Author: Ashleigh Fielding

ALBANY city councillors have launched a bid to cut the speed limit in and around the Great Southern’s main commercial centre from 50kph to 40 kph.

At a council meeting on Tuesday night, Councillor Bill Hollingworth said reducing the current speed limit in Albany’s CBD by 10kph would be worth investigating.

His colleague Paul Terry said a trial could include York Street, the 100m of Albany Highway closest to the city centre, Lockyer Avenue, Aberdeen and Collie streets and “all streets in between”.

“But we can talk about that at a later date,” he added.

Cr Terry said that, if required, he would present a notice of motion at the next council meeting that a report be prepared to probe the “pros and cons” of a 40kph trial.

In other inner-Albany road news, for the second council meeting in a row Deputy Mayor Greg Stocks declared how good the recently controversial resurfacing of Middleton Road (‘Road repairs a crack-up’, 19 April) had turned out.

“The Wylie Crescent and Hare Street rat runs are now closed,” he quipped, alluding to the almost complete, runway-like surface of nearby Middleton Road.

He said the silky smooth tarmac would come up a treat “by the time we put the trees in there and get the finishing touches done”.

Cr Stocks said he’d received “only positive feedback” on the roadworks.

He congratulated chief city engineer Matthew Thomson on a job well done.

PROPONENTS of a five-star resort at Goode Beach and a residents’ lobby group critical of the project were preparing to make separate closed-door pitches to Albany’s mayor and councillors as The Weekender went to press last night.

City CEO Andrew Sharpe said a meeting between councillors and the Frenchman Bay Association would be closed to the public as it had been arranged at the Association’s request.

“The Frenchman Bay Association wanted an opportunity to present to councillors in a less formal setting to explain how they believe the proposal will impact on them,” he said.

“Given the volume of information they wished to share, a separate information session was considered appropriate.

“For balance, the development proponent has also been invited to present separately to councillors on the proposal and what they have done to address some of the concerns already raised throughout the process.”

Mr Sharpe anticipated a revised structure plan for the resort would be submitted to a meeting of the City’s Development and Infrastructure Services Committee on July 11.

“The public and other community members will be able to share their views in public question time at both the July committee and council meetings,” he assured.

Mr Sharpe said last night’s meetings would not be forums for the resort to be debated, but would give the applicant and Frenchman Bay Association the opportunity to be heard at length.

He said councillors would be allowed to ask questions to ensure they were fully informed before the matter returned to council.

“All councillors have been invited to attend the meeting and representatives of the city’s planning department will also attend to help clarify or explain anything process-related,” he added.

On behalf of the Association on Tuesday night, Goode Beach resident and former city councillor Roland Paver thanked officials for arranging the meeting.

The structure plan was set to be considered by councillors on November 28 ahead of referral to the Western Australian Planning Commission.

But the applicant – Margaret River-based Ahola Planning on behalf of landowner, Perth-based paediatrician Cherry Martin – withdrew the plan.

This was after the Department of Fire and Emergency Services raised concerns over emergency access to the site that sits between Lake Vancouver and the beach.

If the Planning Commission eventually approves the structure plan, detailed development plans will then need to be considered by a State-convened assessment panel before the luxury resort proceeds further.

BUNNINGS shoppers harbouring a beef about the productivity of elected officials need to beware they do not complain to the wrong city councillor.

The Weekender does not issue the warning lightly, following a chance encounter between a riled-up ratepayer and a hyper-informed city councillor at the hardware outlet on Albany Highway recently.

At a council meeting on Tuesday night, Ray Hammond told his elected colleagues, city staff, three people in the public gallery, two journalists and a mysterious young man taking camera footage that he recently found himself on the wrong end of a tongue lashing.

“I was pulled up in there at Bunnings by someone bagging Council,” Cr Hammond recounted.

He said the ratepayer started haranguing him about purported lack of time spent by some councillors on civic affairs.

Unbeknown to Cr Hammond’s tormentor, the city councillor was primed to deliver a smack-down.

He told the meeting that days before the Bunnings rebuke he had cause to complete a statutory declaration reporting on every piece of council work he had done that took more than 10 minutes.

Cr Hammond’s tally for one month came in at 52 hours and 24 minutes.

“I was able to whack the person around the ears about this and it made me feel really good,” he said.

Sniggers ensued from Cr Hammond’s colleagues and at least one member of Albany’s Fourth Estate.

FIFTEEN months from the next council election Dennis Wellington says he will nominate for a third term as Albany mayor.

The Weekender can reveal that, aside from Mr Wellington, at least five of six city councillors whose terms expire next year plan to run again.

Mr Wellington said he was still enjoying his role.

“There is a lot of stuff that I haven’t finished yet,” he said.

“It’s a fair summation to say that I’ll put my hand up next year.”

He said that if re-elected he would do everything he could to see the hotel planned for Middleton Beach completed.

“I want better tertiary education in Albany for the research of renewable energy,” he said.

“Using the windmills to power Albany is a goal.

“For a town this size, using renewable energy makes sense.”

Deputy Mayor and Frederickstown Ward councillor Greg Stocks said he would also run again as a councillor and throw his hat in the ring for the council’s 2IC position if elected next October.

Kalgan Ward councillor Bill Hollingworth, Yakamia Ward’s Anthony Moir and Vancouver Ward’s John Shanhun all indicated they would run again for council.

All these councillors ruled out a tilt at the mayoral position.

Breaksea Ward’s Paul Terry would not say whether he would attempt to retain his councillor position.

He also declined to comment on whether he would run for mayor.

West Ward’s Sandie Smith said she would run again for councillor but at this stage did not intend to run for mayor.

“It’s a bit early in the piece to say I’ll run for mayor, but at this time I won’t be,” she said.

Cr Stocks said he would not run for mayor as long as Mr Wellington intended to do so.

“He’s a good mayor and it’s not my intention to run against him,” he said.

Cr Hollingworth said he would support Mr Wellington’s nomination.

“Dennis is doing a terrific job as mayor,” he said.

Cr Moir said Mr Wellington had “good leadership and a great structure of staff behind him”.

Cr Shanhun said Mr Wellington was doing “a great job”.

Former Kalgan Ward councillor Janelle Price, Vancouver Ward councillor Nicolette Mulcahy and Frederickstown Ward councillor Carolyn Dowling, all voted out in the 2017 election, said they would not re-contest in 2019.

Mr Wellington was first elected mayor in 2011 after defeating incumbent Milton Evans, and fended off a challenge in 2015 from city planner Neil Smithson.

Breaksea Ward councillor Ray Hammond, Frederickstown Ward’s Rebecca Stephens, Kalgan Ward’s Emma Doughty, Vancouver Ward’s Tracy Sleeman, West Ward’s Alison Goode, and Yakamia Ward’s Robert Sutton will have their terms expire in 2021.

WHETHER farmers of non-genetically modified crops should be compensated for contamination by growers of GM plants is a bone of contention between two politicians whose electoral regions together span the entire Great Southern.

In her submission to a Parliamentary inquiry into ways of compensating farmers for loss caused by GM material, Greens WA MLC for South West Diane Evers recommends that a compensation fund, cashed up by GM seed merchants, be established.

Ms Evers argues it is “imperative that appropriate protection is provided for GM-free growers as soon as possible, so that they can confidently exercise their democratic right to farm as they see fit”.

She asserts that more than 28 countries in the European Union – including Germany and France – have bans on growing GM crops, and many also ban GM imports.

“In South Australia, of course, the Greens secured legislation to extend the moratorium on growing genetically modified crops until September 2025,” she submits.

“However, in the absence of a ban, a package of measures – with a farmer protection fund as a centrepiece – should be developed to ensure that Western Australia can reliably supply GM-free produce to global markets, and has a reputation for being able to do so.”

Ms Evers cites a WA Government report she says acknowledges is it not possible to eliminate the risk of GM contamination.

“The court case involving Kojonup farmers Steve Marsh and Michael Baxter, in which it was decided that [Mr Baxter] growing a genetically modified crop was not liable for economic loss suffered by his neighbour’s loss of organic certification when GM seeds escaped and established on [Mr Marsh’s] farm, demonstrates the need for dispute resolution to avoid expensive legal cases, and for a mechanism that helps to avoid dispute in the first place,” she opines.

Ms Evers recommends that consideration be given to introducing an alternative dispute resolution service for farming communities where GM crops are grown.

But Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party (WA) MLC for Agricultural Region Rick Mazza argues that current Commonwealth and State laws are adequate to resolve significant disputes.

“There should be no need to add to it and further complicate regulatory matters for Western Australian farmers,” his submission states.

He notes the Marsh v Baxter case provides the “only reliable factual evidence on economic loss suffered by farmers in Western Australia caused by contamination from GM material”.

“From a legal point of view, Mr Baxter’s lawful use of his own land did not constitute a wrongful interference with Mr Marsh’s use or enjoyment of his land,” he declares.

“Further, Mr Marsh was deemed to have put his land to an abnormally sensitive use and he could not unilaterally enlarge his own rights and impose limitations on his neighbours to a greater extent than would otherwise be the case.”

In another submission, University of Western Australia Professor of Agriculture Kadambot Siddique says there has been “no visible impact from the introduction of GM canola in Western Australia”.

“Growing both types of crops is possible on the same farm, because the two types of canola seed, GM and non-GM, are marketed separately in national and international markets,” he submits.

“Therefore, it is unclear what the parliamentary committee will investigate.”

Professor Siddique advises there is no evidence of loss to non-GM growers in WA.

“In fact, the opposite occurs – non-GM growers are favoured by higher prices for non-GM product that meets the EU standards …,” he states.

“The use of GM technology has been, and will continue to be, very valuable to help feed the world and improve the economy of Western Australia.

“GM canola growers and non-GM canola growers have learned to live together, and will continue to do so as new GM products are approved through the federal regulatory system.”

The inquiry is expected to report in early 2019.