The City of Perth Council met on Tuesday 25 June. The following decisions were made:

Ground control to City of Perth

A seven-metre tall Boonji Spaceman statue will soon land in Perth, after Council last night voted to accept the 1,365kg carbon fibre, steel and silver-based chrome finished statue.

The statue is a gift from US artist Brendan Murphy and will be personalised for Perth with the City of Light brand.

The unique American artist has only previously created four ‘spaceman’ statues - all of them major tourist attractions in London, Oslo, Dubai and Antigua.

Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas said the statue would be a great fit for Perth and its City of Light origin story and he was not surprised Brendan Murphy thought of Perth instantly when choosing to donate it.

He told Council he had no doubt it would become a real tourist attraction that people from all over the world would come to see and be photographed next to.

It is planned for the statue to be temporary located in front of Council House near the kangaroo statues before possibly moving to Elizabeth Quay.

Dinos Alive and PrideFEST to shine in the City of Light

Pride WA will have a new home with the Supreme Court Gardens turning into Pride Gardens for the 10-day PrideFEST in November, after three-year sponsorship funding was approved.

Pride WA will adopt a new structure for PrideFEST with a program of major events, including an opening night concert on November 15, the relocation of Fairday into the City on November 17, the traditional flagship Pride Parade and party in Northbridge on November 23 and culminating with a closing concert at Pride Gardens the following night.

Council also agreed to fund the family friendly Dinos Alive: An Immersive Experience event in Northbridge in 2025.

The event – which has been held in cities around the world - will feature more than 80 life-sized, moving animatronic dinosaurs and virtual reality components in a dinosaur-themed pop-up venue.

Visitors will make their way through the exhibit, themed as the dense jungles of the Jurassic era, with well-known dinosaur species such as the T-Rex, Stegosaurus and Velociraptor represented. The experience will provide a learning opportunity with information panels showcasing each species.

Also approved last night over $1.3m in sponsorship to some of the City’s favourite events returning in 2025. Recipients included Strange Festival, Telethon Family Festival, Perth Chinese New Year, Chevron City to Surf and ANZAC Day.

Riding… and walking

The draft Bike Plan 2025-2035 and Walking in the City Plan 2025-35 were both approved by Council to be released for community consultation.

Key themes in the bike plan included a desire for more direct routes into and through the City; separating bikes, pedestrians and cars; a preference for 30km/h speed limits and low volumes of traffic when riding in mixed traffic situations; improved road and path surfaces including cleaning (to remove glass, debris and rubbish) and better lighting at night.

The draft Bike Plan can be viewed here

The draft walking plan aims to consolidate Perth’s reputation as a walkable city prioritising the creation of comfortable, attractive, and continuous walking routes that cater for a diverse group of people with different needs.

The draft walking plan can be viewed here

I can hear music, sweet, sweet music

A 12-month fee-waiver trial for music festivals being held on Langley Park – with a minimum capacity of 20,000 and featuring nationally or internationally recognised artists - has been approved by Council.

The City has received a strong response to a recent Register of Interest calling for Major Music Events concepts for a multi-day music/dance festival at Langley Park.

The waiver is designed to reduce the cost barriers for music festivals of this scale to take place on Langley Park and will result in strong economic benefits to City ratepayers and contribute to the vibrancy of the City.