Vale - Jaye Radisich

The former Labor State MP passed away on 17 March, after a long battle with cancer. Jaye was a tough but fair negotiator, with strength beyond her years. She was the youngest woman ever elected to the West Australian Parliament, serving as Parliamentary Secretary and Minister for Energy, Resources, Industry and Enterprise until 2008, when she retired. We at Save Perth Hills salute her, her strong values and valiant will. She will be missed.

Interesting comments from Premier Barnett...

"The Liberal National Government is committed to ensuring there is a balance between responsible economic activity and sustainable environmental outcomes. We will be rightly judged on our record. The decision just this month to reject a proposal to build a coal mine near Margaret River demonstrates this. The unique environmental, viticultural and tourism values of the region cannot be compromised, and the Government will implement the most stringent planning framework possible to protect it from all forms of high impact mining."

We at Save Perth Hills infer that these same values should stand for the Perth Hills Region, and the best way to do that is for the Premier to support the Perth Hills Planning Bill.

Swan Christian Education Assoc. to Develop Mundaring Christian College in Parkerville

"SCEA has recently purchased a 100 acre block of land in Parkerville, bordered by Kilburn and Roland Roads. The purpose of this new acquisition is to develop Mundaring Christian College into a Kindergarten to Year 12 College. The primary campus will remain in Mundaring, whilst years 7 to 12 will be established at the new location in Parkerville. Building negotiations are currently under way, with an estimated date of completion scheduled for the beginning of 2015.

Source: http://www.scea.wa.edu.au/Libraries/Documents/TheHarvest_December2011_1.sflb.ashx

New Bill Raises Hopes Save Perth Hills makes front page of the Echo Newspaper (published 25th Jan '12).

Photo caption reads: 'Environmental campaigners want Mundaring residents to throw their support behind a bill that aims to put limits on development'.

Mundaring residents who have thrown their support behind a proposal to protect the hills lifestyle from urbanisation are frustrated at a lack of community support for a private member's bill that will be presented to parliament this year.

East Metropolitan Greens MLC Alison Xamon said the Perth Hills Panning Bill would put limits on high-density developmemts for a swath of land along the Darling Scarp from Muchea to Jarahdale and encompassed the Mundaring Shire, Kalamunda Shire and City of Swan.

Mrs Xamon said the Bill would require local governments and the WA Planning Commission to refer developments applications... (full article to follow)

Kalamunda Development by Stealth

The area around Kalamunda High School will soon increase in population by 360% (see attached map). Rock breakers have been working on a private sewage line to connect the blocks to the town plant to increase zoning from R5 to R10 & R20. The number of blocks will change from 308 to 1136, with a potential population growth from present 883, to 3066, according to the Shire's numbers. This will increase traffic, place additional burdens on schools, medical facilities, social services. All this without telling the ratepayers. For more info contact the Shire and your councillor.

Click on the map for a PDF

EMRC Narrows It Down to 2 Options

The technology options for the proposed Resource Recover Project have been limited to anaerobic digestion and gasification, eliminating pyrolysis and combustion as possible options. Anaerobic digestion is composting, which will eliminate 70% of the stuff going into the tip. Gasification involves burning the refuse, creating fly ash and bottom ash, which will contain dioxins, heavy metals and PCBs. This is supposed to be filtered at the stack. Any pollutants making it past the filters will be blown over a portion of the metro area. According to EMRC's numbers, they will generate 10,000 tonnes of fly ash and 40,000 tonnes of bottom ash per year, which they intend to store in their pits in Red Hill above the Swan Valley and Swan River.
http://www.emrc.org.au/emrc-enewsletter-october-2011.html#Project

Proposed Change to Mining Law

Giz Watson has given notice of introduction of a bill to amend the Mining Act to change section 120. The amendment will remove the power of the Mining Act to override local government's Town Planning Schemes putting the community, via their local representatives, in control of land use in their area.

This was spurred on by coal companies lining up to mine the Margaret River area. Under section 120, miners can purchase and mine a property with no restriction. Each proposed mine has to be fought individually, the local government or community organisations have to fight them one at a time, usually with volunteers, while the miners have deep pockets and highly paid lawyers. This doesn't just destroy family investments and communities, but the entire concept of private property ownership in the state, since a mine proposing to go into an area brings down the property values in that area. Eventually they wear landowners down, they sell out to the miners. It's divide and conquer. By eliminating Section 120, local governments can decide their own future.

Mundaring CEO scrambles for cover

The Mundaring CEO is embroiled in a labour dispute with council workers who have been working without a contract for 10 months after turning down a low raise and a removal of overtime. Workers make under $45,000/year (10% under Kalamunda), while the CEO was recently awarded a handsome pay rise to over $240,000/year.
In the current Council election, workers have endorsed candidates who support their position, and have exercised their rights as residents and ratepayers to distribute campaign literature.The CEO has threaten to sack these workers because employees "must not comment on what are clearly political issues". The Australian Services Union has successfully obtained a restraining order from Federal Court against the CEO's action. The full story is in the Friday 30 Sept. West Australian and on ABC 720.
The CEO put a letter of explanation on the front page of the Shire website.

Margaret River coal situation here in the Perth Hills?

The coal mining threat to the Margaret River region, where companies are lined up pressing to strip-mine inspite of local opposition, could happen here, or anywhere in WA. Alcoa has huge mining tenements in the Perth Hills. The WA Mining Act of 1978 Section 120 says the government "shall take into account the provisions of any planning scheme...but the provisions of any such scheme shall not operate to prohibit or affect the granting of a mining tenement or the carrying out of any mining operations..."
This means the miners can do whatever they want, they just have to go through the legal motions. Giz Watson MLC is trying to change this section of the law.
It's not just the loss of amenity in a coal mine goes into an area. When they mine below the water table it pollutes the ground water. The air becomes choked with coal dust all along the transport route.
The irony is the two major coal producers in WA have recently been sold to foreign companies, one to an Indian conglomerate, the other to the Chinese government. Do you think they'll have any regard for our quality of life?

Greens to introduce legislation to protect Margaret River

Greens MLC, Giz Watson, has given notice of a bill to amend the Mining Act 1978. "The bill will remove the power of the Mining Act to override local planning schemes," Ms Watson said. "Only by changing the Mining Act will local communities regain security for their region from the onslaught of coal and gas extraction proposals," she said. "The Margaret River community is unified in their opposition to coal mining, their voices are reflected in the local council but currently the Mining Act leaves them powerless to protect their clean and green region," she said. "I call on the other political parties to move beyond their promises of protective legislation and support the only legislative change that can lift the threat of mining from this besieged community," she concluded.

EMRC's Curious Approach to Anaerobic Digestion

The EMRC has four technologies on the table for their "Waste to Energy" plan. Three are versions of incineration, or controlled burning of rubbish. The fourth is Anaerobic Digestion, which is industrial composting. On the 24 June 2011, the EMRC held a symposium on Anaerobic Digestion. Save Perth Hills expected a fair-go discussion on the subject of Anaerobic Digestion. Instead their two "experts" had a clearly anti-Anaerobic Digestion bias. Read more.....

The Perth Hills Planning Bill Explained!

Did you know there is a Perth Hills Planning Bill up before the West Australian Parliament?
It has already been introduced and it will be debated before parliament in 2011!

The aim of the bill is to preserve the unique biodiversity and way of life that exists in the Perth Hills region. After five years of consultation (including workshops) with many hills residents and government representatives, it's exciting that the future of the Hills Region will be discussed at a high level of government!

Please click on the image on the right to download the brochure.

It's called LPS 4: Local Planning Scheme 4, and it looks pretty much like TPS3, but places many environmentally-based restrictions on development and subdivision. Most of the allowed growth in the Shire is placed in the proposed Parkerville and Stoneville townsites, which, at this point and for the foreseeable future, are undevelopable for numerous reasons.

Copies are available at libraries, the Shire offices and online: http://www.mundaring.wa.gov.au/Pages/default.aspx.

If you are wondering how it effects your subdivision situation, a Shire officer is available at the offices during business hours to explain.

TPS 4 Map