Sky's Vic Park Newsletter #21: community motions, community grants, the urban forest, and more!
Kaya!
I’ve been enjoying the cooler weather, and starting to get into the garden a little more. If you have a patch of green to tend, whether a garden or a balcony, did you know that Birds of Jirdarup has some lovely suggestions for how to help grow habitat?
This newsletter covers items on the agenda in May, including:
Responses to motions put forward at the annual meeting of electors;
Policy changes, including to the Community Grants and Financial Hardship policies;
Updates on how we’re going implementing our plans and strategies.
I also summarise the decisions we made in April, which include further discussion of the Rutland Avenue Principal Shared Path, the award for tenders for FOGO and verge collection services, and further discussions about the future of the Perth Football Club site.
As always, if you find this newsletter helpful please do consider forwarding it to friends in the area or sharing the link to subscribe.
Behind the scenes
There are different ways to approach adding items to meeting agendas, or putting forward amendments. If you’ve watched council meetings, you might notice that some amendments go through without debate while others end up with a significant amount of discussion.
At times changes are the result of discussion during meetings: listening to staff or other council members might mean realising that there’s a way to improve the wording or put forward a compromise that’s more likely to succeed.
In many cases, elected members also send around alternative motions or amendments ahead of the meeting so that everyone has a chance to ask questions, express concerns, and suggest changes.
Get involved
Our Strategic Waste Management plan has a huge environmental impact, and finding ways to divert resources from landfill is an important part of that. There’s a new draft out: let us know what you think!
The Urban Forest Strategy is up for review, and it would be great to get your feedback. You can also help grow the Urban Forest At Home!
There’s a special walk happening in Hillview Bushland for the WA Tree Festival: Emeritus Professor Simon Forrest, a Whadjuk Ballardong Nyoongar, will lead a walk through the area to talk about the cultural knowledge of the place, with botanist and PhD Candidate Zoe Webber discussing endemic plants of the bushland.
Not a fan of a motor racing circuit in Burswood Park? Sign the petition calling for a review here.
Some local champions organise a monthly community slow ride, open to all ages and abilities! The next ride is on Friday, May 30th, leaving from the Vortex near the Vic Park Library at 6pm.
Do you like community? Do you like soup? The Vic Park Collective run a great event where you can vote to fund different cool local projects! Find out more here.
With the cooler weather, it’s a great time to explore the new Noongar Art Trail.
Celebrate International Compost Awareness Week and learn about Growing with Compost.
Coming up in May:
Tuesday, May 6th is the Agenda Briefing Forum, an opportunity for elected members and the public to ask questions about items that we’ll be deciding on at the May 20th Ordinary Council Meeting.
As always, I encourage you to read the full agenda, but I’ve tried to summarise some of the items that I think might be of particular interest:
Item 11.2 Outcomes from Annual Meeting of Electors 10 March 2025
This (p. 13 on) provides a staff response to each motion passed at the annual meeting of electors, including:
A request for a safer cycle route along Hordern Street (p.14): this will be considered as part of the Integrated Transport Program.
A call for changes to parking on Hordern/Armagh to improve visibility and make it safer for cyclists (p. 14): staff will install a central solid barrier line marking the bend and remove a parking bay.
A call to investigate the introduction of online petitions (p.15) to council: staff propose waiting to see the outcome of reforms to local government reforms, which may affect this.
A motion to investigate reinstating bus shelters that were removed when hardstands were upgraded throughout the Town a few years ago (p.15): staff recommend that Council allocate funding for the installation of new bus shelters, with priority given to bus stops where shelters that were previously removed have not yet been reinstated.
A request for the Town to restore and preserve the historic brick tram stop in front of Edward Millen Park (now Elizabeth Baillie Park) on Albany Highway (p. 17): staff can work with the State Heritage Office to explore this.
A motion to consider the removal of gas from Town premises, and support residents to remove gas from their properties, as part of a review of the Climate Emergency Plan (p. 18): staff note that Aqualife is by far the biggest user of gas in terms of Town facilities, and they are looking at options for transitioning away from gas in the future. The Town will investigate options for other facilities, and can look at options for supporting residents’ transition away from gas in the review of the Climate Emergency Plan.
A call (p. 18) to review the usage rules of the Victoria Park community space on Miller Street to remove barriers in place for community groups, removing requirements for public insurance coverage and public liability insurance coverage in order to increase accessibility: staff note that Public Liability Insurance is currently required for Not-for-Profit organisations and formal community groups. Casual or informal groups are not required to provide or hold public liability insurance and can freely use the space without charge.
A call to allocate $20,000 from the 2024/2025 Urban Forest Canopy strategy budget to plant at least 20 Marri trees in Harold Rossiter and Fraser Parks this year (p. 19): staff note that tree planting projects require a year to plan, so this request can be added to 2025/26 planting projects list.
That the Town of Victoria Park commissions a report to council on the phasing out on the use of
glyphosate for weed treatment within the town (p. 19): staff note that the Town provided a detailed report to Council in December 2019 regarding its use of glyphosate and other alternatives as part of normal integrated weed management practices. The Town also has a “do not spray” list for residents.
Item 11.3 May 2025 Policy Review
There’s a lot here, including changes to community funding (p. 21 on here). This policy outlines rules around grant applications, and will now cover Art Grants; Business Grants; Community Grants; Community Group Insurance Grants; Place Grants; Sport Grants; Community and Sport Equipment Grants; and Urban Forest Grants. If this might affect you, have a read and let us know if you have questions or comments!
Our financial hardship policy (p. 81) also has a few small changes to make it clearer and more inclusive.
The full list of policies to be changed, revoked, or kept, starts at page 23 and includes brief summaries.
Item 11.5 Local Emergency Management Arrangements (LEMA)
This (p. 33) outlines our plan for dealing with emergencies at a local level, and recovering afterwards. As we’ve seen in other places when disasters like flood or fire hit, State emergency services deal with the most acute issues, but local government also has a crucial role to play. This role comes to the forefront as communities work towards recovery and rebuilding. You can read the local recovery plan we are recommended to endorse here.
Item 12.1 Economic Development Grants 2024/2025
This item (p. 41) recommends four economic development grant recipients, and provides an evaluation summary.
Item 12.2 Public Comment Period - DRAFT Youth Action Plan 2025-2028
This recommends advertising the draft Youth Action Plan for public comment.
Item 12.3 Community Benefits Strategy update
The Community Benefits Strategy (p. 51) is a partnership between the Town, the West Coast Eagles, Waalitj Foundation, and Perth Football Club to deliver community learning opportunities. Public feedback on the draft did not suggest changes, so staff recommend now adopting it.
Item 13.1 TVP/25/03 Tree Audit Services
This recommends (p. 56) awarding the contract for tree audit services, which help to support our Urban Forest Strategy.
Item 14.1 Schedule of Accounts- March 2025
Did you know that you can read a summary of payments, credit card payments, and fuel and store card transactions made in March? If you’re into that kind of thing.
Item 15.3 Corporate Business Plan Quarter 3 Progress Report Jan - Mar 2025
This might sound dull, but it’s a useful overview of how the Town is going at meeting our strategic goals! This includes work on creating a safer community, supporting people facing homelessness (p.6), delivering our Reconciliation Action Plan (p. 11), Access and Inclusion Plan (p. 12), Urban Forest (p. 23), Climate Emergency Plan (p. 25), and Integrated Transport Program (p. 36).
Decisions from April:
Oddly, every item and amendment put forward at the April Ordinary Council Meeting passed unanimously! There were still many questions asked (both in meetings and behind the scenes), as well as discussion about amendments. You can read the full minutes here, or watch the recording here. Remember that my summary is only partial, and comes from my perspective!
Item 11.4 Efficiencies in Council Agendas
This made changes to meeting agendas. I put forward an amendment to keep the resolutions reports, as these give the public a much easier overview than the resolutions register. You can read this month’s outstanding and completed resolutions here and here.
Item 12.1 Consent to advertise draft revised Local Planning Policy 31 - Unhosted Short Term Rental Accommodation and Residential Buildings
This draft will now go out for public comment.
Item 13.1 Rutland Avenue - progress of advocacy for funding
After a council resolution not to pursue the State-funded one-way design last year, we are seeking $10.6+ million in total State funding to complete this 900m stretch of separated path to connect sections of the Principal Shared Path. Deputy Mayor Ife put forward an amendment (p. 49) calling for a report on funding advocacy at the August 2025 Ordinary Council meeting, and for this item to be discussed at the next available concept forum.
Item 13.2 21 Lichfield - Options and future use Business Case
The decision was made to demolish the vacant and disused building on 21 Lichfield Street to allow for the expansion of green space at Read Park.
Item 13.3 TVP/24/22 FOGO Bin Supply Tender
This tender was awarded (p. 65) which means that we are one step closer to collecting FOGO (food and garden organics)!
Item TVP/24/21 Verge Collection and Processing Services Tender
Cr Minson put forward an amendment to this (pp. 75-76) to award the tender, with an initial approach of households being able to get three collections a year with a maximum of two being hard waste. (In other words, you can get three green waste and no bulk verge collection if you want, or two green and one bulk, or one green and two bulk.) This amendment also called for a report on the “effectiveness, financial impacts and user feedback on the service” by 31st August 2026.
Item 13.5 Lathlain Park Zone 1, Precinct Redevelopment - Consideration of State Government’s position on delivering the project
Mayor Vernon put forward an amendment (p.81) authorising the CEO to discuss options for the completion of the Perth Football Club site with the State government, to hold a workshop to discuss these options, and to bring a report back to Council within three months of this workshop.
Inspiration from elsewhere
I love that Merri-bek has an Olives to Oil festival! It’s such a beautiful way to use local resources and encourage community. We have a lot of olives around Vic Park, in gardens and on verges, and I love the thought of turning them into food.
These Middle-Aged Man Trading Cards are such a whimsical and delightful way to encourage inter-generational bonding and community volunteering.
Brimbank City Council has built Australia’s first renewably-powered aquatic and wellness centre! Initial planning showed that the higher capital cost of construction “would be offset by avoiding anticipated increases in gas prices, and by gains in energy efficiency”.
We are all connected
With the federal election results mostly in, now is a good time to contact your political representatives and ask them to work for a more just world (in Swan that’s Zaneta Mascarenhas). Among the many urgent issues we face, we desperately need better action on climate change and to take a meaningful international position against genocide. And if we want change, we have to push for it.
If you have money to spare, you can send help through large organisations or smaller efforts.
That's all folks!
Thanks for reading! As always, I encourage you to get in touch if there's anything you want to ask about or discuss.
best wishes,
sky.
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