Kaya,

I hope you’re all staying well and warm.

We’ve had a rough run of it in my household - my partner ended up in hospital with pneumonia after a bout of influenza. If you haven’t already had your flu vaccination, I highly recommend it.

Now that we’re mostly recovered, I’m starting to slowly dig through my to-do lists.

This newsletter covers:

• Getting involved;

• Coming up in June: the Draft Economic Development Strategy, 158 Orrong Road, Lathlain Park, and waste;

• Decisions made in May: report on the Elizabeth Baillie investigation and the upcoming admin building refurbishment;

• Inspiration from elsewhere: local climate action from cities and sharing the urban harvest.

Get involved

• This Refugee Week, the community centre is running a lantern-making workshop. The Centre for Refugees, Asylum-Seekers and Detainees has also recently moved to our neighbourhood, and would appreciate donations - feel free to stop by in person and learn more about their work.

• There are a few consultations open right now on Your Thoughts, including on differential rates, the Belmont Park Racing Precinct plan, and our Events plan.

• Join the upcoming Community Planting Days on 14th June and 12th July. I know my kids have loved seeing the sections of the urban forest that they planted grow over the last year.

• Want to stay in touch with what’s happening around town without relying on social media algorithms? Subscribe to the Town newsletters, or newsletters for the Library and Community Centre.

Coming up in June

I think this month's meeting, to be held on 16th June at 6:30pm, is going to be a big one! You can read the notes from the Agenda Briefing Forum here, or watch the recording here. As always, I’ll highlight a few items of interest, but read the notes or watch the video for full details.

Item 11.2 Annual Review of Delegations

There are several changes suggested to our delegations. Delegations allow staff the power to make decisions without council approval. It’s important to get a balance between allowing staff enough freedom to do their job effectively, while still preserving transparency and accountability.

Item 12.1: Draft Economic Development Strategy 2026-2029

I previously put forward an amendment to ask the public about incorporating Community Wealth Building principles into this. On the basis of positive community feedback, staff have suggested some ways that we might incorporate these ideas into the Strategy. There are also other changes based on community feedback, including the provision of a Business Support Concierge Team. The current draft is available here.

Item 12.2 Initiation of Scheme Amendment for Additional Use

This is a suggested rezoning to allow 158 Orrong Road, Lathlain to operate as a drive-through. It would first go out for public comment before a final decision.

Item 12.3 Technology Park Scheme Amendment Community Consultation Responses

This recommends removing the restrictive covenant that currently limits development in the Bentley Tech Park Area.  This would be a precursor to applying a new Bentley Tech Park Precinct Structure Plan.

Item 13.3 Lathlain Park - West Coast Eagles Deed of Agreement

This Deed of Agreement is to allow for the West Coast Eagles' continued use of Lathlain Park for WAFL, AFLW and AFL Men’s Pre-Season games. 

Item 13.4 TVP/25/12 Waste Collection and Management Services

This recommends a contractor for waste, recycling, and FOGO. It explains the tender process and how applicants were evaluated.

13.5 Mindarie Regional Council - Waste to Energy Agreements

As the Tamala Park landfill approaches closure, the Mindarie regional council (made up of the cities of Joondalup, Perth, Stirling, Vincent and Wanneroo, along with the towns of Cambridge and Victoria Park) has been negotiating to dispose of of residual municipal waste at the Kwinana waste to energy plant. This item seeks council approval to progress these negotiations.

Item 14.1 Statement of Accounts - April 2026

One part of this statement I found interesting is that we've been provided with a list of which term deposits are with financial institutions that don't fund fossil fuel projects. I've been advocating for us to do what we can to divest ratepayers' money from fossil fuel investments. In total, $11,004,404 out of $59,678,773 was invested in fossil-free institutions, which must provide the same rate of return as other institutions to be considered.

Decisions made in May

May’s Ordinary Council Meeting was extraordinarily short, with no alternative motions or amendments put forward. You can read the full minutes here, or watch the recording here. Here are a couple of the items from the meeting:

Item 11.2: Response to the Elizabeth Baillie Investigation Report

Council received the CEO’s response to this report, which includes a number of actions to address gaps in processes and to develop a planting program for the park.

Item 13.1: TVP/25/31 - Administration Building Refurbishment - 99 Shepperton Road

Council awarded the contract for the Town of Victoria Park Administration Building Refurbishment.

Inspiration from elsewhere

• Local governments are pushing for climate action. Mount Magnet Shire Council recently called for a fossil fuel levy to help fund disaster recovery, while the City of Vincent has just moved to prohibit advertising that “promotes unhealthy food and beverages, alcohol, e-cigarettes, gambling products or services, arms manufacturers and the fossil fuel industry” on its bus shelters. Cities around the world are also finding new ways to finance climate action.

• The Portland Fruit Tree Project helps to ensure that fruit from the urban orchard doesn’t go to waste. This project mobilises the community to come together to care for fruit trees, harvest fruit, and share it with others!

We are all connected

Sometimes I get overwhelmed by the scale of the problems that we face. But there’s always something we can do.

If you have money to spare, consider donating to some of the organisations working urgently to support civilians through violence and dispossession. If you have time to spare, the Palestinian Community of Western Australia is looking for volunteers.

Boordawan!

Thanks for reading! As always, if you have questions, ideas, or concerns, please do feel free to get in touch. And if you’ve read this far and found it useful, please consider sharing with friends!

best wishes,

sky.