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Perth Now
6 days ago
- Business
- Perth Now
City of Perth rates made official
The City of Perth says it is delivering a 'future-focused' $330 million budget, boasting only a 3.1 per cent increase in rates revenue which will bring in $112.24m to the city. The city said the budget aimed to support growth, community wellbeing, and construction of sustainable development. Deputy Lord Mayor Bruce Reynolds said it was the fourth year in a row that the city had delivered one of the lowest rate rise of any metropolitan councils as cost-of-living pressures were 'not going away'. 'On top of this, we're investing more than $24m in community support, and opening up a $5.7m sponsorship and grants program for events, culture, business innovation, and sustainability upgrades for residential buildings,' Cr Reynolds said. 'We're approving the projects that will shape a more vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable Perth as we prepare for up to 55,000 residents by 2036 — over 20,000 more people in little more than a decade.' Key items in the budget include $3.5m in public realm upgrades such as the revitalisation of James Street, Russell Square and Claisebrook Cove, and $5.8m to event structures such as a permanent event stage at Supreme Court Gardens and improvements to Perth Town Hall. The budget also focuses on the Towards 2036 initiative, led by global urban design firm Gehl, with a $845,000 allocated for community infrastructure and transport planning. 'Gehl's work in the 1990s and 2000s helped deliver Cathedral Square and Elizabeth Quay. This next phase will help guide Perth's transformation over the next decade,' Cr Reynolds said. Other budget items include $12m for road improvements, footpaths and public amenity, and $40m for streets and parks, including $800,000 to protect trees from the polyphagous shot-hole borer. The city has also dedicated $5.5m for community safety initiatives such as CCTV, patrols, and lighting upgrades, as well as year-round events program worth $11m. 'With the ECU City Campus and WACA aquatic facility coming online, East Perth Primary School and major upgrades, and major developments underway on just about every corner, Future Perth is already taking shape,' Cr Reynolds said.
Perth Now
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Perth indoor venue to transform into a winter wonderland
Perth has transformed into an indoor winter wonderland for the school holidays, with the School's Out Winter Fest returning to the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre until July 20. This popular festival promises family fun that everyone will love, including an indoor ice skating rink, carnival rides, snow slides, showbags and new attractions. These include the Snowball Showdown, where kids and adults can launch real snowballs at snowmen targets, and a Sub-Zero disco, an igloo dancing party with DJs, disco balls and even falling snow. For those seeking a fun night-time adventure, Winter Night Fests will light up the venue on Saturday evenings with all the fun of the day-time activities as well as an 18+ bar. The 18+bar at the Winter Fest Nights will be open on Saturday nights. Credit: Soco Studios More than 65,000 people are expected to attend the 17-day festival, generating more than 350 local jobs. The ice skating rink is the biggest pop-up rink in WA, which organisers say takes five days around the clock to prepare. Bringing this attraction to life requires 15,000 metres of aluminium piping and 400kW chillers to freeze an 800sqm slab of ice, which is monitored 24-7 by staff. City of Perth Deputy Lord Mayor Bruce Reynolds said the city was proud to support the 'vibrant School's Out Winter Fest' again this year. 'The festival speaks to the wonder of winter in the City of Light. For 17 activity-packed days of the school holidays, thousands of visitors will be wowed with accessible and inclusive winter-themed entertainment,' he said. 'Come for the ice rink and carnival rides or take advantage of the Stay and Play packages — this is a wonderful opportunity for families and fun-seekers to create some memories and toast winter over some world-class hospitality down at Elizabeth Quay or in our city centre.' Tickets include access to all carnival rides. Credit: Soco Studios Tickets include ice skating, carnival rides, snow slides, silent disco, showbags, and more. Every child ticket comes with one free adult entry. Visit
Hans India
05-06-2025
- Hans India
Australia's Perth suspends e-scooter hires following pedestrian's death
Sydney: The West Australian (WA) capital of Perth has indefinitely suspended the hiring of e-scooters following the death of a pedestrian in a collision. The city of Perth suspended e-scooter hires from midday local time on Thursday in response to the death of a 51-year-old man in hospital on Tuesday after being struck from behind by an e-scooter as he walked in central Perth with a friend on Saturday night, Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported on Thursday. He is the first pedestrian to die in an e-scooter accident in WA, said ABC. A British tourist was arrested at the scene and has been charged with causing death while driving dangerously under the influence of alcohol, Xinhua news agency reported. Perth Deputy Lord Mayor Bruce Reynolds described the incident as a "tragic event" and said on Thursday that providers would collect e-scooters from the city's streets. He said that there is no timeframe for how long the suspension will last. Premier of Western Australia Roger Cook told ABC radio that the suspension was a "perfectly appropriate" response. Meanwhile, in another incident, a pedestrian died after being hit by a light rail carriage in Sydney, on Thursday afternoon. Police in the state of New South Wales (NSW) said in a statement on Thursday afternoon that emergency services were called to the inner-Sydney suburb of Surry Hills at about 1:15 p.m. local time on Thursday following reports that a pedestrian had been struck by a light rail carriage. On arrival, police officers found a man, believed to be in his 40s, trapped under the carriage. He was treated by ambulance paramedics but died at the scene. Transport for NSW said that light rail services have been disrupted and advised passengers to delay travel or take alternative transport. A crime scene has been established and police are investigating the cause of the incident.
ABC News
05-06-2025
- ABC News
City of Perth to suspend e-scooter hire after death of pedestrian Thanh Phan
The City of Perth is set to suspend the hiring of e-scooters from today following a fatal collision in the city on the weekend that killed a 51-year-old Phan was out for dinner in Perth's CBD on Saturday night when he was struck at the intersection of Murray and King streets by an e-scooter. He is the first pedestrian to die in a an e-scooter accident in WA.A 25-year-old woman has been charged over the a statement to the ABC, deputy lord mayor Bruce Reynolds said the hiring of e-scooters would be suspended from midday today.
ABC News
29-05-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Ratepayers will likely cover PFAS contamination costs, Blayney mayor says
A New South Wales mayor says forcing councils to clean up PFAS contamination at landfill sites is "completely at odds with the 'polluter pays' principle". Last year the Belubula River, which flows through the Central West region, was found to be tainted by PFAS chemicals. Blayney Shire Council's landfill sits above a tributary to the river and studies by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) show the site is a source of PFAS contamination in the Belubula. In March the EPA told the council it would have to pay to fix the problem. "We're being charged to remove contamination for what is still a legal product here in Australia," Mayor Bruce Reynolds said. Waste facilities are known to be a significant secondary source of PFAS, which is a family of about 15,000 chemicals with heat-resistant, non-stick and waterproof properties. They can take hundreds of years to break down and are highly mobile in the environment. The cost of onsite treatment at the Blayney tip, which has been operating for 100 years, has been estimated at more than $400,000 and the cost of ongoing investigation and monitoring estimated at more than $110,000. The council has also been forced to stop using a part of the landfill that has an unlined cell. It estimates the cost of bringing the infrastructure up to EPA standards could exceed $1 million. "We may be the pioneers — others may have to follow," Cr Reynolds said. The council has flagged that it may hike garbage rates by 10 per cent and increase its waste levy by 16 per cent in 2026. In a statement the EPA said it was looking at introducing PFAS monitoring at all landfill sites in NSW. "Landfills have been recognised as a secondary source of PFAS in the environment, though modern engineered landfills minimise the risk of a range of contaminants impacting surrounding environments," a spokesperson said. The authority said it had been working closely with Blayney council since December 2023 to better manage leachate migration from the site and was assessing three grant applications. PFAS has been a concern for the Waste Management and Resource Recovery Association of Australia (WMRR), which represents multi-nationals, small businesses and local governments. In its submission to the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into PFAS Contamination in Waterways and Drinking Water Supplies, the peak body said the industry could be forced to deal with an issue it did not create. The WMRR described the Commonwealth's move to ban the import, export, use and manufacture of three types of PFAS from 1 July 2025 as "too little, too late". "The ban should be on all types of PFAS, otherwise the government will simply be playing catch up as companies switch to other types of PFAS," its submission reads. "The EU moved to ban PFAS years ago, with the United States introducing tougher drinking water standards and moving to eliminate it from food supply." This week the Australian Bureau of Statistics released a national baseline for PFAS levels in blood and found three types of PFAS were detected in more than 85 per cent of the population. The dataset was created to track PFAS levels over time and to support research into its potential impacts on human health. The ABS noted that there was "an association between higher PFAS levels and some abnormally high chronic disease biomarkers", but said the finding did not confirm a direct cause.
