Message From The Lord Mayor

It’s been an extremely busy start to 2023 in our City and a very productive first two months of the new Council year at the City of Perth. It’s my pleasure to update you on how your City of Perth Council is working for you.

Hello again,

It’s been an extremely busy start to 2023 in our City and a very productive first two months of the new Council year at the City of Perth. It’s my pleasure to update you on how your City of Perth Council is working for you.

I have always considered fierce advocacy for our City one of the primary functions of my role as Lord Mayor. In recent weeks it has become evident how important this function is.

A STRONG VOICE FOR OUR CITY

Last month the Auditor General concluded her report into the Perth Parking Levy. It was an audit we asked for on behalf of our property owners and ratepayers who for three years have told us the parking levy was causing undue hardship. Despite numerous requests to the Premier and Transport Minister for some concessions, the State Government had shown no appetite. We were pleased then the Auditor General agreed to the audit, which in essence found:

$192 million has accumulated in the Perth Parking Fund
There was a lack of transparency in the management of the fund
A lack of planning for how that money should be spent
A lack of consultation with the City of Perth on which projects to spend it on
One project earmarked for spending was against the regulations

This process has served as a reminder. The parking levy money has been raised in the City from City property owners and ratepayers and as is legislated MUST be spent on “transport initiatives” within the City of Perth. The State Government have said they want to change those rules. We will fight that. And in the meantime in the West Australian last week I suggested some projects the money could be spent on.

The West Top 10 by Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas

RESPECT FOR CITY RATEPAYERS

The $1.5 billion Perth City Deal is transformational for our City and we celebrate the opportunities it will bring. The Perth City Deal incorporates 14 major projects including the Edith Cowan University development, the WACA redevelopment and the CBD Transport Plan which delivers the Roe Street upgrades and the Causeway Cycling and Pedestrian Bridges.

City of Perth ratepayers have contributed $45 million to the Perth City Deal and it is important to me, on behalf of our ratepayers, that contribution is recognised. It’s about respect – and in particular respect for our ratepayers. I will always promote the importance of the City’s role in helping make these great projects happen.

FEBRUARY COUNCIL MEETING

At this week’s first Ordinary Council Meeting for 2023 the City of Perth Council voted to extend the very successful Safe Night Space trial for a further six months – and then move to return the Rod Evans Centre in East Perth to a Community Centre at the end of the year.

This is a fair outcome for everyone. I am very proud of the role our Safe Night Space has played in providing shelter to women who would otherwise be sleeping rough – and for the leadership role we have played in caring for our most vulnerable. There are now 113 extra beds available for people sleeping rough which were not available when the Safe Night Space first opened.

Also this week, the ability now exists for City landowners to invest in and develop their City landholdings, without having to wait for the new planning scheme to be completed. Ad hoc planning scheme amendments are now possible, we can get on with it. Landowners, we are open for business.

And there’s more evidence of the City’s sound financial management with $5 million saved for the future. Council has endorsed two new reserves -

Sustainable and Resilient City Reserve - $2 million
Community Infrastructure Reserve - $3 million

You can read more about the February Council meeting here.

CITY OF LIGHT SHOWS

The weekend of February 18 and 19 brought to an end our summer series City of Light Drone & Fireworks shows which, between November and February, saw 10 separate sky shows in the City.

I’m very proud of how we have brought our waterfront precincts at Elizabeth Quay, Barrack Square and Langley Park to life during the summer nights.
This summer the three biggest Saturday night crowds at Elizabeth Quay were:

New Year’s Eve fireworks - 10,500
19 November drone show – 7,685
18 February fireworks – 7,246

In addition, the December Saturday night firework displays at EQ put on by Carnival Amusements, plus the other nights including Australia Day, mean around 130,000 people enjoyed our City of Light Shows across the summer.

The best bit – our team built these events from scratch. They did not exist this time last year and now, after one season, we have a new permanent family-friendly fixture on our summer entertainment schedule

This is just the beginning, Thank you for embracing the City of Light Shows 2022/23 - I can’t wait to show you what we have planned for next season.

AND THE WINNER IS…

Next week we’ll find out if the City of Perth has been successful in its bid to host the annual global gathering of the World Energy Cities Partnership. Perth is a foundation member of the WECP (motto: Sharing Knowledge, Sharing Success) and we’re bidding against Calgary, Canada and Dammam, Saudi Arabia. Along with our CEO, I will be in Houston to make one final pitch to the other member cities in an effort to get our bid over the line.

If we’re successful, leaders and industry representatives from more than 20 of the world’s major energy cities will descend on Perth in November to further the WECP mantra of Sharing Knowledge, Sharing Success. This is a huge opportunity for Perth, endorsed by a vote of our Council last year.

You can find out more information about the WECP and our membership at www.energycities.org. The CEO and I will also be attending the major global energy convention CERAWeek which runs simultaneously. I will be speaking on a number of panels and connecting with energy industry and city leaders. You can read more about the program at www.ceraweek.com

And of course I will be visiting the Mayor of Houston and re-establishing the strong connection our cities share. Perth and Houston have enjoyed a sister-city relationship since 1984.

WORKING FOR OUR COMMUNITY

The City of Perth has already approved more than $5 million in sponsorships for the current financial year. The sponsorships are awarded in the following categories:

Local Activation Grants
Venue Support Grants
Economic Development Sponsorships
Arts and Culture Sponsorships
Event Sponsorships

To see a full list of where the money has been awarded and the sort of events and activities it has helped bring to life in our City, go to Sponsorship & Grants | City of Perth and click on the Approved Grants & Sponsorships 2022-2023 PDF in Important Documents.

And on the subject of events, good luck to everyone heading to Langley Park this weekend for the Perth Festival finale, Bjork’s Cornucopia, if the set-up is anything to go by, the show is going to be incredible.

As always, I value your direct feedback, please feel free to contact me at [email protected]