’s developments. My vision is that we continue to be involved all the way, and ensure that this happens the way we want it to. Let’s preserve what we love, change what we need to and build a community that is durable.

Other news of developments in the City this week included the latest proposals for widening of Canning Highway, to accommodate buses or light rail and exciting plans for Manning Hub. Our new street verges policy almost bans plastic grass, while allowing diverse plants and street gardens.

Gee, it’s good to be on a Council that works on strong planning while recognising our past. What a City!

What are your thoughts? Let’s have more positive, optimistic, imaginative ideas for the future of our city. Please click ‘Comments’ below to add your thoughts. Just log in as “Name” (no password required) or email me and I’ll publish your words right here.

Heritage House, South Perth

2011-06-27T15:12:00.001+08:00

Our famous and much-loved Heritage House was built in 1904, originally to be the Council House. Since a new Civic Centre was built in 1960 this building has had a number of uses. The building was recognised by the Heritage Council of WA in 1999. This means that the City is required to protect the site. Most recently it has been the home of the May and Herbert Gibbs Art Gallery, recognising the creators of much famous work, including the Gumnut Babies. The rooms also display items of local history, a vital and fascinating link with our past.

Nearby is the Perth Zoo, the destination for six hundred thousand visitors a year. Equally close are coffee shops, other heritage buildings, the lively Windsor Hotel, Mends Street shopping precinct and the ferry to Perth. What is missing is a permanent use and attraction that brings regular visitors, and some way of providing financial support to keep it alive.

Until recently this little gem was staffed by one person and saw almost no visitors. To keep Heritage House going we need imagination, at least one distinct purpose and a full-time staff of at least two. The likely running costs will be about $150,000 per year. How do we do it?

My vision is that we can change the zoning from ‘Civic and Cultural’ to ‘Commercial’ to match that of the rest of the Mends Street area, and create two purposes within the building. One purpose would curate and display works of art and history; the other would contribute to community development while providing funds for operation and maintenance. Oh, and a shop would probably not fit either of these needs.

I have heard that the Australia Day Council of WA has expressed interest in using the facility. Their patron is His Excellency Dr Ken Michael AC, Governor of Western Australia and the Vice Patron is Premier of WA, Colin Barnett.

Another use could be to provide a Sustainability Information and Demonstration centre, supported by relevant industries. This has been done very successfully in Woollahra, Sydney, an area much like South Perth.

What are your thoughts? I’m really interested in hearing positive, optimistic, imaginative ideas for the future of this place. Please click ‘Comments’ below to add your thoughts. Just log in as “Name” (no password required) or email me and I’ll publish your words right here.

Had Enough Graffiti

2011-06-06T11:15:00.001+08:00

Care about your street? Tired of scribble? Here’s what I do; you can too. I go to the hardware store, buy a can of discount water-based paint and a cheap brush. I get the shop to add some suitable tint then I get to work in the street.

Where I live my neighbours care about the park. If they see a bit of rubbish, a milk carton or a dog bundle they put it in the bin. In McDougall Park they’ve even formed Friends of the Park group that keeps the park smart. They even pull up weeds around the lake and check the sand play-pits for sharp objects. Oh, and they all get together for coffee in the park on Sundays.

This is a tremendous place to live and our Council staff do a wonderful job. What is extra-special is that our neighbours do their bit too. All around the City there are local groups looking after their environment. In Manning the residents formed a team with the City to work on mosquito and wetland management. In Jackson Road some residents are working together to plan for the impact of possible traffic changes and to promote light rail along Manning Road. Some home builders are developing methods to stop sand washing into drains from building sites. An action group of dog owners has got together to work out cooperative ways of sharing parks with sporting groups. Some inspired locals have put together sporting and activity groups for young people, such as Moorditch Keila, Millennium Kids, skate, cricket and football clubs .There are plenty more examples around here.

People say that caring for the world around us makes us feel good too. I think that doing it with our friends and neighbours is even better.

As usual, please click ‘Comments’ below to add your thoughts. Just log in as “Name” (no password required) or email me and I’ll publish your words right here.

So You Want to be a Councillor?

2011-05-06T08:47:00.001+08:00

Our communities need good leadership. Are you up to it? October 2011 is time for the next WA Council elections, in all 139 Council areas. I thought I’d be bold and suggest some attributes that might be valuable to a Councillor. If you are active in local clubs and groups and are concerned about our future, you might like to self-assess.

MUST HAVE

Interest in long-term direction of your local community
Listening skills, prepared to listen more often than to tell
Prepared to meet with the community, often
At least one, and often two or three evenings a week to dedicate to the community
Able to read and understand a voluminous weekly information pack
Ability to think strategically about organisational purpose
Effective decision-making skills
Understand the difference between individual and group decision-making
Able to work to sustain long-term viability and define values for self and the Council
Able to imagine and lead new future directions
Empathy
Able to discuss widely differing opinions respectfully and to disagree agreeably
Able to synthesise direction amidst complexity and conflicting values and objectives
Understand the difference between management and leadership (councillors have no executive authority at all)
Not be focussed on a ‘single issue’
Be prepared to assess your own biases and positions

SHOULD HAVE

Ability to read and interpret financial reports
Sense of humour
Collaborative style
Wide range of contacts and life experience
Be well travelled and widely read
An enquiring mind
Risk assessment skills
Open to continuous learning

GOOD TO HAVE

Expertise in at least one relevant field, e.g. architecture, town planning, finance, environment, waste, law, social services, communications, psychology, science.
Board experience
Qualifications such as MBA, GAICD (Australian Institute of Company Directors)
Preparedness to respond with good grace and respect in all sorts of circumstances

Please realise too that the maximum allowance for your work is just seven thousand dollars a year, so you really do have to be motivated by spirit. That amount was set in 1994 and never reviewed. For some more information about being a Councillor, the City of Gosnells has a useful web page here.

The vital point is that you can make a real difference to the present and future of your community.

Oh, and if you live in South Perth, don’t forget Tea and Talk in the Park, Sunday 15 May, 3 pm, McDougall Park

As usual, please click ‘Comments’ below to add your thoughts. Just log in as “Name” (no password required) or email me and I’ll publish your words right here.

Como Tea in the Park

2011-05-02T22:47:00.001+08:00

You are invited! To another of our Como community tea conversations. Come and have your say about anything you like, to do with our community in South Perth. Your Councillors (Glen Cridland and myself) will be there, together with lots of other people. I’ll bring tea, coffee and biscuits. Please feel free to bring along some scones or whatever you’d like to share.

There is quite a lot happening: weather changes, Canning Bridge development, new coffee shops, housing, light rail, Curtin Uni growth and lots more. We’ll do our best to answer questions and we’ll certainly listen to YOU.

See you on Sunday 15 May at 3 pm. at McDougall Park, Clydesdale St, Como.

If you can’t be there please let us read your comments. Click on Comments below and tell us all what you think. Just log in as “Name” (no password required) or email me and I’ll publish your words right here.

Please Steal This Idea

2011-04-22T22:24:00.001+08:00

Here’s an opportunity to (almost) disconnect part of the City from the power grid, burn less coal and save money! Opportunities like this are not common and this one is fairly easy to imagine.

We are proposing to rezone a mixed- use area of 1950s single-story houses, currently used for consulting rooms of various sorts, and some small blocks of flats. The patch is opposite the Perth Zoo, between Richardson Park cricket ground and the Mill Point freeway off- ramp. Proposed new zoning is to allow taller buildings with the first three storeys extending out to the boundaries of blocks over 1000 square metres and to then extend upward to 25 or 41 metres with thinner set-back spires. This will allow air and light between buildings without an imposing visual effect.

Now for the action! We could use an energy configuration known as “Tri-Generation”. This would involve a gas-fired local generator, supplying electricity to all properties within the precinct. Such local generation would avoid the very significant financial and environmental costs of burning inefficient coal at Collie. We’d also avoid transmission losses, estimated at about 6% of total cost. The generator would operate from a building the size of a small house. That’s the first big win.

Now, the waste heat from this generator could heat water, to be piped around the precinct, warming offices in winter and powering air- conditioners in summer. I have seen and read of this operating in many places already, such as Woking, UK and Tromso, Sweden. Sydney is rethinking its CBD energy system this way, with inspiration from Alan Jones. There’s another big win here- no heating and cooling costs, a big number.

Part 3 would be to require all new developments to install rooftop solar PhotoVoltaic panels and wind micro- turbines, but not to install inverters (a major part of the costs for standard PV systems.) These panels would be required to connect directly to a neighbourhood Direct Current network, connected to a control system and inverter at the power building. There the DC current would be switched to AC and supplied to the same local grid as used by the gas generator. The area is swept daily by winds across Melville Water. Protection will be needed for migratory birds.

For security of supply the precinct would maintain connection to the Synergy grid, and contracted with the best bid from a commercial supplier, of which there are several. As the generator would work at optimum revolutions, excess power could be routed to the grid at an agreed feed-in tariff rate.

Binding this technical system together would be a financial structure based on a public-private partnership and energy supply contracts similar to strata title. Projected cost savings are expected to be above twenty per cent. Environmental benefits are significant.

This is going to take a bit of new thinking, something that we are good at in WA. Please let’s read your comments. Click below and log in as Name or Anonymous or send me an email and I’ll publish for you.

Imagine the Possible

2011-04-01T11:04:00.001+08:00

Light rail from Canning Bridge to Curtin Uni then onwards to Victoria Park, Perth City, West Perth, the hospitals and UWA? A lot less cars on the road, safer travel and cleaner air?

Party time in South Perth, Angelo Street Fiesta. Hey, what if this were to be a taste of the future for places like Angelo Street, Preston Street and Manning Hub?

Sidewalk cafes, stalls on the last Saturday of the month, a licenced restaurant or three, people out and seeing friends, what a spirited place this could be.

A shuttle bus from Canning Bridge to the Zoo, a rail station at South Perth, complete redevelopment of the Richardson to Judd Street area, an iconic new business, commercial and residential development in the Civic Triangle behind the old Police Station, a museum and cultural precinct at the Old Mill?

What else is possible in our City?

In 2008- 09 more than two thousand people were involved in the City Vision project, thinking about our future in 2030. Residents, Councillors, facilitators, teachers and lots of others contributed to an imaginative project. Now I think it’s time to confirm that we have consensus on this view, modifying it if necessary. Then we can develop a consistent set of long- term goals and plan for ways to achieve them.

Of course we’ll have a wide range of conversations about our life and our City. That is tremendous.

Would you like to start now? Click on Comments below and tell us all what you think. Just log in as “Name” (no password required) or email me and I’ll publish your words right here.

What a Waste? Ah- hah!!

2011-03-23T14:59:00.001+08:00

What if we used our hundreds of hectares of land- fill rubbish tips as solar power generating sites? These old tips are too unstable and often too toxic to ever build houses on. However, they are flat, they are close- by and they are near the grid. Oh, and we have lots of sun.

For decades we have dumped our rubbish in big pits around the city, often in old sand mines. The older ones weren’t even lined. Nearly all of them are covered over now. At some we generate power by burning the methane gas they emit. This gas is running out as the rubbish rots away. That business model is about to disappear. However, these sites have exiting power lines that already link to the WA grid.

Some tip sites might suit solar power generation; others might suit wind power. The photo shows how companies in Victoria already generate energy on site, in this case with roof- top wind power.

Our city’s energy is highly dependent on a gas pipeline from Veranus Island. A couple of years ago this source suffered short- term catastrophic failure in mid- summer; we sweated. Prudent risk management suggests that we need alternative sources of energy. Large solar sources could provide part of such alternatives.

Our highest power use is in day time, in hot weather, when the sun shines. We already have a bit of stand- by diesel power for night time. There are three more 10 Mw diesel plants in construction- just to stand by in case of emergency.

The land surface of our tips is continually subsiding. This is one reason we should not build houses on them. The local manager for a large solar power company says that their automatic tracking technology could easily and continuously adjust solar panels for this subsidence.

Local Councils own the tip land. By reaching commercial arrangement with power companies Councils could become their own power utilities or could supply to the grid. Continuity of tenure to enable a return on investment would be a question easily resolved in law.

By offsetting our tip methane emissions with renewable power generation we can provide a financial benefit to our residents.

So, we diminish our power bill, we reduce carbon emissions, we receive a feed- in tariff from the State Government, we make use of wasteland. Is this something we can work on?

Have your say, please. Just click on “Comments” below.

As Lamppost is to Dog …

2011-03-07T19:14:00.001+08:00

Gee Community Democracy is wonderful. Nothing like pets to get people on their feet. Last week 277 residents, mainly dog owners, turned out to show their feelings about our new dog laws. Opinions were expressed with passion; not all the answers satisfied everybody. Some attendees felt afraid to speak, others spoke strongly.

Dozens of community meetings have happened over the past few years. This is such a good City to be in and these are such good people to represent. This spirit of involvement keeps us on our toes.

Just sometimes though, it feels like Councillor is to Community as lamppost is to dog. When we make decisions at open meetings, with an almost unattended public gallery, we are accused of deciding in secret. When we listen to new ideas and learn of new facts we are accused of changing our minds. Sometimes, at personal and political risk, I feel like quoting John Howard, who asked a journalist “When the facts change I change my mind. What do you do?” When we take into account a range of other people’s values and visions we are accused of not listening.

What is certain, is that different people attach different value to many places. One piece of open space often has a range of values to Noongar people, to environmental managers, fisher- folk, dog owners, dance groups, walkers, kite enthusiasts and so on.

Still, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Sooo, the next Como “Tea in the Park” will be at 3 p.m. on a Sunday in a few weeks time at McDougall Park (date to be advised). Please come along, bring a chair, enjoy a cuppa and conversation, let your Councillors know what is important to you.

Meanwhile, please feel free to have your say in public by clicking on Comments below, login as Anonymous or Name, or just email me, and I’ll publish your words for you.

What is a Library Today? See this!!

2011-02-03T01:00:00.001+08:00

South Perth’s new library is about to open. It’s a beauty. I think it answers the very real question of “What is a Library Today?” Sure, the design is stunning, the sense is dynamic and attention to detail is awesome.

If you have a moment this place is worth visiting to see how the community has come up with the answers to a modern question. Oh, and enjoy the experience too.

Something for all ages: story- timers, students, professionals and leisure readers, all can enjoy the natural light, the airy space, access to the books we love and the electronic info we crave.

Attention to environmental impact is a major feature of design. Thought about the role of a library has led to some new thinking. With help from WA Lotteries and the Federal Government, South Perth, our architects and builders have achieved something special.

Check it out!!

Foreign Aid and Thank You

2011-01-31T14:00:00.001+08:00

To all those people who have sent me mail about Australia’s aid budget: Thank You.

Thank you for your thoughts on why we should stop helping people in other countries. I understand that you believe that we should stop sending food to poor people affected by massive floods and earthquakes. I understand too that you believe that we should not support education programs in Indonesia and economic development in other countries in our region.

I could say that it is my firm belief that such aid is in our own interest, that development of nearby economies will provide us with stronger trading partners. I could say that better educated neighbours will be better able to feed and support themselves, that their women and children will fare better and that their health will be of higher standard. I could say that the population of nearby countries might do better and not be so keen to board leaky boats bound for our shores.

I could say too that much of our aid money goes to pay a minimal living wage to the thousands of Aussies who give years of their life: Aussie engineers, Aussie doctors and nurses, Aussie teachers. These are who people who show our face to the world, the people who are trusted in the towns and villages of our region and the people who influence the next generation of leaders in the islands and nations nearby.

However, the real reason I respond here is that I believe that as members of a very rich country, we simply have a moral duty to help those less fortunate. No more, no less.

I am sorry that you don’t share this belief and chose instead to campaign against the kindness shown by Australia and Australians to those in need. I really hope that the recipients of these messages reflect and respond more kindly.

Have your say by clicking on Comments below and logging in as a name or anonymously, or just email me and I’ll publish your constructive comments.

Plastic Lawn- Is it Green?

2011-01-27T10:22:00.001+08:00

In my suburb there are a few new street verge covers made of plastic lawn. Are these treatments environmentally responsible?

Plastic lawn of course uses less water, no fertiliser and doesn’t require energy for mowing. In these respects it seems to have less environmental impact. However a full life- cycle analysis shows that:

It takes an very large amount of water, energy and labour to manufacture and ship the material
The polymer plastics used are not bio- degradable, so they end up as land- fill or worse
Eventual degradation releases environmental toxins to leach into the groundwater, our drinking water
Plastic lawn surfaces are twenty degrees or more hotter than natural lawn or ground- cover: not good for the family, street or community
The bright green surface year- round looks very un- natural
Rain water runs off plastic lawn, to the drain and river, whereas planted ground- cover promotes infiltration to replenish our groundwater supplies
The soil under good planted cover contains a healthy balance of bacteria, insects, ants and worms; the soil under plastic lawn is sterile
A live ground cover uses CO2 and produces oxygen, plastic lawn does not
A badly- maintained plastic lawn looks just as bad as a neglected verge, only made of plastic
In a flood event the plastic mat will wash away and add to river pollution for a very long time
A street verge is a public place, shared by neighbours, kids, dogs, birds and pedestrians. Plastic lawn is neither pleasant nor healthy for any of these users

Personally, I’d rather see good native ground- cover before lawn, for reasons of water and energy efficiency, because of Hay Fever, the birds and because of reduced fertiliser use, benefiting the river. There are quite a few lawn- alternatives; click here and here for some of them.

Have your say by clicking on Comments below and logging in as a name or anonymously, or just email me and I’ll publish your comments.

Efficient, Comfortable Homes

2011-01-22T09:34:00.001+08:00

Our electricity and gas bills are rising. We live in bigger homes and we don’t design them very well. We don’t listen to our architects when they talk about energy use. We roll our eyes when someone mentions the operating cost of our house. Some places are just dangerous, especially for kids.

That will soon change when sellers and renters of homes will be required to produce a report, a bit like the star ratings on our fridges and washers. These sustainability reports will inform new residents about the future running cost, comfort and safety of their homes.

All Australian States agreed at Council of Australian Governments (COAG) in 2009 to set up mandatory energy efficiency disclosure for house sellers and renters. This is already compulsory in Queensland and ACT. Our Federal Government has released a National Strategy on Energy Efficiency.

Key areas of reporting will cover energy, water, safety and disability access. I expect that a report will cost about a hundred dollars. To date what the other States have not all done very well is to keep people informed.

The ten hottest years on record for the planet have occurred in the last twelve years. Despite local extreme cold and snow in the northern winter, 2010 was still the hottest year ever recorded for the whole planet. We also see extremes of cold and heat, flood and drought, across many parts of the world and right here where we live. The new home assessment and disclosure measures are likely to help us adapt to the changes happening around us.

There will also be a need for measurement standards, training and accreditation of inspectors, auditing of reports and public trust in the system. There are opportunities here for business and for people to train and work in these roles. We can work with this system to reduce our personal carbon footprint. Well- designed homes will be more attractive in the market.

Click on “Comments” below to add your thoughts for everyone to read, or just email me and I’ll publish for you.

Canning Bridge- Perth Zoo Shuttle

2011-01-12T23:09:00.001+08:00

Perth Zoo is perhaps WA’s most popular tourist destination. We see 600,000 visitors to the Zoo each year. Because it is not easy to get to the Zoo by public transport we see large numbers of cars nearby, especially in school holidays. Local businesses struggle to find adequate parking for customers and staff.

To get from Canning Bridge to the Zoo there are three existing options, all involving at least two journeys with trains and busses, and taking at least twenty three minutes. The direct route takes seven to ten minutes.

We hope to reduce car use in our city and increase use of public transport.We want to make South Perth a safer place. We want to reduce pollution. We want to stimulate the economy of the area.

We have hope for a South Perth train station but will probably not see it for many years. State Government wants to see a demonstrated demand for a rail node before committing funds.

What if we arrange with TransPerth to run a shuttle bus from Canning Bridge to the Zoo and Mends Street ferry. This would be similar to that paid for by Curtin Uni and operated by TransPerth. We would not buy a bus; we would not employ staff. The bus trip would cost one dollar and would run every twenty minutes. Ticketing could include use of Smart Rider swipe cards,

This service could facilitate business development in the Judd- Richardson Street area, allowing people to get to work by train and bus, leaving the car at home for use on the weekend.

The route would be as near to direct as possible. It might operate in conjunction with, or be a modified version of, an existing route. Bus sizes and frequencies could be adjusted with demand and the seasons, at no cost to us. Pickup at Canning Bridge would be at the same point as for the Curtin Uni buses.

Federal funding is available for such operations under the Carbon Pollution Reduction mantle. We also have about one hundred and eighty thousand dollars of income each year from parking in this area. Perhaps this could get the project started,

I think that this idea meets many of our objectives, especially about making this a more liveable and sustainable City. What do you think? How can we do this better?

Click on “Comments” in the blog to publish your thoughts or just email me and I’ll publish for you.

Swan River Stopped

2011-01-09T23:47:00.001+08:00

The Swan River has completely stopped flowing.

The photo below shows our river at the Great Northern Highway crossing yesterday. No water at all is flowing from the hills. A picturesque pool stops at the little sand bar.

The only movement in the waterway is now from a flicker of current when tides squeeze past the bar at Point Walter. There is no fresh water inflow, no added oxygen, no flushing of silt. This means that anything we spill or allow into the river will stay there. Any living thing in the river has almost no available oxygen.

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

A Changing World

2010-12-15T10:55:00.001+08:00

Today the Federal Government releases a set of sea level rise maps. These highlight low areas that are vulnerable to rising sea level between now and 2100. The message is that no amount of action is going to stop climate change in the short term. We have got to do what we can to live with it and learn how to care better for our planet.

Sea level rise depends on expansion of ocean water as it warms, local effects due to land rise and fall, ocean winds and currents and behaviour of polar ice caps.

As around 85% of us live near the sea this will affect most of us. We can use the maps to assess how we might adapt to likely water level rises and sometimes to mitigate these changes.

Ways that we could be affected go well beyond possible inundation of roads, services such as police stations and houses in low areas. There are likely to be changes to insect breeding patterns, fisheries, storm impacts on river and coastal areas, transport and other essential services. We will probably see Perth groundwater become more salty. Sewerage engineering will be affected. Water bird nesting sites could be under threat. Industries such as tourism, agriculture, construction, health and local government will have to re- assess what they do and how they do it.

The world warmed by 0.7 degrees last century. Every year this century has been warmer than 99 of the previous 100 years. (OK, that was 1998). The IEA suggests that we will warm 3.5 degrees this century. The battle to limit global warming to a small amount is probably over.

We now must find ways to live with less fresh water, higher sea levels, less but more intense storms, weather extremes, changes affecting crops, weeds, birds and insects. We will be better able to do this if we have a resilient economy, good education and open public information.

This year’s simultaneous almost total drought in WA and floods in the East, consecutive record northern hemisphere cold winters, devastating floods in Pakistan and other events demonstrate the power of these effects and the need to learn how to adapt.

In a local sense we already see significantly less runoff to our dams, where we lose about 50% to evaporation anyway. Warmer summers increase this loss. Only about 2% of rainfall runs off to rivers. We can expect even less water in our dams.

Some of our adaptation will result from Government decisions but mostly it will be the sum of individual actions- where to move to, what crop and when to plant, what sort of house to build and so on.

As more people abandon cropping in marginal areas we’ll face the challenge of migration to cities, where we use less energy and water per head anyway. Maintaining food production without deforestation and destroying natural areas will require better farm management and information services. A push for biofuels might exacerbate these issues. World food shortages could lead to higher prices, perhaps to the benefit of good farmers. Species loss is likely as we expand cities and farms.

Town planning will require new understandings and guidelines. Will we still allow dark roofs, no eaves, green lawns? How can we plan for better public transport? How soon can we swap coal mines for wind and solar power? What will be the effect on our trading partners and the Asian region with which we are more closely integrated every day? What new ways of living and working can we imagine, in a world quite different to that which we have experienced?

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

Who We Are: City of South Perth

2010-12-01T15:11:00.001+08:00

Some figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics led me to summarise our City of South Perth in numbers. Just for your interest I’ve published some of them here. You can do the same for other areas by clicking on the link above.

Population	43,800
Number of families	9,190
Couple families	32%
Single- parent families	9%
Receives age pension	6%
Vehicles per resident, all ages	0.7

Born overseas	35%
Born in North-West Europe	12%
Births per annum, approx.	470
Deaths per annum, approx.	350

Speaks a language other than English at home	18%
Has post- school qualifications, age 15+ years	63%
Does unpaid work for an organisation or group, age 15+	20%

The age distribution is really interesting. My notation is slightly tongue- in- cheek, with reference to the very large degree of public consultation that we do every year. Our long- term residents are really good at having their say. A challenge is to engage more young people in planning for the future.

This is how we work (percentage of employed people):

Managers	14%
Professionals	32%
Technicians and Trades Workers	10%
Community and Personal Service Workers	8%
Clerical and Administrative Workers	16%
Sales Workers	9%
Machinery Operators and Drivers	3%
Labourers	6%
Registered businesses with employees	1650
Registered businesses without employees	2680

Sometimes numbers add to our understanding. These have for me.

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

Joined- up Thinking

2010-11-17T00:26:00.001+08:00

South Perth’s new cycle way has copped a bit of comment, but I must admit it gets plenty of use. The City has now committed to straightening some of the bends too, so transit riders will be safer.

However, when the path hits the Vic Park boundary there is an unlit pair of steel pipes right across the track, concreted in. This is right next to a very confused set of old footpaths. Vic Park seems to not be part of the commitment to encouraging cyclists. South Perth has even offered to contribute to the costs of getting this path to join up with an existing transit route but to no avail.

We really need to get some “joined- up” thinking here.

There seem to be a lot of situations like this around WA, where we have good ideas and great projects but where these don’t always connect well with other actions, ideas and values. Other popular ideas just don’t seem to address more than one set of values.

Some that I’ve seen recently go like this:

WA needs lots of skilled workers. Some on the national priority list get through quickly. Thirteen thousand others are stuck in queue because Federal Immigration will process only people with skills on WA’s “State Migration Plan.” The problem is that WA has not produced a ‘State Migration Plan”. What??

The State has heaps of water in the north and high demand in the south. Some suggest a pipeline is the answer, without thinking that the energy cost and associated emissions every year would be immense. Water moving in a pipeline has to be pushed, due to friction with the pipe and changes in topography. Meeting one requirement certainly doesn’t meet others. Could we join the thinking to include our own realistic expectations around water and lifestyle?

Perth’s favourite landmark is the Swan River. In recent years we have had massive fish deaths and six dead dolphins in the river. You’d expect that someone was paying attention to water quality, right? Enquiries lead to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Their web site has lots about the new, wonderful Australian Water Resources Information System being the place to find such data. However, there is no such public data and phone enquiries to BOM indicate no one there knows about it either. Calls to the WA Department of Water about public live access to current water quality information yield, quote “You can’t really.” The will however give out some very simplistic data if you specifically ask for a particular item. Surely someone is joining the dots between the health of our beloved river and the quality of water in the river? Surely too, each of us takes care to do our own bit to keep the river healthy.

On Sunday I went with a group of bushwalkers to enjoy the new season around Mundaring. Without exception everyone commented on how much they enjoyed the hills, the diversity of plants and animals, wildflowers and fresh air. Surely we can join up the thinking between valuing the Australian bush and managing the way our city spreads and covers what we value with bitumen and concrete.

We are facing rapid change, as WA did in the 1880’s, in the 1970’s and 1990’s. We can just let it roll over us, like we did before, with rubbish dumps on the river banks, a cement plant up- wind and an industrial area which leaked thousands of tons of pollutants into our drinking water aquifers. The alternative is to connect our thinking and do it right this time.

Can you help be part of this, please?

Energy Efficiency

2010-11-05T10:33:00.001+08:00

We can make a difference locally. The WA Sustainable Energy Association is putting together a response to the Prime Minister’s Task Group on Energy Efficiency to advise the Australian Government on options to improve Australia’s energy efficiency by 2020. A copy of the report can be found here Prime Minister’s Energy Efficiency Report.

What did you think? What should be given priority? Was anything missed? You can comment on this blog and I’ll pass it on.

My own comments are that Local Government can do much more to promote awareness and practice of energy efficiency in:

Design of residential, commercial and administrative buildings. This is much more about basic design, not just about ‘bolt- on’ features such as p-v panels.
Use and working of such buildings. This is mainly about the selection of choices for operations, by owners, managers and individuals.
Design and operation of systems of travel, including all modes- car, bus, train, cycle and possible other new technologies.
Promotion of individual responsibility in daily decisions around all parts of life.

Local government is much closer to people’s lives and is much more likely to be able to exert personal influence.

Feel free to click on “Comments” below or just email me.

Perth Global Update

2010-11-02T13:50:00.001+08:00

A new report on Perth’s Global Competiveness by researchers from University of Western Australia and the Committee for Perth shows some really interesting facts and conclusions, relevant to where we live.

For a start, 34 per cent of us were born in another country. Only 16 per cent of us are degree- educated, well below the proportion in similar cities.

Shell is moving their Australian headquarters to Perth; BHP, Chevron, Newmont and others have much of their Australian and Asian regional management located here. Very many smaller companies are based here. 41 per cent of companies on the Australian Stock Exchange have their head office in Perth. Sydney and Melbourne, on the other hand, account for only 29 per cent and 17 per cent, respectively.

We have a comparatively low proportion of children and a high ratio of aged dependants. Age plots show that lots of people arrive here aged between twenty and thirty.

While this might not be the experience in a particular local neighbourhood it is the big picture across the whole city.

Some key features that have implications for our local area are:

an expectation for diversity of culture, accommodation and life style
a likely shortfall of educated and skilled people
a distinct, measured shortage of leadership skills
significant pressures on our environment

Perth is projected to experience the highest percentage growth of any Australian capital city. Our biggest challenge is to manage this without destroying what we love.

My own view is that just doing what we have always done won’t be good enough. We must get better at being able to imagine the future, even if it is not much like our past. We will have to teach ourselves that just because we have done something for twenty, or even two thousand, years it might no longer be sustainable.

Please feel free to have your say by clicking on “Comments” below, or email me and I’ll be happy to publish your wisdom.

Local Government Leads the Way

2010-10-23T16:45:00.001+08:00

Our local Councils are where it's all happening. South Perth and Melville are building ideas towards the future with their work on Canning Bridge precinct and many other issues. Several thousand people have attended workshops, information sessions and gatherings in the park, about Our Vision Ahead 2030 and about Canning Bridge precinct. Local people have been having their say about a plan for South Perth in 2030, about Canning Bridge and about what sort of city we dream of. The effect of this is that new ideas and vision are being put together with everyone’s involvement- the essence of Participatory Democracy.

Swan Federal Liberal MP Steve Irons this week spoke for an extended time in the House of Representatives in Canberra, bagging our consultative process, our public meetings in general and my blogs in particular. Why run down our City? Surely this is not a political issue, an arena for scoring points. We’re working for our future; the support of our Parliamentary representatives will go far to helping us progress towards our shared vision.

Federal Government is so far away they rarely listen to us at all. State Government has been an inspiration- free zone for many years, so public consultation has been totally unnecessary for them anyway. In Council we do it all the time- in deputations and workshops, in blog comments, at meetings in the park and on the street. C’mon Steve Irons, and John McGrath, you can be part of this too.

This process is exciting. Of course, not everyone goes away happy, especially when a majority opinion differs from their own, but everyone is certainly heard. Sometimes the language and emotion get a bit spicy too. Local Government and community is where dreams for the future of Australia are born. Here people are demonstrating inspiration and courage, essential ingredients of vision.

Can we hear from you too? Feel free to click on “Comments” below.

Local Music

2010-10-14T13:06:00.001+08:00

WA music is thriving. Last night’s music awards at the Fly By Night Club in Freo showed off some of the very best. I had the pleasure of presenting the Jazz award, sponsored by the City of South Perth and won by Chris Sealey. Chris will be playing at Ellington's, the fabulous jazz club in North Perth on 02 November. There is a full list of 2010 winners on the WAM web site.

Watch out for lots of music in South Perth in 2011. There will be events large and small, they all sound exciting and will interest all ages. This is really one area that Local Government can make such a difference. By organising events, providing venues, sponsoring competitions I think that we can do plenty to encourage local talent. Sure, we enjoy the big names for the big shows; we can also savour the work of new WA musicians. How about a Sunday afternoon Jazz event in McDougall Park or a school- age showcase event in the holidays?

By adding some music to our world, especially in a social setting, I think that we can improve our quality of life. Lucky Oceans, the Master of Ceremonies last night, spoke about melody being a feeling and lyrics being a thought. What are your feelings and thoughts about what we can do with music? Click on ‘Comments’ below.

Canning Bridge Vision Motion, My Summary

2010-09-29T12:54:00.001+08:00

(i) Canning Bridge is the right place for Transit Oriented Development, consistent with WA’s Directions 2031.

(ii) Cassey Street bus exit component removed for now.

(iii) Manning Road South Freeway On- ramp be given Critical priority.

(iv) There is lots more work to do yet. Heights shown are not final and do not represent approval.

(v) Diagrams of building shapes are not be part of the Vision.

Canning Bridge Transit Oriented Design (TOD)

2010-09-29T10:12:00.001+08:00

South Perth Council last night decided to move on with progress of our Vision for the future of Canning Bridge.

Since 2006 there have been in excess of forty events related to planning the future of the Canning Bridge Precinct. We have had mail- outs of proposals, public workshops, discussions, formal meetings, Ward events in the park, combined working groups with the City of Melville, consultants and other bodies such as the Departments of Transport, Planning, TransPerth, and other stakeholders. I acknowledge the vast amount of input, by staff, community members, Councillors and many others.

In the process we have learned of the wide range in that what individuals want from their house, their neighbourhood and their city. This includes such vital matters as shelter and safety (of course), real estate value, distance to school, ease of travel, number of bedrooms and access to shops. Also in mind were concern for the environment (local and regional), population growth, climate change, physical and emotional health and much, much more.

From the initial consultant’s model in July 2008 we have all had in mind that what we were working on was a transport problem, in a population, environmental and economic context.

Put simply, we have a city and lifestyle designed for cars. Our transport is becoming choked. We have rapid population growth. We are destroying the bush around us. It is costing us more and more, in many ways, to follow our old style of development. Change was coming over us and we were determined to make it happen our way, not to just do nothing or, worse, to be dictated to by a State Development Authority.

At the core of every conversation, and there were many of them, was the belief that our core values were around the Quality of Life for the people of South Perth. That Quality of Life was expressed in terms of social, environmental and economic measures- the triple bottom line of every conversation and debate.

Along the way we had plans with a huge roundabout over the station, tunnels under the river, a bus station over and along the train line and a bus exit up Cassey Street.

In mind were discussions around the relationships we share, our core values and our behaviour towards each other in South Perth.

While we have been busy on this project there have been many others under way around our City, such as at Wellard, Canning Central, Murdoch, Bull Creek and Burswood, in other States, such as along the Adelaide- Gawler line and in other countries. Many of our concerns are similar to those faced across the globe.

Where to now? Now that we have shown our support for this Vision, City staff and consultants will develop infrastructure plans, financial analyses and precinct building guidelines. As always in the City of South Perth, we will have lots of community participation at all stages. This way of doing business is now a major feature of how we do things around here. I appeal to everybody to stay on the bus on this journey to a future that we design and choose for ourselves

I offer tribute to the honest, intense and valued input of so many community members in so many ways. While we probably have not given every member of community the outcome they personally wanted, we certainly have listened to, noted, and responded to every word. The sum of this process is the resolution we accepted last tonight and whose text is here.

Canning Bridge Transit Oriented Design Decision

2010-09-29T09:51:00.001+08:00

Last night South Perth Council voted to proceed with work on our Canning Bridge Vision. Text of the motion follows; please note that this is not an official Council document.

That....

(a) Council acknowledges that the Canning Bridge Precinct, because of its location and features (Freeway and Canning Highway intersection and bus and rail transfer station) is an appropriate place for Transport Oriented Development consistent with Directions 2031.

(b) Council supports the Canning Bridge Precinct Vision (the “Vision”) as the long term non-binding, non- statutory guiding document for the Canning Bridge precinct, with the following amendments and notations:

(i) Council supports the spirit of the Vision, i.e. that Canning Bridge, because of its location and features (Freeway and Canning Highway intersection and bus and rail transfer station) is an appropriate place for Transport Oriented Development consistent with Directions 2031.
(ii) The Cassey Street bus exit component be removed from current plans and reviewed upon completion of the detailed traffic planning study.
(iii) Manning Road South Freeway On- ramp be given Critical priority.
(iv) Council acknowledges that the final height and built form will be dependent upon the results of the further studies and detailed design guidelines. Heights shown in the Vision may be used in such further studies. This use does not indicate, and should not be considered as, approval by the City of the building heights specified in the Vision. These heights are likely to change during the period in which planning for increased density in the Canning Bridge Precinct occurs.
(v) The diagrammatic shapes of possible new buildings within the precinct will be removed from current plans.

(c) the Chief Executive Officer be authorised to pursue and sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the City of Melville outlining joint support for the Vision.

(d) the City participates in a dedicated steering group with State and local government representatives be set up to oversee the implementation of the Canning Bridge Vision.

(e) the following further technical studies be initiated to progress the development of an activity centre structure plan during 2010/11 and 2011/2012:

(i) Detailed built form and streetscape guidelines
(ii) Detailed traffic planning study
(iii) Parking and access strategy
(iv) Landscaping design guidelines

(f) the Western Australian Planning Commission, the City of Melville and those who made submissions on the draft Vision be advised of points (a) to (e) above.

Next Door Day: 24 Oct 2010

2010-09-24T11:52:00.001+08:00

One month to go until Sunday Oct 24, when we’ll celebrate Next Door Day. The idea is to invite your neighbours over for tea, some food, drinks, pizza, whatever, and of course conversation. Some people will do this at home and some at the park over the road. Let’s share our community and get to know each other better.

There is a Facebook group too, where you can add your comments, photos and ideas. Click on the link and go to Events (in the lower left) to join for free. You can add your photos; tell your friends to come too. Let’s do this all over Western Australia, invite your neighbours over for tea and get to know each other better.

As usual, have your word by clicking in Comments at the end this blog.

Canning Bridge Vision

2010-09-21T09:05:00.001+08:00

Thank you to all who attended yesterday’s Como Tea in the Park. Ninety five people turned out to speak and listen. Many others have stopped me for a chat in the street or at the shop.

One of the questions raised was about the degree of consultation held so far. Some people felt that they had not been informed of developments nor taken part in enough conversations. I’ve looked over my history list for this project and made a list of the events that I have been to myself. In addition to these there are very many events around the Vision 2030 project run by South Perth, which includes some very clear direction for what people want for Canning Highway. There were twenty three of these South Perth Vision 2030 events, plus at least three more in Council chambers or meeting room.

My diary of consultation around Canning Bridge transport and other issues includes the following events.

· 21 July 2008 Initial presentation by GHD, joint events for City of South Perth and Melville citizens, at South of Perth Yacht Club, two sessions, mid- day and evening

· 29 July 2008 Council briefing City of South Perth with GHD, councillors and staff

· 11 August 2008 Community Engagement session 1, at South Perth Senior Citizens for SP residents within the 800 metres zone

· 18 August 2008 Community Engagement session 1, at SP Senior Citizens for SP residents within the 400 metres zone

· 27 August 2008 SP Councillors and staff update with GHD

· 01 September 2008 Community Engagement session 2, at SP Senior Citizens for SP residents within the 800 metres zone

· 08 September 2008 Community Engagement session 2, at SP Senior Citizens for SP residents within the 400 metres zone

· Oct 2008 Joint presentation for Councillors of SP and Melville, at Melville Council offices

· March 2009 Joint presentation for Councillors and Officers of SP and Melville

· Sept 2009 Joint presentation for Councillors of SP and Melville

· Approx. Feb 2010 Public event at Melville Senior Citizens Centre, plus development of Canning Bridge Community FaceBook site

· Feb 2010 Letters to all owners within the precinct

· Feb 2010 Public forum, 400 attendees

· July 2010 Joint briefing with both Councils, including changes in response to consultations

In addition to these official events I have personally hosted one community forum at Olives Reserve and two in McDougall Park, all well- attended. This blog site has added a continuous flow of further information and sought public comment. There has also been one neighbourhood meeting in a resident’s house, attended by the Mayor and myself.

By my reckoning this covers at least forty consultation, listening and conversation events around the future of South Perth. My email has carried a similar heavy load. Our future has not been short of public participation. I do observe that we have had less representation from younger people and I rather think that less business people have made the time to attend.

On Tuesday 29^th September the Canning Bridge Vision document will be presented for Council endorsement. On 21^st September (today) there is the opportunity for public deputation about that Vision. Once that milestone is reached the Council will be able to move onto detailed planning to make our City safer and even more liveable. Such planning will include detailed built- form and streetscape guidelines, a traffic study, parking and access study and landscape design. Through this process I trust that South Perth will follow its tradition of continuous consultation. For an opportunity to speak please feel free to submit a request to Council for Deputations tonight, 21^st September.

As usual, have your word by clicking in Comments at the end this blog.

Cygnet Cinema Shines

2010-09-02T00:25:00.001+08:00

Como’s Cygnet Cinema may have new life.Tonight the Council was treated to a combined presentation by renowned architect Bill Hames and representatives of the Stiles family, owners of the famous art- deco landmark.

Mr Hames’ concept design retains the original building, while adding exciting new features. The early visualisation features a refurbished main hall plus four small cinemas, a Gold Class lounge/ restaurant and an outdoor picture garden. There would also be a super- deli to the east and commercial office space at the rear.

This seems to be a tremendous way to retain the heritage building while adding economic life to Preston Street. There are many stages to go through yet before this vision becomes reality. Commercial viability would have to be assured, as would matters like parking and the myriad other concerns around town planning. Consultation with neighbours is always a feature of development in South Perth, of course, and this might bring up other concerns.

Have your say. Just click on “Comments” below and log in as Name (preferred) or Anonymous, or email me and I’ll post your comments for you. What you say makes a difference.

Traffic Stack

2010-08-30T13:26:00.001+08:00

Perth is growing fast, threatening what we value most. Just in case we needed reminding, today’s West has three headlines about this:

A further recent headline points out that by continuing to just spread outwards we are building a dysfunctional city. Environmental damage, increased use of cars and longer distances for provision of water, power and sewerage make the outlook for Perth quite dismal.

Essentially, when we say at public meetings that we want the City to remain as it is, we do nothing and thus contribute to destroying what we love. South Perth's recent City Visioning exercise helped us describe the features that we do want in our future. The challenge now is to use this Vision to plan for a City that keeps these attributes while accommodating rapid growth.

We have a number of community forums in the near future. My hope is that we can use these to work towards what we do want in our future, not just to protest against change.

Canning Bridge Bus Turnaround

2010-08-27T11:53:00.001+08:00

Canning Bridge area residents heard on Wednesday night about a new plan for bus movements. Increasing popularity of buses and the train service have meant that the bridge and facilities are often at maximum capacity. Buses are clogging the interchange area and the U-turn arrangements are confusing at best.

Figures show that use of public transport in Perth is growing rapidly, faster than in any other Australian city. Plans to expand Curtin Uni to thirty thousand students will create even more local demand. Freeway and city vehicle congestion continues to make public transport an even more popular option.

In a twenty- year time frame we’ll need a seriously re-planned facility here. Right now, we need a way to handle more buses. South Perth planners, working with Stage agencies, have drawn up a design to take the turn- around off the bridge. A new facility, much- used in Europe, UK and USA, known as a ‘dog- bone roundabout’ is proposed. (Here’s one from Holland.)

The proposed location of this is in the space to the north- west of the current interchange area. Buses would enter the dog- bone, drop off their passengers, turn around and then pick up new passengers on the other straight side of the loop. A short overhead walkway would connect with the rail station. All this would get pedestrians and buses safely out of the bridge interchange, a crowded area today.

The proposed vision for this goes to Council next month; it would then move to design stage for detailed planning.

We need a solution, for now and for later. Buses and trains are increasingly popular. There are way too many cars used every day. Our challenge is to plan our transport system so we don’t even think about using a car for most journeys.

The Mayor of South Perth tells me that there will be time for residents to have a say about this at Council’s briefing night on 21 September. One of my concerns would be about ease and safety of pedestrian access from both South Perth and Melville. If you’d like to contribute, how about talking with your neighbours and contacting the City in advance to get a representative on the agenda list?

Cycle Path Update

2010-08-11T18:26:00.001+08:00

Wow, didn’t that get some responses? Heaps of emails and calls about the new cycle way on Sir James Mitchell Park, with bouquets and brickbats. I also realised that I had upset the engineer who designed the path and am embarrassed that I did so. My apologies are offered right now.

I have also found that the path was intentionally designed as a “shared recreation path,” with lots of pleasant meanders, not as a transit way. This of course leaves us with the issue that hundreds of people are now using it as a transit way.

Right across Australia cities are building bike transit ways and finding them used beyond expectation. This is a tremendous outcome; every cyclist has consciously not used motor transport. We have less road congestion, less pollution, less parking needs, smaller carbon footprint. I am so happy about this.

Now, lets use the popularity of this facility to really push for completion of the Perth Bicycle Network, making a safe, efficient link to and around all points of the compass in Perth.

Canning Bridge Light Rail Info and Consultation

2010-08-11T09:28:00.001+08:00

A reminder that on Thursday 12 August at 7 pm. Hon Lynn MacLaren MLC, Member for South Metropolitan Region and Peter Newman, Professor of Sustainability at Curtin University and on the Board of Infrastructure Australia, will present the latest plans for light rail in our region.

You’ll be able to see examples of systems operating around the world, to see plans for the network and to talk about how to make this work for us. The event will be at the Canning Bridge Senior Citizens Centre, 64 Kishorn Road, Mt Pleasant. Just click the map to expand it. I recommend parking on the Esplanade or in the Centre car park on the river side of the building. The best road access is from the Esplanade, turning off Canning Highway beside the Shell service station. Coming from Fremantle you could turn right at the previous traffic lights by Thai Corner and that place with the Arches. There is plenty of room inside for bicycles.

I also have some discussion points around plans for redevelopment of Canning Bridge precinct, ahead of the forthcoming design presentation.

See you there from 6:30 pm on Thursday. Feel free to add your thoughts below by clicking on “Comments”

Cycle Way a Limited Success

2010-08-08T21:55:00.001+08:00

South Perth’s new cycle way on the foreshore is getting plenty of use from families on Sunday. However, for transit riders who try to use it daily the path is significantly more dangerous.

If you are designing a new cycle way for your city you might not do it this way. You might also get some cyclists involved in the design process. The problem here is that the path contains numerous very sharp bends. Both the Mayor and the CEO say that “We have to slow these cyclists down.” Cyclists maintain the opposite view.

There are two sort of cyclists- recreational slow users, out for a ride with children and faster transit cyclists on their way to and from work, using a bike instead of a car. We want to encourage both and must plan for both.

The new winding, bendy path is a pleasure to ride along at a leisurely place while you chat. It is a hazard to use if you are a serious cyclist. The bends are so tight that you must stop pedalling and lift your inside pedal. After dark and before dawn you cannot see where the path goes and risk serious injury. In each case, a cyclist with their shoes clipped or strapped to the pedals has no way of preventing a hard fall.

The unintended result of this is that transit cyclists will be discouraged from using the path and will:

choose the old path instead, the one with pedestrians, because it is straight
choose to use their cars, so losing the benefits of cycling: less road congestion, less pollution, less parking space, better health
ride on Mill Point Road, so being in an environment of higher closing speeds and with much more serious accidents. We really don’t want to have bikes and cars mixed together.

Like the helmet law, this well- intentioned act will result in overall lower benefit to the community. The unfortunate attitude of wanting to slow the cyclists is very controlling. We should do the opposite and facilitate easy transit. Wanting to slow cyclists is like wanting to put speed bumps on the freeway- dangerous and way too controlling.

It seems that our engineers did not consult with users or with the Bicycle Transport Alliance. They did not understand that transit users have foot straps and clips that fasten their feet to the pedals. They certainly did not think of users after sunset and before sunrise, of which there are very many. They definitely did not understand that to get cars off the road we must make bike travel easy and that bike travel is not the same as a recreational doddle with the grandchildren.

C’mon! We say we are good at consultation. Cycling is fun and is a perfectly viable alternative to driving for many trips. We can do this better and this cycle way must be modified now and made safe.

Have your say. Just click on “Comments” below and log in as Name (preferred) or Anonymous, or email me and I’ll post your comments for you. What you say makes a difference.

Open Data

2010-07-29T23:57:00.001+08:00

We have gone to sleep. Not even dead dolphins have caused us to blink. A few press reports of events, the odd official voice about a study somewhere. This should be a smack in the head for us all- wake up!

The world needs our care. We have the ability to preserve, or destroy this patch of paradise. To care for our country we need to make decisions, daily. To make good decisions we need good data and access to that data. Decisions without facts are probably bad decisions. What gets measured, gets managed. However, it is difficult to get to the facts around our lives.

Things are changing. I believe that it is important that we measure these changes so we know what is happening and how to respond. Today we read that the past decade was the warmest on record. If we are to respond usefully we really need to know about what else is happening, in detail

We talk about open government. We congratulate ourselves when we fill our web sites with annual reports, budgets and attractive graphics. Here in Western Australia we are just not good enough at collecting data and making it available. If I want to see how much dieldrin, or petrol, or copper is in the Swan River water, and what that level has been each year, I just can’t get it. The best I find is some PDFs or departmental reports.

However, pictures of information are not actually data. To get a time series of say the water use of my city over twenty years I have to find and open up twenty separate documents and collate the data. This is not good enough.

The USA has developed a web site called data.gov where vast amounts of data are totally open for public access. Even our national databases are available at data.australia . Here in the West we have nothing like it.

Some things we might like to know about could include:

traffic on the freeway
energy use hour by hour for each year
number of staff employed by the City
number of single- parent households
pollution indicators in the Swan River, e.g. chromium, phosphate, pesticides

The data is important and the time series of data sets is vital. Innovative people can use this sort of data to suggest useful ways to adapt to the changes we see and measure. By constructing ‘mash- ups’ of data sets, new insights can appear.

Let’s really live the values of open government. Let’s have the facts, out there, so we don’t have to guess what is happening!

Light Rail and Canning Bridge Forum, 12 August

2010-07-22T10:35:00.001+08:00

Community members from both sides of the river and anyone interested is invited to attend a community forum on Light Rail and new developments in the Canning Bridge Precinct. We’ll meet at 7 p.m. on 12 August 2010. The venue: 64 Kishorn Rd Mt Pleasant 6153m, an easy and pleasant walk from the train or bus stations. Click the map to see more.

The event is organised by the WA Greens Party. Guest speakers will be Greens Senator Scott Ludlam and myself, Peter Best, Greens candidate for Tangney. Both of us will arrive fresh with the latest updates after a Green Transport workshop at Curtin Uni. We will also have some information from briefings about recent planning sessions between the Melville and South Perth Councils and GHD consultants.

Perth ranks bottom of the list of sustainable cities in Australia. We use our cars to drive everywhere, mainly because the city is designed that way. Our roads and parking are becoming more congested, we use more energy, we lose more time, we pollute the air. The Greens have a comprehensive policy on Sustainable Transport here.

Perth can be so much better when we keep our cars for special occasions. We will be able to do this when we live close to good, safe public transport. By changing the way we live and the way we travel we can make a difference to our lives and our planet. Light Rail is the modern version of a tram. These systems are coming into popular use around the world.

Perhaps this change is not for you personally but it certainly will suit the next generation. It is time to begin planning for these changes now. Recent Visioning programs by the Councils have made it clear what we’d like our city to be like. Now it is time to begin turning that vision into reality. Scott and I will be here to listen to your thoughts, to provide some updates and to answer your questions.

We have had quite a number of public meetings in this area. Previous meetings have been hosted by the Councils; this one is hosted by the Greens. Here’s an opportunity to keep up to date and to make sure you have your say. If you can’t make it just click on “Comments” below and log in as Name (preferred) or Anonymous, or email me and I’ll post your comments for you. What you think does matter.

Climate Adaptation

2010-07-08T13:59:00.001+08:00

Last week I attended the Climate Change Adaptation conference in Queensland. A thousand people were there, from all over the planet- Fiji, Korea, China, Bangladesh, UK, Holland, Finland, Senegal, South Africa, Brazil, Mexico, USA, Canada and many other places. There were high- powered people from the IPCC, United Nations officials, researchers, doctors, field workers and community representatives. For three days we discussed some science, many reports from many places, of a changing world, and much about how people respond to this change.

A Japanese team showed the advance northward, year- by-year of a species of a mosquito that carries dengue, as Japan becomes warmer. A Canadian woman spoke of increasing deaths through cold of homeless people in cities, as increasing daily variability makes it more difficult for social services to predict temperatures. A Tunisian field officer told us about the advance of desert sands. Tim Flannery spoke eloquently, as always, of the progressive disappearance of a small, white possum, from hilltops in North Queensland. This creature has a high sensitivity to temperature changes.

A key theme was one of understanding that times are changing, of a sense sometimes that it is caused by someone else far away, sometimes of a fatalistic feeling and of a common sense of powerlessness. A further emotion was that Copenhagen had failed to unite people and nations in a course of action, that it was now up to communities to take things into their own hands. That perhaps they couldn’t change the world but that they could certainly make a difference locally. A wide range of people spoke of responses such as adapting cropping practices, changing building methods, policy development, education and most of all about community engagement.

The oft- repeated theme was that it didn’t matter how good the science was until the community connected with the issues, identified the problems and then developed and committed to solutions. By identifying a specific threat and working on a solution, communities become better connected, healthier and more resilient.

Bringing the community together through climate change adaptation addresses our policies and philosophies of Social Justice, Participatory Democracy, Peace and Sustainability. Our objectives around Climate Change, caring for people and managing water can be very much part of the way we adapt our societies to the pressures of climate change.

We can add to the focus of a low Carbon footprint, influencing lifestyle and technology choices. We can promote WA’s bountiful wind and solar assets. By introducing Adaptability we can bring on board another part of our society, those who so far have not engaged with Climate Change values.

A feature of humanity is that we are adaptable. The original inhabitants of Australia have been adapting to change for a thousand generations before us, since the last ice age allowed them to migrate overland to Australia and to all that has happened since that time.

I believe that the community can harness our ‘can do’ attitude, with focus on Adapting to Climate, to bring change to society. By focussing on opportunity we can build on the optimistic nature of Western Australians.

We can encourage people to live mindfully, to be conscious of the implications of daily decisions, as individuals and as community leaders, to join together and to make a better society.

In my own work, over many years, in school, Uni, at work, in the community, in Africa and Australia, I have always been able to bring change by motivating people in shared spirit, to think in terms of ‘we’ and of opportunity and optimism. At a Citizenship ceremony on Monday night this week such spirit was very plain among the thirty- nine new citizens; they spoke of this spirit as what attracted them to Australia.

Conscious care for the world around us is as much a part of working with community residents on the Ranford wetlands, as it is with cleaning up the Swan river banks or evaluating major development projects. Thinking about how we adapt our community to the changes we see happening takes away the politics of Climate Change and lets us make decisions in a time of uncertainty.

I hope we can invite as many people as possible to join in, to participate, in caring for all who live on this planet.

Spring Time Composting

2010-07-06T12:10:00.001+08:00

With Spring only a few months away we can begin planning our own personal land- care projects. Composting can reduce water use, raise productivity, increase soil carbon and improve the structure of soils. We can reduce reliance on purchased products, reduce waste, reduce our energy footprint and enjoy the process. Home gardening reduces food miles too.

Last week I attended a Climate Adaptation conference which reminded me of some ways that we can take personal responsibility for our own patch of the planet. (More on this coming soon)

In Perth about sixty percent of our household waste is organic. The metropolitan area generates about 1.2 million tonnes of organic waste each year, and much of this waste goes to landfill. Organic waste is a valuable resource that can be used to help improve soil quality. Organic waste can be recycled by using it as mulch, as compost, or in a worm farm.

The Dept of Environment has a web site of useful composting tips. Another really good blog site for compost tips can be found here. For even more information there is a composting course to be held soon; click here for details. There is a WA State commitment to stop burying our waste in our water supply. We can do our bit for this responsible initiative and enjoy the process too.

By the way, just about everything can be recycled in some way. Visit the RecycleIT to find out how and where to recycle specific materials.

Recycling and composting can be a family project. Feeling good about the way we live is important.

Time to Abandon Neighbourhood Watch?

2010-06-28T18:34:00.001+08:00

Time to abandon Neighbourhood Watch?

Time to let out the secret that this is one of the safest cities on Earth?

Time to tell older people it's ok to walk to the park? That it's fun for kids to go and play cricket at the oval?

If our mission is to enhance the quality of life of residents then do we achieve the opposite by scaring them with crime stories?

If there is no one in the park then why not just sell it? If we see kids on the street for only fifteen minutes after school then where are they?

If our crime figures have gone down every year since 1987 then why do we not trust our neighbours? If the only figure remaining high is domestic violence what are our social stresses?

Perhaps if we abandoned Neighbourhood Watch then we'd have a barbecue in the park, let the kids swim in the river, invite the widow down the road around for a cuppa.

Perhaps we might find that a social community beats atomised solitude any day. Getting muddy with your friends really can compete with the collective identity of Facebook.

What if we just did the Aussie thing and looked after the place next door when they went to the beach?

Starting right now I'm going to work on a Next Door Day, October 24, when we invite the neighbours over for food, drink and conversation.

Party at my place! and yours too, all over Perth, I hope.

Please feel free to have your say- it makes a difference. Just click on “Comments” below and log in as Name (preferred) or Anonymous, or email me and I’ll post your comments for you.

Bush Forever

2010-06-23T10:57:00.001+08:00

Here’s some news good enough that it puts a bounce in my day.

After public consultation the State Government has published the new Bush Forever amendment today. As soon as the amendment is no longer subject to disallowance (after 12 sitting days) it becomes legally effective in the Metropolitan Region Scheme.

The purpose of this major amendment is to reserve and create special controls over Bush Forever sites in the Metropolitan area.

I’ll provide more detail and comment later. A map of the Perth South areas proclaimed can be viewed here.

Areas included in South Perth are along the Canning River shores beside the Freeway near Mount Henry, at Mount Henry and the wetlands of Manning and Waterford around Bodkin Park.

This makes formal declaration of residents’ passionate belief that this bush should be given special preservation in a time of change.

Electronic Waste Recycling

2010-06-12T18:06:00.007+08:00

Here's a chance to feel good about our rubbish! Instead of landfill your techie bits can be broken down and re- used.

This weekend it's time to drop off the old computer, monitor, mobile phone, TV, Nintendo, fax machine, etc. Sat 12 & Sun 13 June 2010 - 9am-4pm

For locations to drop off your stuff click here.

If you missed this event then click here for alternative disposal opportunities.

Swan River Care

2010-06-09T13:20:00.001+08:00

This blog is not about Climate Change, which is complex, long- term, important and in the future. It is about weather, which is simpler, short- term, urgent and happening now.

The Swan and Canning Rivers are loved by this community and are key attractions of Perth. Riverside infrastructure of the freeway and rail line is a vital part of WA’s economy.

Most riverside infrastructure was built in the 1950's to 70's through the Public Works Dept, which no longer exists. The state of our infrastructure is aging, under- capacity and not up to current standards. Basic maintenance costs are increasing with age. The walls are already under stress during high tides, strong winds and storm surges.

Winter storms have long been recognised as a major hazard in WA. The Noongar people moved inland during the cooler months, partly to avoid the weather.

In June 1801, the French explorer Nicholas Baudin felt the full force of a winter gale as he rounded Cape Leeuwin en route to Rottnest Island.

Early settlers were quickly made aware of the dangers of winter gales. The loss of a ship and damage to others during a gale in 1830 threatened the existence of the colony.

In 1934, the Swan River rose almost 6 metres in less than 8 hours at Guildford in response to heavy rain upstream.

In 1955 storms caused massive coastal erosion on Perth's beaches. At Cottesloe not a bit of sand was left anywhere along the seaward side of the main promenade.

In 1963 a strong front caused wind gusts of 150 km/h in Perth.

In 1981 a storm with heavy rain produced widespread damage, Perth being littered with fallen trees, power lines and debris from damaged buildings.

In 1994 one of the most destructive weather events to affect Perth brought a damage bill of $37 million

In 2003 Fremantle recorded a storm surge of 0.8 m, causing the highest tide ever recorded there.

Storms with severe winds can cause heavy rain, but cold fronts with slow- moving cloud bands cause the heaviest total rainfall.

A worst case scenario is to have a peak in gale-force winds coinciding with a high tide, causing a storm surge, pushing East against floodwaters coming down the Swan River.

Our last major floods occurred in 1963 and 1964. In recent decades this has not occurred, thank goodness, because Perth's infrastructure is just not designed to cope with it.

This plot, from the Bureau of Meteorology, shows the frequency of heavy rain in Perth since 1883, in 15- year blocks. It highlights the sudden decrease in heavy rainfall events in the 1960s. It was in this peaceful era that we built our riverside infrastructure. In hindsight, we built in all the wrong places.

Our rainfall pattern is trending towards that of the period when we experienced our worst storms, floods and damage. Our built and natural environments and our economic links are under threat.

These matters affect all 21 Councils on the river banks. Management requires a combined approach of all members. It is not appropriate that it be handled by each Council separately. It is a big issue, it affects the economy of the whole State and we require support from both State and Federal Governments.

WALGA has recognised this and has formed the "C21" group of Councils, chaired by James Best, our Mayor. The Perth Natural Resources Management Group, with which I serve, also acts to coordinate the actions of individual local councils.

These two groups have prepared a business case for combined and effective management of our rivers.

The Swan River Trust budget allocated by State is just way too small for the task ahead.

City of South Perth has presented an Infrastructure Australia submission on behalf of the 21 councils for $83M, based on priorities set by Swan River Trust. We need support of State Cabinet for this.

A further approach will be made for Commonwealth funding later today. An additional submission is being made for $3.5M for repair of seriously deteriorated river walls.

We are calling for support for our combined submission to manage these rivers that we love, that are part of our economy and part of our social fabric.

I hope that when the Commonwealth Heads of Government visit our city next year, 2011, we can demonstrate with pride the management of our rivers.

Please feel free to have your say; it makes a difference. Just click on “Comments” below and log in as Name (preferred) or Anonymous, or email me and I’ll post your comments for you.

“Legislation- Ready” Cat

2010-06-08T08:02:00.001+08:00

This is Ranger- not only is he super-cute, but he is also micro-chipped (and registered), de-sexed and kept indoors. The owner got him from the RSPCA, who arranged the microchip and de-sexing before making him available for adoption. While he was there, he was also vet-checked and given worm and flea treatments. Tori, the owner, recommends all residents check out the RSPCA when looking for a new pet, as they send out all of their animals "Legislation Ready"

WA State Government is taking steps to require these measures to manage domestic cats. A recent PhD at Murdoch Uni studied the effect of cats on bio- diversity in suburban environments. One interesting fact to arise from the student’s thesis was that owners are generally supportive, being motivated mainly by concerns for safety of their cat, rather than for preservation of native wildlife.

Many Councils already have cat laws. In Darwin, for example, by-laws require cats to be properly contained in the owners’ property, under effective control by the owner, and on a lead or enclosed in a suitable container when away from their home. Stiff fines apply if a cat is captured while ‘at large’.

Swan Council in WA allows residents to trap cats found on their property, and the cat owners don’t have to be told. The City of Swan houses the trapped cats for collection or re-homing; owners have to pay a $100 fine to get their pet back. The Perth Cat Haven – which receives more than ten thousand stray cats each year – believes the laws should make micro-chipping of all cats compulsory.

Increasing numbers of local governments around the country are imposing night-time curfews to minimise neighbourhood nuisance issues and protect native wildlife.

Is your feline friend "Legislation Ready"?

Mosquitoes

2010-05-19T12:12:00.001+08:00

At a public forum around mosquito issues about fifty residents came to express their concerns about being bitten and about environmental protection. We heard strongly- worded views about the need for personal safety, about concern for native species and about how Council responds to these concerns.

Resident after resident told their story about cycles of mosquitoes in the evenings. Very many people demanded that the City fog the Canning River wetlands regularly. Many felt that the City was not responding to their needs.

After an hour of clearly- expressed views of residents the City’s Manager, Environmental Health outlined the very extensive work carried out over five years. Sebastian’s team, all with Environmental Science qualifications, had trapped, mapped and measured mosquito issues in the area. Sebastian presented a summary of work done and conclusions reached. He also presented a background of control measures already taken and plans for the future.

The second speaker, Department of Health medical entomologist Sue Harrington, provided some scientific background on the 210 species of mosquito in Australia and their breeding, biting and bothering habits. She pointed out that fogging over marine wetlands was illegal and likely to cause widespread fish deaths. Fogging also kills all types of insects- bees, spiders, moths and mosquitoes.

Ms Harrington compared local mosquito levels with those in Capel and the Kimberley, where truly massive concentrations occur. She also suggested that residents live near the river because they value the environment, with its trees, fish and other fauna. In order to sustain these things we value she suggested that we treat the mosquito issue with respect for the whole environment.

One particular control measure Ms Harrington suggested was a naturally- occurring bacteria, widely used throughout WA. Capel has been hugely successful with this measure. They spread this biological agent twice a year, never fog and hardly see a mosquito. Their mosquito management strategy is on their web site. A good thing about this method is that the biological agent does not affect other species.

A third speaker, from Swan River Trust, provided information on wider issues of environmental management. An outcome of the meeting was to set up a residents’ committee to meet with the City and communicate more about management of mosquitoes.

How Can You Assist? (Quoted from Capel)

Mosquitoes breed in STANDING WATER. Standing water can be found in old tyres and other water holding containers, pot plant drip trays, septic and water tanks, roof gutters, domestic ponds, etc. By eliminating these breeding sites you can help to reduce mosquito numbers in your backyard.

You can help eliminate breeding in your backyard:

Dispose of all containers which hold water.
Keep ornamental ponds stocked with mosquito-eating fish, e.g. goldfish.
Empty self- watering pot plant trays once a week or fill them with sand.
Empty and clean animal and pet drinking water once a week.
Keep swimming pools well chlorinated and filtered and free of dead leaves.
Fill or drain depressions in the ground that hold water.
Prevent leaking taps which can maintain semi-permanent pools.
Avoid over watering lawns. This can lead to high water tables or run off to storm water drains and create permanent pools.
Vent pipes on septic tank systems must be fitted with mosquito- proof cowls. Seal all gaps in the lid, and ensure leach drains are completely covered.
Screen rainwater tanks and/or add paraffin oil to cover surface.
Ensure roof guttering does not hold water.
Some plants (especially bromeliads) hold water in their leaf axils. These should be emptied of water once a week.

I look forward to hearing that a collaborative approach has this matter under control to everyone’s satisfaction.

What is a Good Mayor?

2010-05-18T11:54:00.001+08:00

The City of South Perth is developing measures to assess our CEO. In the process of doing this there has been discussion about assessing our Mayor and Councillors too. While thinking about this I’ve put together some thoughts about what makes a good Mayor. In the spirit of getting everybody involved, here’s a list that you might like to comment on or add to.

The Mayor leads community participation in local decision- making, encouraging a spirit of inclusion
The Mayor effectively manages both long and short term strategy and involves Councillors in Strategic Leadership
The Mayor encourages contributions by Council members and gets the best out of them
The Mayor develops the Leadership Team (Councillors and Executives) with energy, motivation and optimism
The Mayor encourages all elected members to take on a leadership role
The Mayor clearly takes charge of the evaluation and coaching of members
The Mayor is effective in managing the technical and emotional components of leadership

The Mayor demonstrates a sound understanding of the legislative, policy, planning and values frameworks of our City
The Mayor makes sure that the Council meetings are well run
The Mayor represents Council effectively at official functions and ceremonies
The Mayor helps promote a positive image of Council
The Mayor handles conflict within the leadership team fairly and impartially, to bring prompt resolution or return to a working relationship
The Mayor chairs meetings impartially and effectively
The Mayor demonstrates effective influence when dealing with internal and external parties
The Mayor deals effectively with the media
The Mayor keeps up to date with political, technical and management issues
The Mayor is an effective negotiator
The Mayor promotes ethical and accountable behaviour

What do you think we should expect of a Mayor? I believe that to be useful this list should not refer to any individual, but rather to the post itself.

Next will be a similar question in reference to our Councillors.

Please feel free to have your say; it makes a difference. Just click on “Comments” and log in as Name or Anonymous, or email me and I’ll post your comments for you.

Changes in Perth- Living and Travelling

2010-05-03T11:04:00.001+08:00

Perth region is growing fast. Change is happening; sometimes we notice, sometimes not. Since 2003 car ownership has grown 39%. Freeways and roads are often crowded. Public transport use has grown 40%, car use per capita has declined 7%. At peak times the rail system carries the equivalent of 8 lanes of traffic. Last year we made 55 million train trips.

The growing success of our rail system is told around the world. Peter Newman and Jan Scheurer of Curtin Uni have released a report on our transport, where we are and what we can do next.

Some of the development background for thinking includes:

Doubling of Curtin University (including six 20 storey residential towers)
Rapidly growing health and education precinct at Fiona Stanley/ Murdoch Uni
Doubling of Bentley Technology Park;
Large increase in residential and commercial development in Victoria Park
Riverside Development adjacent to the WACA and
Trinity, including extensive high rise and medium rise residences and commercial premises
The eastern end of Central Perth where most of the new high rise has been happening and more is expected
Northbridge Link: the largest urban regeneration in Central Perth, directly above the Central rail station and the new underground bus terminal
Redevelopment of the PMH site on Thomas Street
The largest health complex in Perth with the new PMH and Sir Charles Gardiner Hospital
UWA complex set to double in size

A light- rail arc is proposed, linking these developments. The authors speak of the knowledge economy as the basis of all new developed- economy jobs and of this rail link connecting the knowledge centres of our city.

A motivation for light rail is that all of these developments are severely limited by transport and parking issues. It is already often difficult to park anywhere near these centres and traffic is slow; transport is a limiting factor for our future.

The report is relevant also to our local conversation about Canning Bridge. We have a vision for Transit Oriented Development here. The report cites evidence from around the world that people living in a TOD have 50% less car use and save $20,000 a year through needing one less car per household.

I find it interesting that nearly everyone agrees with the benefits of a good rail system and TOD- style development but that there is controversy around such things happening anywhere near us.

While leading a bushwalking group around Mundaring Weir yesterday I was talking over these issues with others. The concern was with how we fit in more people and preserve our bush and maintain the lifestyle we love, in an attractive community and do it all sustainably.

The way in which we put all this together is what will make the difference.

Your thoughts? Click on ‘Comments’ below. Log in with Name or Anonymous.

Canning Bridge Action

2010-04-25T10:01:00.001+08:00

Canning Bridge traffic is a mess, no doubt about that. Cars, buses, pedestrians, bicycles and trains find their way through as best they can. The bridge sees more use every day. Coordinated planning is sorely needed.

Following recent attention by Lynn MacLaren of the Greens, Friday saw a thorough walking inspection by a very high- level group. Simon O’Brien- Minister for Transport, John McGrath- State Member for South Perth, James Best- Mayor of South Perth, Cliff Frewing- CEO, City of South Perth, top executives and engineers from Public Transport Authority, Main Roads and Department of Transport plus senior staff from City of South Perth, a Disability Access specialist, and myself.

This is very probably the first time such a group had seen our local chaos together, for themselves. Having everyone on site together produced good, effective communication around the issues and what can be done. Minister Simon O’Brien promised “consolidated action, across departments.”

I had always thought that lack of pedestrian access was an oversight but the engineers said that the bridge was meant to be just a bus and train interchange. Now that we see thousands of people from South Perth and Melville walking to the station it is clear that some imaginative design work is needed. People jumping fences, dodging traffic and dropping friends and family in three un- official kiss- and- ride points have made it clear that more is required.

Ease of use and safety are vital. Every person using Public Transport is one less car on the freeway and one less car parking in the City.

Now, let’s see some action.

Have your say by clicking on “Comments” below.

South Perth: What a Place to Be

2010-04-19T23:16:00.001+08:00

Wow, wasn’t Red Bull the place to be on the weekend. The crowd enjoyed a spectacular time, the pilots showed how good they are, pushing the limits of aerodynamics, the organisers made it look so easy and even the police didn’t raise a sweat.

You can click on the photos to enjoy them in full screen. For a YouTube video of Matt Hall, RAAF jet pilot, finishing in his best- ever, second place, position just click here (turn the sound up).

Click here for a longer video from Perth Red Bull 2008, with extra adrenaline.

The new beaches on the foreshore were really popular. With the addition of cabanas to lounge on they showed the way we might do things every day of the summer. Just imagine something like this, perhaps with a van selling ice creams, sun screen, coffee and postcards. Be there early to bag a spot.

Hospitality was really professional. Could we maybe do more of this around the Boatshed, so it becomes The Place to Be? Nothing grand, just some sheltering hedges, plenty of shade, views to snap and send home, a place to chill and enjoy being alive and in South Perth.

Night time views across the water aren’t too shabby either. Just imagine the new promenade running along the water’s edge from the Bellhouse cafe at Mends Street, after a restaurant dinner, walking arm- in- arm on a summer evening- idyllic. Could we even take a ride on the Ferris wheel and watch moonrise over the hills?

We are undergoing so much change and what amazes me is how well it is happening. People are using imagination, their experience from other lands and so many spirited conversations. With twenty one Councils along the river shores we seem to be managing pretty good co- ordination.

I really have lost count of how many public meetings, conversations and forums I’ve attended, around the topic of our way forward. People of South Perth are beginning to shape the future the way they see it, imagining possibilities, other realities and looking for opportunities.

For years we have been wary of change, sometimes doing nothing, at no cost, every day and never risking criticism. What a spirited experience this is, being part of making the future of our city.

Our community is thinking as a whole City, not just as local neighbourhoods. Exciting things are happening, from Mill Point to Manning, Canning Bridge to Kensington. Our city is developing for the benefit of all, including the million visitors every year. One more challenge is to find new ways to offer services to these visitors so the City benefits from the economic activity.

We have so many opportunities available. There is a general feeling that doing nothing has been comfortable for years but it means opportunities lost

By doing the things that continue to make South Perth a vibrant, exciting and safe place to be we are attracting more bright and alive minds who will go on to imagine and create new futures right here.

I love this place.

Canning Bridge Communication

2010-04-07T11:52:00.001+08:00

Here is a cutting from today’s West. To open the article you can click on it twice to view in full size.

The West on-line is at http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest

The future of our community is very much in focus now. Over the past three years we have had many public meetings, workshops, forums, meetings, seminars and barbecues around this topic. The way that we communicate is what keeps us together and moves us on.

What is clear is that there are many different opinions around the way that Como develops. Some opinions are certainly very strong. What has been outstanding is the way that people speak of their case, with respect and clarity. Similarly, people listen and respond to arguments. There has been little or no demand that this or that point of view must be accepted by all. That is not to say that there haven’t been moments of high emotion :-)

My belief is that it is how effectively we communicate that will most influence our future.

Comment on Canning Bridge Submissions

2010-04-01T15:10:00.001+08:00

This week the submissions on the Vision for Canning Bridge closed. Many in the community have made their feelings known. Some that I have heard or read involve objections to particular components, suggestions for alternatives, critiques of the philosophy of TODs, calls for more study, calls for a halt to development, calls for more rapid development, attention to sustainability and much other besides.

This week’s newspapers have been full of the latest growth analyses. Two meetings that I have details from involved:

figures for new developments such as five new industrial areas and two more ports south from Perth
a billion dollars of development expenditure along the south- west corridor, every year for twenty years
expansion of Karratha to one hundred thousand people
expansion to fifty thousand of many other towns, such as Newman

Many people are very concerned about how we maintain values related to environmental diversity, energy use, water and food supply, community connectedness and more.

In the midst of all this we see Dr Janet Woollard’s public submission. This could be summarised as follows:

One should not have a Vision for the future until all past thinking, developed on the basis of past reality, has been fully implemented and is functioning as planned.

Unfortunately this misses the point that times have changed, that we have a new reality, new risks and new opportunities. It also misses the bit about essential human values and caring for our country.

This does not mean that we have to be pro- development at all costs. It does mean that we should all be engaged in shaping the future while being conscious of our values.

The residents of Como, Applecross and the whole precinct of Canning Bridge are demonstrating that they are very prepared to get involved, to make certain that they contribute to the way that our neighbourhood moves to the future.

Curtin town planning lecturer and local resident, Julie Brunner, has made a very thoughtful and detailed submission which exemplifies this approach. Julie has pulled together the myriad threads that contribute to making a local community plan work for the benefit of people who live here.

Keep up the good work in Como. Have your say by clicking on ‘Comments’ below.

Como Barbecue: Thank You

2010-03-29T00:24:00.001+08:00

Thank you to everyone who made today’s event.

The motivation for the barbecue is my hope that we talk with each other, that we have useful conversation.

Our city is changing, rapidly. One of the hot spots of this change is around Como and Canning Bridge. Como is a magnificent place to live. I hope that in fifty years time it is still outstanding and our grandchildren say “Thank goodness they planned for our future”

Yes, there are things that other people can do for us. We can talk about that. Mainly I hope that we have conversation about what we can do for and with each other, connecting our community.

Much was expressed today. I heard about people’s need for safety, both physical and financial. I heard concerns about overshadowing and parking. There were worries about effects on species diversity, river bank protection and the need to connect ecosystems. The effects of population growth were discussed. Some people felt that equity between suburbs was important, others that transport to the airport was a big issue. Possible changes to Council Rates were at the front of some people’s minds.

After the event Lyn MacLaren from Greens WA spent about an hour with me, on a walking inspection of the Canning Bridge area.

There is sure to be much more to talk about. One of the next events will be a seminar with a respected international consultant on city design.

As always, just click on ‘Comments’ to have your say.

Como Barbecue, Sunday, 28 March, 1 p.m.

2010-03-25T09:57:00.001+08:00

So many responses from people coming to the barbecue at McDougall Park on Sunday. Dozens of people have emailed and phoned. Steve Irons, John McGrath and Lynn MacLaren, our local members of Federal and State Parliaments will be there, with the Mayor James Best, Deputy Mayor Sue Doherty plus Glen Cridland and myself, your ward Councillors.

I hope for a lot of conversation about what is happening in our suburb, about what we can do, ourselves, to make this an even better place to live. Yes, there will be things that we believe someone else should do, and we’ll have a conversation about these too.

Sculpture on the Beach at Cottesloe recently was a lot of fun. That community has done something special to make their community stand out. I found the ideas and the experience inspirational.

At a community forum on the Melville side of the bridge last night so many people came up with ideas about what they could do personally to make this area even better. To follow up on this we’ll be building a FaceBook site around the statement “What I did today to make a difference.”

Have your say by clicking on Comments, below. No need to log in, you can just use the ‘Anonymous’ or ‘Name’ options if you prefer.

Open Government

2010-03-16T09:47:00.001+08:00

At Sunday’s community meeting a number of people made comments about the Council being secretive and about the difficulties of finding information. While I personally feel these comments were unfair and that many people had not looked very hard, I think that we can manage our information access better.

Our Council, like most, has a commitment to be ‘open and accountable.’ However, does this go much past having a register of how Councillors voted on issues?

Open government is the political idea which holds that the business of government should be opened at all levels to effective public scrutiny and oversight. Open government is widely seen to be a key hallmark of contemporary democratic practice. (Thanks Wiki).

Along with providing more access to data goes a corresponding concern for protecting citizens' privacy so they are not exposed to "adverse consequences, retribution or negative repercussions".

On his first full day in office, President Obama issued an Executive Order and several memoranda on transparency and participation in the Federal Government. “My Administration is committed to creating an unprecedented level of openness in Government,” Obama indicated. “The Government should not keep information confidential merely because public officials might be embarrassed by disclosure, because errors and failures might be revealed, or because of speculative or abstract fears.” He added: “In the face of doubt, openness prevails. Agencies should take affirmative steps to make information public. They should not wait for specific requests. All agencies should use modern technology to inform citizens about what is known and done by their Government.”

Should we be actively putting more of our information on- line: building application details, legal challenges, policy documents, financials, SAT hearings, restaurant health inspection data, clinic attendance numbers, street tree and park bench locations and so on, to a much greater degree?

A key point is putting the information out there, even if we don’t know how someone could use it.

The US lead the way with FOI legislation, known as ‘sunshine laws’. Australia followed suit in 1982 and WA in 1992. This is good, but really, if we are going to give away information under FOI why not be pro- active and get it out there anyway?

There is a very good example of E-Gov openness at data.gov

Can we do this better? Have your say by clicking on “Comments” below.

Canning Bridge Land Values and Rates

2010-03-11T23:50:00.001+08:00

Wow, I think my phone just melted and my email took off for the moon. When we invite the community to get involved, people do just that.

In response to a flood of questions and speculation about what might happen with rates I have put together my very un- official summary of a very non- committed précis of how the City rates system works, how land valuation is achieved and how this affects land- owners. I am not expert in this area but do listen to people who are.

In summary, rates are based on Gross Rental Value. This in turn depends on what choices you make about what you do with your land and about how much rent people would pay for that development.

1. The City will not be changing its rates calculation model - so the rates will always be calculated as the GRV assigned by the Valuer General's Office to each property in the area multiplied by the Rate in the $ applied by Council to EVERY property in the City (that is the City will not be levying any differential or special area rate on properties in the Canning Bridge Precinct)

2. The only variable then that could affect rates in the Canning Bridge Precinct would be a movement in the GRV - provided by the VGO - not us. This reflects local development and the State and National economy.

3. One would assume that the primary impacts of the implementation of the Canning Bridge Precinct study would be that there will be an increase in density and some subdivision of lots. Some properties will obviously remain as they are should the owners not wish to participate in the opportunities provided by the implementation of the recommendations of the CBP study

4. Given that, it is likely that there would be a modest aggregate increase in the total rates yield from the overall area (from those properties that are either subdivided or on which new construction occurs.)

5. The newly created properties or new construction are likely to be assessed as having a slightly higher GRV than existing properties - but this is not an automatic outcome! Subdivision would also increase the number of lots - so would therefore increase total rates yield - not necessarily individual rates. Note, this is only if you sub- divide.

6. It is unlikely that rates for those properties that the owners chose to keep as they are, rather than take development opportunities, are likely to change very much if at all - because the properties will in fact remain exactly the same in terms of individual amenity and rental return generating capacity. Owners would actually have to 'do something' for a major change in GRV to occur.

7. The next GRV revaluation is not due until July 2011 - and irrespective of developments at Canning Bridge, that revaluation will reflect the Valuer General's assessments of likely rental return (which given expected economic conditions in the WA economy could see GRVs increase across the board in WA although not by huge amounts). GRV of any property reflects the VGO assessment of rental returns - that is, it is driven by matters generally not connected with Canning Bridge.

In summary, if you choose not to develop your property then the rates are unlikely to change significantly. It is also worth noting that it takes considerable time to change the density coding for a new Town Plan and even longer for development to actually happen. I expect that the full development might take as long as twenty years.

Please recognise however that this is just a summary of a logical thought process given current knowledge. I really can not in good conscience give any guarantees of what will happen because the 'variable' (GRVs) is not one that is within the City's control.

Have your say about how we can make this place even better by clicking on ‘Post a Comment,’ below.

Foreshore Ceremonial Site and Flagpoles

2010-03-10T21:18:00.001+08:00

This evening we had a residents’ meeting about the new flag poles area on the South Perth foreshore. The plan includes four flags, representing Australia, Western Australia, Aboriginal heritage and the City of South Perth.

Some people signed a petition and spoke strongly against the inclusion of the Aboriginal flag. Others spoke passionately about celebration of the entire community, recognition of all our parts and of aspects of our history. Speakers recognised the importance of recognising Governor Stirling, the founder of the colony, of significant dates in South Perth and of thousands of years of indigenous connection.

There were those who spoke in favour of having only the Australian flag, others about this being a site for the whole community and about the way that the park is used by millions of people.

My own view is that all four flags represent respect for our shared heritage, our current reality and our future. My own family has been in Australia for six generations. I think we are still new immigrants, learning our way.

In years to come this site will be viewed proudly by all who pass by.

Perth Summertime Night Life

2010-03-01T00:02:00.001+08:00

A late night out in summer in Perth is just so much fun. Northbridge’s new piazza is a well- lit, open space. Barrack Street precinct is alive and bright. The Ferris wheel is a new and different way to enjoy a view of the city and river.

This is so very different form the newspaper images of our city that I just had to comment. These shots were all taken at around eleven pm. We even had a chat with some passing coppers, just to find out if we were seeing something unusual. Their response was about not believing what you read. Not only did we feel safe and happy, but but it was obvious that so too did the people on the street.

There were families having a picnic in the piazza, young people dressed for a night on the town, older people having dinner and a good buzz everywhere. Love the public art and the huge TV screen too.

The Ferris wheel by the river is open to eleven pm. and is well worth a ride. The area is bright and safe, everyone is friendly.

Barrack Street Jetty area is full of life too. The restaurants are buzzing, the belltower is a visual attraction and river views beautiful under moonlight.

Over the next week I’ll post some more images of the South Perth side of the river. The end of summer in Perth is filled with all the joys of the International Arts Festival and South Perth Fiesta. There are wonderful speakers, theatre, music and much else.

Tomorrow morning begins with the Esther Foundation fun run; what a great way to begin a public holiday. See you out there!

Have your say about how we can make this place even better. Just click on Comments, below.

Care for River Wetlands

2010-02-23T12:33:00.001+08:00

We’ve seen front- page news recently about mosquito control, dolphin deaths, river health and the future of Perth. There is a link between these matters and I believe that it is important to us and to our children.

Our values are demonstrated in the way that we care for our country, respect future generations and think widely about the implications of matters that concern us today.

The City has extended the footpath along the Canning River, behind Clontarf. This is in the area where people have expressed concern about mosquitoes. As I have lived in hot, humid locations in the Pacific and in Africa, suffered dengue fever and swatted a good few insects, I took a ride to have a look at the area myself.

Rehabilitation of the riverbank, including swan nesting areas, is very impressive. The way that the work is managed shows a wonderful sensitivity to the diversity of our river banks.

This seems to contrast with loud, public calls to kill mosquitoes by fogging. My concern here is that chemical fogging lasts for a few hours at best and can poison the locality, affecting aquatic animals and our unborn and infant children.

I searched for safety details of the components of foggers used in WA and found that the Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory at Oxford University states that Piperonyl Butoxide is harmful if swallowed, inhaled or absorbed through the skin, is an experimental carcinogen, is not classifiable as a human carcinogen and may cause reproductive defects. They state that it is very toxic to aquatic organisms and may cause long-term damage to the environment. Another safety data sheet spoke of human female reproductive system toxicity, possible developmental toxicity, toxicity to blood, kidneys, lungs, liver, skin and central nervous system and general deterioration in health through accumulation in human organs.

Do we really want to cause more river deaths? Do we want our mothers and children absorbing such compounds? This is a plea to residents to think widely about the solutions to what is a very present irritation. Numerous other cities have addressed mosquito issues in other ways, including attention to backyard breeding areas.

Surely we can do better than just spreading poison.

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

Lighter Footprints

2010-02-18T08:15:00.001+08:00

Here’s an idea to reduce the financial impact of going green. Householders by now know many ways to reduce their environmental footprint on the planet- solar photo- voltaics, solar water heaters, micro wind turbines and so on. With three electricity price rises forecast for this year and more to come homeowners can be increasingly confident that the capital outlay will save them money. Here’s a way to reduce the impact of that financial outlay.

The City of South Perth could lend homeowners and businesses the money to install sensible, approved technology. To pay for this the City could set up a fund by accessing loan money at lower rates than individuals can. Owners could repay the loans over a number of years as a charge on their rates bill. The City could provide a list of approved technologies and require that only equipment with Australian Standards approval and licensed installers be used.

To reassure the City’s financial managers, in the event of homeowners getting into financial difficulty, rates debts rank higher than most other obligations.

To implement this proposal the City already has a very competent Sustainability Officer who could research the program and provide advice. We also have a very active community Sustainability Action Group who could develop this idea further.

We know that the long- term effect of good technology can be to reduce household electricity bills to near zero. Now we can do this with no immediate financial outlay while doing the right thing for the planet. Seems like an easy decision to me.

Hot off the Press

2010-02-01T23:25:00.001+08:00

Planning for Canning Bridge precinct is moving fast. Today saw the release by Planning WA of a draft vision for the area. We are being asked for our views on the plans.

The precinct is located at a strategic spot where the Perth- Mandurah rail line crosses the Canning Highway. This connects Fremantle with the main roads to the State’s North, and East to the rest of Australia. The location also supports numerous high- frequency bus links and represents a vital entry point to the rapidly- growing Curtin University. Perth’s CBD, Murdoch Uni and the Fiona Stanley and St John of God Hospitals are only one rail stop away.

You can click here to download a PDF version of the draft plan for Applecross, Mt Pleasant, Como and the confluence of the Canning and Swan Rivers or go to the Department’s web site. They also have a link to a draft Land Use plan for the area and other documents.

The closing date for receipt of submissions is 5pm, Friday 19 March 2010. Don’t forget the public forum on Saturday 13 February.

I am certain that there will be spirited debate around the designs. It is so good to see action on this area. Listen, read, have your say and be remembered as being part of planning for the future. Click here to download a submission form. You can attend the public forum or have your say by clicking on ‘comments’ below.

Canning Bridge Vision update

2010-01-27T18:30:00.001+08:00

Australia Day on the Swan River was magnificent. There were less people during the day but all those who made the effort appreciated the occasion. The family and youth zones were especially good; staff and volunteers did a fantastic job. (Just had to mention that.)

The cities of South Perth and Melville are to hold a Public Information Briefing for the Canning Bridge Precinct Vision at the City of Melville offices in Almondbury Road, Booragoon on Saturday, 13 February 2010 1:00 pm- 3:00 pm.

To attend the information session, just call the City of Melville to register your interest on 9364 0666 by no later than 10 February. If you are not able to attend or require information, you can contact South Perth’s Customer Service Team on 9474 0777

This session is on the weekend of the Leeuwin Concert and at a time of very many other events. South Perth’s CEO, Cliff Frewing, advises that they do not plan to hold any additional consultation on other days. I have asked for copies of the briefing materials to include in a later blog on this site for you.

If you have an interest in the way that the Canning Bridge area develops over the next twenty years then this is an opportunity to listen and to speak up.

You can also have your say by clicking on ‘Comments’ below.

Canning Bridge Vision

2009-12-16T22:00:00.002+08:00

At last night’s Council meetings the Cities of South Perth and Melville simultaneously agreed to endorse the Canning Bridge Rail Station Study “Precinct Vision.” This was the culmination of an excellent series of public meetings, community input and conscious development.

This plan is the result of two years of community workshops and consultant design work and has had widespread input from many, many people. This included a joint session of both Councils earlier in the year. The vision for our side of the bridge has a residential flavour; Melville’s is of very mixed- use, including high- rise development, with a town square and central hub.

Click here for a link in the press today.

The City will be advertising details of the plan for your comment in January so be sure to read the details and have your say. Key aspects for South Perth, raised in community forums and addressed in the Vision, include:

better pedestrian access
improved links with Curtin University
some commercial development on Canning Highway, Como
building of a third bridge and retiring the older structure, possibly for use as community services such as coffee shops on the bridge
Manning Road southbound access
greatly improved bus stop arrangements
kiss ‘n ride facilities
better all- round traffic arrangements
foreshore enhancement, with recreation facilities
allowance for a ferry station

Further details will be released in January. There will be notes on this Blog. Proposed developments will be over many years, and might not commence immediately. Many people have already had their say at community meetings. Do you have any more to add? Click on “Comments” below, and select 'anonymous' or enter your details if you prefer.

Making a Difference

2009-12-05T12:00:00.001+08:00

Isn’t today magnificent? This morning saw the annual “Thank a Volunteer” breakfast at McDougal Park. About 150 people enjoyed breakfast under the gum trees and awards to individuals for outstanding service to the community.

Quite a few people couldn’t get to the ceremony because they were, well, volunteering. I am certain that there are many, many other individuals and clubs very busy with what they do and perhaps don’t know about this annual award. Perhaps next year you might nominate an individual from your club for public recognition and thanks.

Thanks also to the City staff who arranged the memorable event.

All of these people make South Perth and Australia wonderful.

Tree Poisoning in our Parks

2009-12-01T15:17:00.001+08:00

Trees in Sir James Mitchell Park and Sandon Park have died. The City’s Environment Manager has reported today that laboratory analysis of soil and tree tissue from Sandon Park shows that the trees were poisoned.

The herbicide used to kill this vegetation is Hexazinone, commonly known as "Velpar". This herbicide has an extremely toxic effect on native vegetation, but poses little threat to humans in moderate dosages. However, the amounts indicated within the soil and tissue samples have proved to be well outside the standard application rate, so much so that it appears the herbicide has been poured directly onto the vegetation, without dilution.

At the more than twenty five Community Visioning meetings over the last year, one of the things that people said they most valued about South Perth was its green, leafy nature. It would seem that some owners of premium real estate might wish to destroy this in order to enhance their own river views.

Have your say by clicking “Comments” below.

The Little Hospital That Could

2009-11-23T12:09:00.001+08:00

Here’s some community good news! At the South Perth Hospital annual dinner on Friday night the Chairman, Bob Maher, spoke of their recent achievements. These included the hospital being placed Number 1 in Australia in awards for patient care and satisfaction in surveys run by HBF and Medibank Private. Not bad for a little community hospital.

Bob thanked the entire staff for the quality of care and the patient happiness this produced.

Recognising Bob’s leadership style, which encourages participation by everyone he meets, the board presented Bob with a suitable safety item (above).

The Mayor also recognised Bob’s work and commended the way he’d managed approvals for the new developments under way.

We are so fortunate in South Perth that we have lots of people like this, making a difference in the Community.

Access to Development Plans

2009-11-12T00:52:00.001+08:00

Over the past couple of years the South Perth Council has seen some spirited discussions about public access to development plans. While the City has a commitment to open and accountable government, some people have held that a property owner has the right to not allow their plans to be seen by interested parties. Others maintain that members of the community have a right to know what is happening next door and nearby.

There have been some examples where neighbours have successfully pointed out ways that proposed developments do not meet criteria for approval. In other cases it seems to me just plain common sense that people should be informed about what is happening.

As the density of population increases, plenty of research shows that conflict increases even faster. I believe that an informed community will probably have less conflict than one where people have developments sprung on them by surprise.

The present situation is that people can access development plans by making a Freedom of Information application, a process taking both time and money. We have even had a prominent lawyer provide opinion that it might be in breach of copyright- an opinion that I don’t share (but I’m not a lawyer.) Surely if you can get a document under FoI, and our commitment is to open administration then we should make plans easily available

I have seen many other cities where this sort of information is freely available and openly published. This picture shows an advisory panel that I saw recently in Hong Kong. Similar things are common on our east coast.

Please have your say by clicking “Comments” below.

Speed Bumps on Melville Parade?

2009-11-12T00:26:00.001+08:00

We have some welcome, new speed bumps on Melville Parade. I note that I can drive in the middle of the road in my mid- size car with barely a bump noticeable.

I think that this probably means that the bumps will have almost no effect on speeding vehicles unless such vehicles are racing side- by- side.

Our City engineers report that Main Roads are convinced the central unbroken separation line (an offence to cross them except to turn right into a street or crossing) and raised pavement markers will prevent this activity. Melville Parade is a 2008/09 project and fully funded by Main Roads (It was delayed as Main Roads finalised the Standards and agreed upon the design.)

Surely the existence of circular black tyre tracks, indicating doughnuts at the intersection, would indicate that demonstrated behaviour is at odds with the expectation that drivers abide by the law. The speed bumps are not there to modify the behaviour of law- abiding drivers, but rather to slow down those who have an alternative set of values. It is probably unlikely that a solid white line in the middle of the road will prevent these drivers from just speeding through the gap between the bumps.

Don’t you just love centralised rules? Comments from you? Click below.

Caring for Our Country

2009-10-11T17:21:00.001+08:00

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.

Tree Planting on James Mitchell Park

2009-08-28T17:04:00.001+08:00

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

2009-07-24T23:00:00.001+08:00

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

2009-07-08T17:35:00.001+08:00

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

2009-06-16T11:15:00.001+08:00

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.

River Bank Storm Damage

2009-06-05T17:04:00.001+08:00

Recent storms have brought dramatic erosion even closer to the freeway edge. While the City tries to patch up the river bank protection with ratepayer funds, storms endanger the freeway, a vital link in our State's economy. You can see more photos and details by clicking here.

Further along the shore there is a line of palm trees with almost no visible means of support. The palms are as tall as their distance from the freeway and are due to fall over in the next decent westerly wind, possibly falling into freeway traffic. As with many other parts of the Swan River banks, significant work is required. In this and many other cases the work is important to the State, not just local residents. It is time we made this clear so that high- level funding is made available for protective works.

The older style of protection, with visually attractive vertical walls, has been ineffective, these being undermined and falling over after construction. What is required is an appropriate set of structures that dissipate wave energy. Different methods will be needed in each area.

Where the natural river banks still exist there is often not much of an erosion problem. Where we have moved the river, to accommodate developments such as the freeway, we see significant erosion.

Unless we do something soon the winter storms will be likely to cause much more damage.

A Rubbish Tax

2009-06-01T23:35:00.001+08:00

This weekend's fire at Canning Vale Waste Recovery plant illustrates well our successive State Governments' neglect of developments in waste processing. It also highlights the need for significant research and development, which we would expect to be paid from the huge new waste levy.

(Baled plastic bottles in Penang harbour- my photo)

From 1 July Councils in WA will pay a levy of $28 per ton of putrescible (rotting) waste going to landfill, up from $7 this year. Inert (stable) waste will go up from $5 to $12. While the tax on landfill is probably of some use, to discourage us from burying our rubbish, we really would have thought that the proceeds should go towards developing WA's waste management practices. Instead it will go towards general expenses of the Department of Environment and Conservation.

As it turns out with the fire, one of our biggest waste plants has been collecting recyclables with no idea of what to do with the tonnes collected. One hundred sea containers of waste are now cinders and sludge. It might make us feel good to put stuff in the yellow bin but we also expect that the materials perform the boomerang trick of being re- used.

Fortunately South Perth's waste is not part of this fiasco, our truckloads going to the Bayswater facility operated by Cleanaway. We will however be slugged with the Government's new levy, without any direct benefit. We also have little market for recyclables in the current downturn. Big thinking is needed here.

This shows once again that Local Government can be subjected to simple political forces unless we act as a strong lobby, thinking deeply about big questions. We need to address many substantial issues, including how to handle the mountains of waste that we produce. We can do this only if local authorities combine forces and look to the big picture.

What Makes a Good Place to Live

2009-05-15T09:46:00.001+08:00

In advance of next Saturday's City Visioning summary session here are some thoughts on things that people value about where they live.

I built this list while thinking over an interview with an author on late Night Live this week. I hope that the list provokes some of your thoughts.

Physical Beauty
Diversity, of people in all sorts of ways
Urban Vibe
Low Crime
Open Society, people trust and talk with each other
Schools
Clean
Economic sustainability
Cultural stuff
Good jobs
Ethical Leadership (we notice this only if it is missing)
Natural Environment
Excitement

What else is important to you in thinking about the future of South Perth? Please feel free to have your say by clicking on COMMENTS below.

New South Perth Library and Civic Centre Receives Federal Funds

2009-05-01T13:19:00.001+08:00

The big news for this week is that our new library will receive two million dollars of federal Funds. Senator Chris Evans was in South Perth today to make the announcement.

The Mayor, James Best, was pretty excited about this, as was the Project Manager, Mike Kent and CEO, Cliff Frewing. The City will now be able to make use of good sustainability concepts to make sure that the building has a much lower environmental footprint, using less energy and water, while being a really wonderful resource for all in the community.

The funding will augment the $1.5 million from WA Lotteries.

The concept of what a library is has certainly changed over the years. This new facility will be many things to many people. There will be infant health facilities, meeting rooms for clubs, heritage material storage, reading facilities of course, and much more.

I'm very happy to be part of a City that is looking to the future. The recent series of Vision workshops show that many other people in South Perth want to contribute to this future too.

Have your say by clicking on "Comments" below.

Perth Needs Councils to See the Big Picture

2009-04-08T23:17:00.003+08:00

Last night saw another of the myriad meetings about Minister Castrilli's vision of Council amalgamations. Certainly many of the smaller Councils and rural Councils are not financially sustainable, as shown in the WALGA Sustainability Survey.

However, I think that even if every City Council in the Perth Metro area was shown to be financially viable, the greater municipal area of Perth needs Councils to amalgamate. There are a number of really big issues that we need to address. These issues are too big for small Councils to see and State government is not looking.

When I look over my shoulder I see three tidal waves heading in our direction. We are so busy with small, daily issues that we have not noticed these tidal waves heading our way.

The first of these is population growth. Every time I hear a new figure it just gets larger and faster. We have to find a way to fit all these people into Perth, without having the city become just another conglomeration of suburbs that stretch to the horizon and beyond. As small Councils we just cannot address this issue in a cohesive way.

The second tidal wave is climate change. The Earth has been warming since the last Ice Age ended, about eighteen thousand years ago. Our species has spread across the planet in that time. Whether you believe that we can influence the rate of change or not, the planet is warming and sea levels are rising. Perth is flat and built marginally above water level. They say that wet cement waits for no man. I say that rising sea level doesn't care about property values. Only Councils seeing a big picture can respond meaningfully to such an enormous change.

Tidal wave number three is municipal waste. State Government has put a line at 2020, after which we will not be able to just dump our waste in pits in the sand. Sand, that incidentally, also contains our water supply. As this waste leaks into the groundwater you could say that we are getting our own back. With very many technologies available, limited ability to research appropriate solutions and a disappearing market for our recyclables, we are in bind about what to do with our rubbish.

For Perth to develop in a sustainable way, to still be the most wonderful place to live, we need to have Councils with an eye on the bigger picture, imagination, resources and courage.

Have your say by clicking below on COMMENTS.

South Perth Carnivale

2009-03-31T21:39:00.001+08:00

Wow, what a finish to the Fiesta. Sunday was magnificent. Fifteen thousand people, stalls, dancers, hot rod cars, food, jewellery, food, art works and food. A fun day from the same crew that put together Australia Day in South Perth.

The day began with the Esther Foundation Fun Run, featured so many people having fun and a good crowd around the South Perth Vision stand, where everyone got to have their say about how the City could look and feel in 2030.

At sunset the Mayor and local residents opened the new community stairs at Salter Point. Built between Lyndon Lewis, a local resident, and the Council, the steps provide safe access to the beautiful shoreline walk on the Canning River. What a community we live in!

The stairs are now known as Lyndon's Ladder. I will be using them on my next walk. See you there.

Have your say by clicking below on 'Comments'

We're Only Here for a Short Time, Sing as Much as You Can

2009-03-15T11:50:00.001+09:00

What a wonderful evening in South Perth yesterday. Ian Moss, of Cold Chisel fame, entertained several thousand people at the City of South Perth free concert on the foreshore. With one of Perth's finest sunsets over his shoulder, Mossy kept families young and old entertained for twice as long as was planned. As he ended on the classic Chisel number, Back in Bow River, spectacular fireworks sprung into the sky over the Swan River.

The quote above, "We're Only Here for a Short Time, Sing as Much as You Can" was the opening statement and set the tone for the evening. That's not a bad philosophy for life either I think. Surrounded as we are by big issues of Global Warming, Council amalgamations, the Debt crisis, urban density and environmental issues and numerous weighty matters, a taste of music helps us keep our balance.

Arranged by the City's very organised events team and paid for by sponsors including Healthways, Como IGA, Waterford Plaza, Karalee Tavern, Cygnet Theatre and others, the event provided a friendly occasion to just enjoy being alive in South Perth.

For the next fifteen days South Perth Fiesta will showcase the best of the City. You can click here for a program of events. Highlights will include the Esther Foundation Fun Run and South Perth Carnivale on Sunday 29th March. I am going to enjoy the run, so please come and join us. See you there!

No Disabled Access at Canning Bridge

2009-02-17T13:19:00.001+09:00

Canning Bridge Rail Station is a significant hazard for disabled passengers. Just getting to the station is difficult enough for the rest of us. Disabled people find it almost impossible. One must brave the traffic to get in from the Fremantle side or climb a steep path and negotiate a number of steps and kerbs on the western approach.

There is no suitable drop- off point so drivers just block the left- hand lane while delivering or collecting their disabled passengers on the Canning Highway level. This creates yet more hazard for other road users.

Having got to the top of the station it then gets worse! There is a lift to the south- bound platform but for people heading to Perth City, there is just the set of stairs. The lift- well for north- bound travellers has no equipment in it at all. This makes wheelchair access for City workers impossible and other means of ascent and descent just plain painful.

Oh, there is a lift to the Perth platform, but to get to that facility one must cross the traffic to the centre island; this is only for those who enjoy sweat and adrenaline.

Surely we can do better.

South Perth Train Station

2009-02-03T11:58:00.001+09:00

Yesterday evening saw a Community Workshop at the SP Bowling Club, to hear updates and community comments about the proposed station. Consultants presented summaries of work to date, around such topics as:

Opportunities for travel to the Zoo, without cars
Proximity to the City
Landscape and built form
Transport and parking
Heritage
Safety and security
Development demand and expectations
Zoning
Building height
Mix of residential and commercial
Environmental issues

There was spirited discussion around:

No residential on ground floor of high rise
Building over the station, perhaps to house the WA Natural History Museum
Integration of cars, public transport, walking, cycling, commercial, tourists, residents
Power, water, sewerage, telecommunications, storm water
Proximity of bird sanctuary and eco tourism potential
Wind effects and wind power
Car- free zones? Less parking, not more?
Behaviour management of travellers
Traffic flow management

I believe that this location presents us with a fantastic opportunity to celebrate a wonderful location, with vistas of the Swan River, UWA, incoming weather, Kings Park and so on. We can make this the finest station in Australia.

Comments

kristina@smco.com.au

Como Population

2008-12-23T09:28:00.001+09:00

Some population figures for Como really caught my eye today. Did you know that Como covers 7 square kilometres, is 18% parks and has 14,000 people, 15% less than in 2001.

The predominant age group in Como is 20 - 29 years, comprising over 20% of the population. 39% of households are single- parent. Couples with children comprise just 14% of households. Renters occupy 41% of households; 50% of the homes in Como are owner-occupied

These figures came from the real estate web site www.myrp.com.au. You can extract figures for other areas in Australia quite easily.

Jan Doo Park

2008-11-18T16:03:00.001+09:00

Sunday saw a gathering of about thirty five people at Jan Doo Park in the southern part of Como. This rather beautiful little park is the central piece of residential development in the area. Surrounded by beautiful trees, coloured by Jacarandas, with a safe kids' playground, a fountain, a cricket game that never ends and a couple of pergolas, Jan Doo is a peaceful refuge and a common ground for residents to meet on cool evenings.

In the past couple of years the water supply bores for the park have not functioned, partly due to lack of power supply to a new bore. Residents have expressed their frustration with this with much patience. However, on Sunday they left me in no doubt that they were reaching the limits of patience.

To the credit of City of South Perth, after discussions on Monday, two senior officers met with me on site early on Tuesday morning. The Mayor, James Best (no relation), is today in Canberra addressing the national meeting of City Mayors, and took the trouble to call on Monday night about Jan Doo Park. Councillor Les Ozsdolay called to let me know about background to the park and its history.

As a result of these calls and meetings, the City officers have reassured us that they will contact the power company immediately, will keep us informed of progress and will work to get water on the park. They also gave reassurance that they will submit a budget request for shade sail over the playground. A number of other maintenance issues, as listed by residents, were discussed and noted by the officers for action.

Thanks to Joanne Smith and James Wrathall for organising the meeting on Sunday. I'll be following progress with interest. Please feel free to have your say by clicking on "Comments" below.

Red Bull and Cycle City South Perth

2008-11-02T23:40:00.001+09:00

Wow! Wasn't that a well organised, well attended, exciting, peaceful and enjoyable event?

I loved it. As a pilot, member of the public and Councillor I really enjoyed both days. The crowd spirit was fantastic, the venue was left clean, people had fun, the were hundreds and hundreds of bicycles and people on foot, the police had little to do and got along with everybody well.

Increased number of bicycles is such a good sign that people are making the change to healthy activities, leaving their cars behind and also leaving parking spaces free. I noticed empty parking bays all day (fantastic). A good friend suggested that the City could add a very large number of cycle lock-up points, such as rails or poles with loops. Perhaps before Australia Day? What do you think?

Having organised very many events myself, I really appreciated the fact that things seemed to go so smoothly that I didn't notice the organisation. Well done everybody :-)

Re the above photo, I have some video clips that I have edited. They can accessed by clicking here, for you to download and play. Just have the sound tuned up loud for full effect, before you begin :-)

Other high point in my weekend? Finding the new French patisserie, behind the stairs opposite BankWest. Genuine French baker, pleasant staff and croissant and "pain chocolat" to dance for. Bienvenue a Perth du Sud et bonne chance.

Community Barbecue

2008-09-14T14:38:00.001+08:00

Wow, thanks to all the people who helped out. We had over sixty local residents to talk with each other, with John McGrath, Mayor James Best and Councillors Sue Doherty and myself.

There was lots of spirited conversation about community issues, the Canning Bridge development, Network City, local crime, traffic matters, town planning and possible future developments.

One common theme was about making sure that we keep our park. We all value Olives Reserve and appreciate its long history in the City of South Perth.

Janet Reid did a masterful job of raising community participation in the event, Lyn helped with getting the notices distributed, John and Lou did a masterful job on the barbecue, many others contributed food and help. Thank you all.

South Perth- Vision for 2030- Have Your Say

2008-09-01T22:39:00.001+08:00

The Council is seriously promoting the idea that we can have a say in how our City looks in the future. Come along and hear internationally acclaimed long- range planner Stephen Ames speak about community visioning and how you can become involved in setting the direction for the future.

Stephen Ames is currently involved in similar projects in the USA, Canada, and New Zealand, as well as several in Australia including the Gold Coast, Toowoomba 2050, Blue Mountains and Vincent Vision 2024.

When: 7pm, Wednesday 10 September
Where: Como Secondary College, gymnasium, entry off Bruce St, Como

For catering purposes please register your intent to attend
by calling South Perth Customer Focus Team on 9474 0777.

New Library and Civic Hall

2008-08-28T11:25:00.001+08:00

At the meeting on Tuesday night Council moved on to the next stage of development of these exciting facilities, endorsing the concept plans for refurbishment and authorising the architects to proceed to detailed design. (Click on the images to enlarge)

The external appearance, for me, has visual elements of a book, a window to knowledge, and technology.

Cheryl Parrott, our Manager Library & Heritage has described the redeveloped Civic Centre Library and Hall as a focal point for the community. She describes it as providing an important social gathering point, offering a contemporary range of collections, facilities and innovative quality library, heritage and social services which support the intellectual, educational, cultural and social needs of the South Perth community. The facilities will be accessible and will be a welcoming place for people of all ages and backgrounds.