Marija South Ward in Fremantle, Western Australia | Political candidate

Marija South Ward

Locality: Fremantle, Western Australia

Phone: +61 408 950 446

Address: 23 William Street 6160 Fremantle, WA, Australia

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25.01.2022 Dear Ratepayers and Residents, we have lost our motion for an independent investigation into Tent City. Councillors Mofflin, Wainwright, Fitzhardinge, Groome, Archibold, Sullivan, Thompson, Jones, Pemberton and Lang AGAIINST Councillors Vujcic and Graham FOR My motion which has been travelling from committee to council since the 27 January was reject this evening in favour of Councillor Thompson’s motion which did not support an independent investigation but was in favour ...Continue reading

24.01.2022 Freo Artists at J Shed I am always blown away by the Artists at J Shed. World class local Artists who have horned their innovative art at our doorstep. For decades they have just got on with creating art and winning international awards without any fan fair. I met the cast of Annie having their photos taken against the sheds. The cast and their director Kate belong to a community run program that brings stories to life through the joy of dance. ... One of the dancers is a student from the ballet program at John Curtain Performing Arts. All costumes, staging and props used for the performances have been ethically sourced. The students are raising money for Right Track Foundation who help indigenous communities throughout remote W.A. and for an orphanage based in Bali. There will be two performances on the 13 December at 6.00pm and the 14 December at 3.00pm at the Carey Baptist College Auditorium in Harrisdale.

24.01.2022 Over 12 months ago Bella my rescue greyhound went to doggie heaven and a new rescue has won my heart. Mooshee Machka a sleek black beauty has come to stay. Mooshee is 4 years old and after a few rejections for various reasons has settled in nicely. She is a quirky girl who has found her forever home.

23.01.2022 I attended the Politics at The Local Hotel this evening. The topic for debate was Whats the future of Fremantle Ports. About 80 people attended. The guest speakers were: Russell Aubrey, Mayor of Melville 2007-2019 Kim Dravnieks, Western Habours Alliance... Sam Wainwright, Fremantle Councillor. Upcoming state candidates for the Greens, Liberal and Liberal Democrats also attended. I also saw Mayor Brad Pettitt, Councillors Frank Mofflin and Andrew Sullivan. There was a lot of good points made for Fremantle Ports and the new Kwinana Port. Kim Dravnieks, used her immense imagination to read out a fantasy script describing a future where all of Fremantles problems vanished. There was no damage to Cockburn Sound and we all held hands and sang Kombaya. Dont worry folks the future is secure and in the hands of experts. For a moment during Kims long fantasy script, I thought she was Dorothy and that a click of her red shoes would transport us all to Kansas. There is a level of dishonesty when people want to downplay environmental destruction and dress it up as something that ordinary folk want for their future. Well, I spoke about local issues of security, jobs, community and the environment. At least the MUA rallied for Fremantle, jobs and working families. I challenged the Greens to do the same thing.

23.01.2022 Vietnam War Memorial Monument Hill Every year on the 30 November the Australian Navy in Vietnam Veterans' Welfare Association rededicates this Memorial to those who lost their lives during the Vietnam War. A wreath on behalf of the Mayor and the City of Fremantle was dedicated to our service men and women. Although the Vietnam War was mostly fought on land, the Royal Australian Navy provided logistics support from 1962 to 1972. Eight servicemen made the supreme sacrifice. We will remember them. Lest we forget.

23.01.2022 Dear Ratepayers and Residents, The current CAT bus service operates under agreement with the Perth Transport Authority (PTA) any changes to service will require its agreement. The current agreement expires in September 2022 and continuation of the service beyond that date will require a new agreement. At this evenings Strategic Planning and Transport Committee (STP) there was a unanimous vote to conduct a review as presented in the Officer’s recommendation. https://www.fre...mantle.wa.gov.au//FPOL%20Agenda%20-%2010%20 I view the cost of the CAT bus service in a wider financial and budgetary landscape of the past decade of council financial decisions. Point 2.4 on page 31 states the opportunity cost of the CAT when weighed against other budget demands .Well when you compare the CAT bus service to the opportunity cost of the poor returns we will get under the new lease of the Fremantle Markets, the outsourcing of our Visitors Centre to Sirona and the write down of thousands of dollars of debt. The cost of the CAT bus service is chicken feed (currently our share of the cost is $670,000pa). I have had ratepayers and residents call me to support the full restoration of the CAT bus service all for good reasons, children being able to use the service to get to school, residents going to Fremantle to do their business, local tourists getting to accommodation in South Fremantle and surrounds, getting to South Beach and so on not one ratepayer nor resident has rung me to cut the service. On principle I support community services, once they are lost they are gone.. the community often is the poorer for it. As to the budget challenges of the City right now.well that is a calamity of a decade of poor financial decisions that have come to roost. Even COVID cannot take the brunt of the financial and budgetary challenges for 2021. I supported the recommendation because it was a reasonable decision and the CAT bus service will be revisited at a later date. Please let me know your thoughts and feedback on the issue. See more

22.01.2022 This weeks Herald article has downplayed the South Ward local council win. South Ward achieved the highest voter turn out in the metropolitan area at 45% so nearly half of the registered voters came out to vote. South Ward beat every other Fremantle ward by a considerable percentage margin. I got 937 votes and Jon Strachan got 849 votes. The 88 votes represented a sweet victory. This is the highest number of votes for a candidate in the past two decades. Although the spee...d bumps attracted the slogan no more bad humping on South Terrace a tongue in cheek caricature of the current street calming, it was not the only issue taken to the residents. I ran on priority parking for residents, security upgrades, better lighting and more CCTV, South Beach facilities upgrade, dog wash station, extension of the CAT bus and 0% rate increase for 2020/21. The magnificent residents of South Ward had a reason to vote and they did! See more

21.01.2022 Let's get the Julian Assange matter into perspective. At the Council's meeting this evening Councillor Wainwright's motion was supported and passed. As the lone dissenting voice it was loud. FPOL2003-8 NOTICE OF MOTION BY CR SAM WAINWRIGHT REQUEST FOR CONSULAR SUPPORT FOR JULIAN ASSANGE I wish to oppose this motion on the following grounds:... It is completely outside the remit of local government. The Governance of this country is a Commonwealth of Federated States with three tiers of governance, each with its own area of specific purposes and responsibilities. This Motion and its subject belong in the area of responsibility of the Commonwealth government and is not related at all to the area of responsibility of local government. The most appropriate way of achieving the purpose of this irrelevant Motion to Local Government business, is for Councillor Wainwright to propose this Motion through his local branch of the Social Alliance Party. He can also organise as an individual support for this Motion through online portals, and as an individual, through the community. This is applicable to all of us who support this partisan motion. The Local Government Act, 1995, which governs our activity, does not allow, let alone support of Party-Political activity, and this motion falls clearly within this ambit. I contend that this motion is unlawful. We are not elected in Local Government as Party Political representatives, regardless of our individual allegiances. " In short, Julian Assange is currently guilty of serious crime, that of publishing state secrets. He has not been proven not guilty. He has also been charged with rape. This has not been disproved. As history shows and has shown for eternity, it is ones personal and political views that shape and define whether one persons terrorist is another persons hero or heroine. I oppose this motion on the grounds that it is not appropriate in the local government forum. I oppose this motion on the grounds that is Political and therefore unlawful under the WA Local Government Act, 1995 I oppose this motion because the Council has not sort community consultation.

21.01.2022 FPOL2103-10 NOTICE OF MOTION BY CR HANNAH FITZHARDING INVESTIGATION INTO POSSIBLE INTRODUCTION OF FREMANTLE CARD FOR FREMANTLE RATEPAYERS This Notice of Motion seeks to request the Chief Executive Officer to investigate the option and opportunity of introducing a Fremantle Card for Fremantle ratepayers to use when accessing City of Fremantle services which may acknowledge the contribution already being made to provide the service and offer a benefit to the ratepayer. The in...vestigation would consider, but not be limited to; How such a card could/would be used. Where the card could be used. What benefit the card could provide for the user. Costs associated with the development and implementation of a card. https://www.fremantle.wa.gov.au//Agenda%20-%20Ordinary%20M Is this a good use of ratepayer’s money? At a time when we are struggling to maintain our roads, footpaths, verges, sporting and public facilities. The notice of motion and investigation criteria is really a fishing expedition that will cost us. There is no data to support any of the suppositions presented in the notice of motion. Does this mean all the people who do not live in Fremantle and come to South Beach and use the toilet facilities will now need to have a user pays Fremantle Card? The concept is a slippery slope that will not end well.

21.01.2022 At last nights Ordinary Council Meeting (OCM) 29 April 2020, I voted in support of the budget amendment which would see the city s finances balanced until the end of the financial year June 30th. It was a difficult decision to make given the current economic conditions endured by many ratepayers and residents of our city. My decision was based on the following reasons. 1. The city has taken a hit in revenue and therefore ending the year in debt would only compound negati...vely the financial position for the new financial year commencing on the 1st of July. 2. There is criticism of the council for standing down some employees without pay. This is done as a last resort. We are all sympathetic to the suffering of people who have lost their jobs and who are struggling to make ends meet. Paying employees would have just passed on the debt to the ratepayers and residents and this is not really a solution. 3. There is a domino effect working here. There are many ratepayers and residents who have lost their jobs or have had their incomes significantly reduced being asked to pay full rates come this August. The business community are doing it really tough too. Although the Jobkeeper program will give some relief, this action alone will not save businesses in Fremantle. 4. The ratepayers and residents of this city ultimately will have to pay for any generosity that the council extends to their staff or anyone else for that matter. It was only a few months ago that an overpayment of over one million dollars was paid to staff. The staff were not asked to pay the overpayment back to the ratepayers and residents. I am not going to go into the argument whether the executive should have taken a bigger drop in salary and whether this is fair or not. To my knowledge, the executive and the councillors have forgone 20% of salary and councillor allowance. My life experiences have taught me that life is not fair and that each of us gets a measure of suffering along the way. My support for the budget amendment does not mean that I support the previous nor the current financial management practices of this council. The financial health of a city is underpinned by prudent and wise management of rates and taxes. In our city prudence and wisdom are missing in action. For many years, our hard-earned assets have been sold off at a discounted rate. The investment into the bricks and mortar development of Kings Square was not wise nor prudent. There was plenty of strong financial evidence that did not support this $40 million dollar plus expenditure. Had the decisions of council been prudent and wise, our city would weather this financial crisis much better. As an independent councillor, my remit is to act in the best interests of the ratepayers and residents of Fremantle. See more

20.01.2022 Last night at the South Fremantle Precinct meeting, I am on record with my commitment that I would defend the cutting of the red and blue CAT bus. This evening I voted against the substantive Motion which would half the service with a review in 12 months. Councillor Sullivan put up an amended Motion that was so long that you could have a sleep and not miss anything. I woke up just in time to vote against his amended Motion. Councillor Sullivan had a bet each way, a wily mov...e that will benefit the politics more than the ratepayers and residents. My position has not changed. To focus only on the cost is a narrow optic that devalues the many other arguments which are of equal, if not greater worth. The CAT bus service has over 20 years become integral to the community which provides an essential service to the elderly, school children, parents, and workers. Our local businesses benefit from the tourists and the city benefits from the rates. This is what is expected from a first world transport service. If we are serious about our commitment to sustainability, climate change and the greening of our city then the return to ratepayers of the CAT bus is generational and a good investment. A severe cut to the CAT bus service will produce an unusable service which will end in tears for the ratepayers. These are my reasons for defending the CAT bus service.

20.01.2022 What a night! The Portuguese know how to party! Last night I attended, on behalf of the City of Fremantle, the Portuguese Australian Womens Association WA Gala Dinner held At the South Fremantle Football Club. It was such a well organised event with strong support from the Portuguese community. Cockburn Mayor Dr Logan Howlett and the Mayor of Wanneroo, Ms Tracey Roberts attended and spoke strongly for the values of community, family and the contribution of the Portuguese ...Continue reading

19.01.2022 I took my friend Tokea Payton, from South Carolina and a PHD student at Murdoch, for Indian food Friday evening at the Darbar Indian Nepalese Restaurant on the corner of Chester Street and Douro Road, South Fremantle. Bom Thapa, the Chef and Owner, together with his team Vidya Parajuli, Bhawana and Komal Odedara made sure that the food and serve was world class. Tokea jokingly said that she travelled a long way to enjoy the hot curries and the garlic naan bread. Bom Thapa congratulated me on the South Ward win and he said that he took a keen interest in local community issues. Coming into the summer season, South Fremantle businesses are a big tourist draw card and we all need to support our shop fronts.

19.01.2022 This Motion resulted from a group of residents who are passionate about Wilson Park. They did all the research, got a petition and provided me with information for this Motion to be presented in Council. This is another point of view that needs to be heard. My Motion is the result of ratepayer concerns that have previously been communicated to Council and to Councillor Sullivan and these concerns have not been adequately addressed. The cost of the car parking facility is $40...,383.00 per year. This cost is borne by the ratepayers. There is a benefit to the local residents due to the limited parking in the streets. It is understandable why some residents also support the carpark. However, no resident has said to me that they would prefer Wilson Park to be used as a carpark. Quite to the contrary, they express a deep love for Wilson Park, its history, and its green belt against the beautiful coastal vista of South Beach. For a decade Councillor Sullivan and the Council have allowed developers and residential builders to provide inadequate onsite parking. The discounting of onsite parking goes against the R20 building regulations. For example, the development on the corner of Duoro Road and Hulbert Street, was required to provide 23 car bays and this was dropped to 18 bays. The residents paid the price of the discounted 5 bays. This domino effect has now created a pressure cooker effect that will get only worse as more development is approved. It will not be long before the parking on Wilson Park will not be enough. Do we then start taking the green space of South Beach? This will not be a big leap because if we treat the green reserve of Wilson Park as a parking lot, South Beach will be much easier to do over. This is the root cause of the issue of limited parking in South Fremantle. It is the Councils ideological agenda to make it difficult for car transport which includes parking anywhere in the City of Fremantle. This is evident in the selling of several car parks in the city, the installation of invasive speed humps and by not enforcing parking regulations for developers and builders. The ratepayers and residents of South Ward are squeezed so hard on street parking through no fault of their own. This is a decade of mismanagement, lack of transparency and governance by the City of Fremantle. This Order is in keeping with the Citys Strategic Community Plan 2015-2020 and in the Citys Greening policy 2020. I understand that there was community consultation for these policies. And they do not advocate a carpark in a green reserve. I ask that Councillor Sullivan works with me to present proposals to the council which will protect Wilson Park as a reserve and to provide sensible options to the overflow parking problem.

19.01.2022 Celebration of a Community Today the residents of Lily Street celebrated their 22nd Lasagna Festival with food, laughter and wine. Although the multi-generational crowd enjoyed some street humour, it was evident that the residents are respected friends and family. For 22 years these friends have celebrated their community with love, heart and soul. I came across a family with the same surname Vujcic and it turned out that our families came from the same region in the old country. I am so proud to represent South Fremantle as your councillor. In the words of a resident describing his Lily Street community, we have each others back. And I have yours!

18.01.2022 A big thank you to the Free Spirit Tribal Dancers who came out for a photo shoot at Saroor's. They will be performing at the South Fremantle Festival of Lights. These local dancers are magnificent in their costumes, dance and sharing fun times. Come and join us.

16.01.2022 This evening Councillor Rachel Pembertons Notice of Motion on the implementation by Council of the C40 Climate Leadership Group Statement of Principles was debated in the chamber. On 7 May, a Statement of Principles to guide post COVID-19 recovery strategies were adopted in the first meeting of C40s Global Mayors COVID-19 Recovery Task Force . The findings of the study, published in the Oxford Review of Economic Policy, provide academic backing to the calls for a g...reen recovery that have been made by leading experts amid the COVID-19 crises. (from the OCM Agenda) Responding to the Motion. The C40 Climate Leadership Group Statement of Principles advocated by Councillor Pemberton is admirable. I struggle with statements like; Climate action can help accelerate economic recovery and enhance social equity, through the use of new technologies and the creation of new industries and new job. This is just a jumble of words. Actions speak louder than words. Our local issues are much more immediate, such as food, clothing, shelter, jobs, medical and supporting local businesses. We want to go about our business lawfully knowing that we are relatively safe and that we have good services and equality of opportunity in our aspirations without the collective telling us how to do it. The amount of time, energy and money spent by the City of Fremantle in the past decade, on bringing about a green, sustainable city has impacted on our financial capacity to function post COVID-19. And yet, we have not met our tree canopy targets, we turn green spaces and side streets into carparks. The actions do not match the words. I voted against the motion. I proposed the following amendment to the motion. Before the Statement of Principles are implemented, in any post COVID-19 economic recovery, we will use the cost, benefit and opportunity cost analysis model to determine how local programs and incentives will benefit the ratepayers. The amended Motion lapsed due to a lack of support for it.

16.01.2022 By their oath elected councillors are bound to duly, honestly and with integrity fulfil the duties of office These words should give confidence to the ratepayers and residents that transparency and good governance underpin their decisions. Good decisions are backed by due process, laws, regulations, policies, and procedures. The system is not perfect but proven in demonstrating transparency that makes way for good governance. The South Beach Market is a commercial vent...ure. To my knowledge it is not a not-for-profit nor a charity. Nor does the concept of a local market belong exclusively to one person. There are pros and cons for local government to be involved in commercial activation of space. Often the activation is at the cost of something else. For example, the South Beach toilets are in a terrible state. Our local infrastructure is on life support and local services, like the CAT bus, are being cut. To support a subsidy and the exclusive right to operate the South Beach Market without due process undermines good decision making. If we accept this standard for the market, then we should not complain about the current negotiation with a non-conforming and only tenderer for the hospitality space in our new civic building. The inducements being negotiated are in the millions which will affect basic local service delivery for years. There are only exceptional circumstances where transparency and the principles of good governance should be set aside. These two examples are not exceptional and yet here we are! I am not against the South Beach Market. I voted for the motion that Georgie can operate the market for the summer without due process. It was a reasonable thing to do.

14.01.2022 Fremantle came alive with thousands of people streaming into the city to watch an epic grand final win for the Bulldogs. Congratulations and thank you to everyone who made this day possible. To Glen, Aimee, Paul, Cassie, Melody and their teams, our council warriors who worked hard behind the scenes to make us all proud. My highlight was a pic with Brett from the TV series Kath and Kim.

14.01.2022 Thank you to everyone who turned out for the Christ The King Primary School sausage sizzle at Bunnings on South Street and supporting the P&F. Christ the King was my parish church and the late Father Donovon a strong guiding presence in my family and community. The church was blessed and opened in 1936 initially for the Irish population. Post second world war, the church embraced the Italians, Portuguese, Croats, Dutch, refugees from the Baltics and many other nationalities who called Fremantle home. Christ The King continues its good work with the present generation of parishioners and school children. A strong proud legacy for our Fremantle community.

13.01.2022 Financial transparency and good governance are the cornerstone of local government. But how would the average ratepayer and residents of our city know that we do have high standards of financial transparency and reporting. Elected members of the Council should scrutinise and shine a light on any irregularities. This is positive because we get better financial governance. At our OCM on Wednesday 23 September, I provided the following feedback on the Monthly Financial Repor...t for the period ended 31 August 2020. Points 1-3 relate to page 2 of 25 Statement of Comprehensive Income by Nature and Type 1. The Interest Expenses is incorrectly stated for the actual 2 months ended 31 August 2020. It shows a positive interest income of $13,055, however when borrowings are approximately $27.2m, the interest expense would be expected to be approximately $136k ($27.2 x 3% x 2/12) 2. We have depreciation expense $nil for the actual 2 months ended 31 Aug 2020. This should be approximately $1.3m hit to the August result. 3. The date shows that all rates revenue is 100% recorded as income when invoiced. The 100% rates income should be prorata recorded as income evenly throughout the year according to best practice accounting. The accounting impact is to decrease revenue and increase current liabilities. The rates entry as presented in the statement tends to improve the monthly current assets/liabilities and skews the monthly financial health index to look much better than it is. Points 4&5 relate to page 4 of 25 Statement of Comprehensive Income by Nature and Type 4. The receivables balances is approximately $31m. It is best practice to estimate a provisional amount for doubtful receivables and it should be recorded as a hit to the Aug results. 5. The investment properties are carried at fair value and should be regularly revalued. There is a decline in property values. The amount of $31.6m should be revalued downwards, for example 10% drop in property values. This devaluation would add as a hit of $3m to the results. The response in the Chamber to points 1-5 was not convincing that my information was incorrect. This item C2009-1 was passed by Councillors. I voted against it for the stated reasons. https://www.fremantle.wa.gov.au//Attachments%20-%20Ordinar

13.01.2022 I am not a member of the FPOL Committee. Therefore I can come and have a say at the meeting but cannot vote. Tender - Walyalup Civic Centre Hospitality Space. Does this sound familiar? "At the Council meeting of the 25th March I said; the current proposed Expression Of Interest (EOI) will produce a similar result as the previous one, which lasted 2.5 years BEFORE it even returned to Council for review, and led us along a path of a Tavern Licence and millions of dollars ...of incentives. Six months later, we are in the same position. What a waste of resources. This is the second or third time we have done this and it gets worse. The city has concluded The tender, Clancy’s Fish Pub Group, was deemed non-complaint as the tender did not cover all required criteria in the tender application. Should CEO negotiations with the Clancy’s Fish Pub Group result in an offer that covers Council criteria The tender is non-compliant. Why are we proceeding! It seems like there is desperation here again to make it work. This deal is terrible for the ratepayers and residents of this city. The city is giving away over 66% of incentives including a 10x10 year lease, millions of dollars and generational debt. To compare this deal with the private market is a nonsense. We are a local council whose remit is to provide essential local services and not to speculate on risky property and hospitality deals. We have cut community services and our infrastructure is crumbling. I have had ratepayers in tears over their rate increases. As elected councillors’ we must act in the best interests of the constituents of this city. I urge the members of this committee to vote against the motion". The motion was carried 7 to 0 - Councillors Lang, Wanwright, Thompson, Archibold, Mayor Pettitt, Deputy Mayor Sullivan and Chair of the meeting Hannah Fitzhardinge. Mayor Brad Pettitt and Deputy Mayor Andrew Sullivan spoke glowingly of the Clancy Fish Pub Tender. There was even discussion of allowing other interested parties to tender. Sadly the ratepayers and residents didn't get a mention. See more

13.01.2022 What does the community think of these as a sustainable option for speed reduction? Solar powered, indicates your speed and polite with a happy smiley face if you do the right thing

12.01.2022 Wild Bakery are not only legendary in producing great products but also for their community involvement and commitment. Today and tomorrow Wild Bakery is baking bread for the Red Cross Fire Appeal. All monies raised, every cent, will be donated to this cause. Wild Bakery and their staff have donated their time and resources no one is receiving payment. Go Darragh! Go the wonderful staff! Thank you customers for your support. The bread was nearly sold out after trading for only one hour. I got a few loaves to share with my family.

12.01.2022 I joined the rally this evening in support of Freo jobs, our working port, our community and the pristine fishing environment of Cockburn. There are technological challenges we all face in the our jobs now and in the near future. What is the hurry to push these jobs and infrastructure away from Fremantle? The promises made by the politicians for our future in Fremantle ring hollow for me. There is a graveyard of broken promises and once we lose the jobs and business, it i...s a slippery slope of little return for the ratepayers and residents of our city. The Fish Army stood with the MUA and other unions and on the issues facing our Fremantle Port and the effects on our community, so did I.

11.01.2022 At the last council meeting on the 26 February the following motion was put to the chamber: "That Council engage an Independent Probity Auditor to assess the financial, reputation and community risk in the Council's proposed lease for the Civic Building Hospitality Space". This was referring to the Tavern Licence and the hospitality lease in our new civic building. There was a vote not to debate the issue in the chamber but to have it deferred to the FPOL committee for the ...11 March 2020. Tonight the motion was put to the FPOL committee. Not being a member of this committee, I could not vote on the motion. I could not even speak to the motion without someone on the committee supporting the motion. Councillor Fitzhardinge put the motion to the committee. The motion was defeated. The Councillors voting against the motion: Mayor Pettitt, Hannah Fitzhardinge, Jenny Archibold, Aidan Lang, Bryn Jones, Andrew Sullivan and Sam Wainwright - it was unanimous.

11.01.2022 I joined the Portuguese community at the Portuguese Club to celebrate the community awards. Deputy Mayor Andrew Sullivan joined in the fun. Lots of food, music, dancing, singing, joy and laughter. Derek Nannup and his mob were magnificent in performing several Aboriginal dances. They joined in and learned a few new steps from the Portuguese dancers. Both groups of dancers are invited to perform at the South Fremantle Festival of Lights, on South Terrace, on the 8th November. Come and join us.

10.01.2022 Cr Hannah Fitzhardinge moved and seconded by Cr Sullivan the following amendment: "Council, in recognition of Traditional Owners, and in the spirit of the City of Fremantle's Walyalup Reconciliation Action Plan 2019-22; 1. Agree to name the new Civic Building the "Walyalup" Centre;...Continue reading

10.01.2022 I am not unsympathetic to whistle-blowers. In my private capacity as a resident of the City of Fremantle and as an Australian citizen, nothing prevents me from: 1. Expressing my views in an endeavour to stop extradition of Julian Assange from the UK to the US; 2. Writing to the Australian Foreign Affairs Minister requesting them to take immediate action to protect the human rights of Julian Assange. We have Josh Wilson as our representative in the federal parliament. That... is his job, let him do it. I have confidence that he will do a good job representing the views of his constituents; and 3. I can individually and collectively provide a public statement via media outlets regarding the matter. HOWEVER there is a difference between other councils and the Fremantle Council. Other councils have compulsory and preferential voting and Councillors stand as representatives of political parties just like the state and federal governments. So the views that they propose are not their own, they are of the party that they represent. This council does not have a mandate to use its position to advocate on this matter for these reasons: The council has only been elected by about a third of the community. Party politics plays no part in the decision making of this council. Councillors in this council represent their constituents not party followers. Local government is the creature of the state. Local government is not even mentioned in the Australian Constitution. Therefore, we have no mandate to involve ourselves in matters that belong to federal politics. Facebook Perth 4 Assange has only 70 members, which must be considered as a fringe group. There is nothing to prevent them from expressing their democratic right of free expression but there is no right to seek influence through the council. If we get involved in what is a federal matter then who will protect our ratepayers and residents from the rising crime, anti-social behaviour, rate increases, and challenging transparency, community consultation and governance issues that happen on a daily basis in our city. These are our local issues which require local solutions. We the elected nonpartisan local government Councillors do have a mandate to protect our ratepayers and residents. Lets get on with it!

09.01.2022 A strong representation of Fremantle Councillors at the South Fremantle Football Club President's Lunch. A great win by the Bulldogs.

08.01.2022 I had quite a bit to say this evening, my jaw got quite a workout. The Motion before Council this evening that seeks to reduce the speed limit in the city to 30 km is pure ideology and does little to help our businesses. How can we support the United Nations telling us what to do, especially post COVID-19 when our businesses are struggling to keep body and soul together. We need to bring more people into our city and guess what most people will not be cycling, walking nor... skating more than a few kilometres. The rest of us will need to use a car or motor bike to get to the city and pay good money to the city for the privilege. Yes, the City earns revenue through cars and parking. The level of indifference is really annoying when we have a Council that wants to cut public transport such as the CAT bus, has knocked down the Stan Riley Center to build a car park and turn a green reserve into a parking lot. Really! My heart goes out to the business owners who will bare the burden of vehicles just not finding their way to our city. I voted against the Motion. See more

07.01.2022 Yesterday the Fremantle Council debated the proposed lease for the Civic Building Hospitality Space. And it was the forum for the community and the Councillors to present points of view for and against the substantive motion before the chamber for consideration. As a newly minted Councillor for South Ward, I swore an oath that I would represent the community and continue to do what is in their best interests. An oath once given becomes a sacred value, and my actions are an...Continue reading

07.01.2022 Last Wednesday a special meeting of Council was held to consider the 20/21 City of Fremantle budget. After careful consideration and feedback from constituents, I voted against the budget and I provide the full text for your information and feedback. Love to hear from you. "This budget has been taken apart line by line by the Councillors and the administration. It was a responsible thing to do especially when planning for a post COVID-19 recovery. Like all the Councillors,...Continue reading

07.01.2022 What a great day attending the Childrens Christmas Party at the Fremantle Sailing Club on Sunday. Hugo and Jake loved the bouncy castle, drinks, hot dogs and ice cream. The boys loved Father Christmas and the presents. The highlight for me was the Pipes and Drums Band. By 1.00pm the boys, high on sugar, left with mum while Baba went home for a well-earned afternoon nap!

07.01.2022 The COVID-19 pandemic has really thrown us all into an uncertain future. The health warnings and government directives have engaged us all to work together and to make positive changes so that our community can function safely during these difficult times. But life does go on. There is a lot of love and gratitude in our community. It is timely that I let the ratepayers and residents of South Ward know that I have been working hard to ensure that their interests are repr...esented on Council. The most significant action thus far was my motion for an Independent Probity Audit into the Tavern proposal for the new civic building that would have originally cost the ratepayers at least $1.3m. The defeat of the motion was unanimous. From the defeat came a positive. The Tavern proposal was withdrawn, and a new Expression of Interest was approved. I hope that we will get a better outcome for the ratepayer in the new process. As the Councillor for South Ward, I will continue to support the retention of community services, especially the CAT bus service which is a well loved community service. Should any cuts to services be proposed you can be assured that I will scrutinise what that cost/benefit will mean for the community. My election platform was for a 0% rate increase for 2020/21 and even more so during the COVID-19 crises, I will not support any rate increases for businesses and residents. Please stay safe and well. See more

05.01.2022 Roel Loopers and I don't often agree but his latest offering quoted below is spot on. This Wednesdays Fremantle Ordinary Council meeting will deal with an interesting motion by South Ward Councillor Marija Vujcic. I hope the other Elected Members will support the motion, as it is all about transparency. ELECTED MEMBER MOTION... That council engage an independent probity auditor to assess the financial, reputational and community risk in the Councils proposed lease for the civic building hospitality space. A probity auditor will verify that the City of Fremantles processes in regard to the hospitality lease of the Walyalup civic centre triangle are consistent with government law and legislation, guidelines and best practice principles. I believe it is very healthy to check and double check what our governments are doing, as there is far too much skepticism in the community about proper process. Roel Loopers Come to the meeting and have your say on the new names for Kings Square and the Civic Building! Ordinary meeting of Council this Wednesday - starts 6pm. Link to agenda is below. Items to be discussed incl: FPOL2002-4 KINGS SQUARE WHADJUK NOONGAR NAMING - page77 & N2002-1 NOTICE OF MOTION PROBITY AUDIT HOSPITALITY LEASE (CR VUJCIC) - page124. Fremantle.wa.gov.au www.fremantle.wa.gov.au

05.01.2022 Dear Ratepayer and Residents, many of you may not know that I sit on the Audit and Risk Management Committee. I have come to recognise that this is a huge responsibility because the information is about audit and risk management for our City. On page 3 of the Meeting Attachment document https://www.fremantle.wa.gov.au//Attachments%20-%20ARMC%20 The following points were tabled at this evening's meeting: 1. The City has actually made a net loss for FY20 of $8,483,120 compar...Continue reading

04.01.2022 I am so humbled and proud to be your representative for our community.Tonight I was sworn in as Councillor for South Ward. I promise to live up to my mandate of transparent consultation on issues and to hold the council to account on behalf of all constituents. Stay tuned for more to come over the next four years

04.01.2022 Just when I thought it could not get any better The Portuguese Women's Association event yesterday set a new standard. The Christmas in July event was super organised with all the trimmings of the festive season. Plenty of toys gifted for Variety and lots of good food and drink. A huge thank you to Manuela Marques and her team of dedicated women. Looking forward to your participation in the South Fremantle Festival of Light.

04.01.2022 South Ward Report Card The South Ward Report Card is on its way to your letterbox. It is my way of giving you, the residents, feedback and transparency on the progress of some local issues. Winning South Ward brought mixed emotions. The win produced a high; and a low followed when reality kicked in at the swearing in ceremony. Just navigating the local government policies and procedures is going to be a long learning curve over time.... Plenty of mistakes have ensured and I am learning on the job, asking lots of questions and being a pain in the proverbial to experienced Councillors and the Executive. I cannot praise the executive and the staff of CoF enough for their very friendly, gentle and often wise approach in supporting me as a new Councillor. Credit needs to be given to the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and fellow Councillors who have accepted that a certain attitude and approach has arrived and is seated at the table. Sixty days on, the South Ward Councillor is confident that she will be able to navigate the potholes to effectively represent the residents and business owners on issues that are important to them. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all residents and thank you for putting your trust in me.

02.01.2022 Dear Ratepayers and Residents, Easter is a great time of year for me. The heat of summer is over, kids have settled into school, work and family routines settling and the barmy nights are magic with the beautiful sunsets as you go out for a walk. Easter is a time for family, tradition, rituals, and remembrance. It is a time for reflection and taking stock as we approach winter of the important things in life. At our Easter lunch we will remember my parents and carry on the R...akija tradition as we drink a toast to our family members past and present. The ace in my mum’s sleeve was Rakija. The secret weapon against all that is enemy to common man. It will destroy bacteria, relieve stomach, and muscle pain, annihilate any virus and disinfect a wound instantly. Whether you just woke up out of a coma or are about to skateboard down a freeway Rakija was there to enhance the experience. (Rakija is distilled from fermented fruit, mostly grapes. It is like brandy or schnapps). My Easter message is of gratitude, rebirth and restoration of our City through jobs, and a thriving local economy. Happy Easter Fremantle. It is an honour and a privilege to serve as your local Councillor.

02.01.2022 A message from Dean Huxley, Manager of Native ARC. Wild Lives Need Your Help! On Sunday 26 January 2020, Native ARC is hosting an open day to raise money for wildlife affected by the bush fires over East. All proceeds on the day will be given to wildlife groups doing it tough over there. Your support at this event would mean so much to so many volunteers working on the front line and the millions of animals that need are suffering each day. If you can spread awareness of t...he event, share the poster and/or share the Facebook Event that would be awesome! If you can make cakes to sell on the day..let me know! And lastly, we need about 20 volunteers to run tours, deliver presentations, sell tea/coffee/cake, take regos and take donations. Let's show the community what Native ARC can achieve when we rally together! Australian wildlife are taking a beating but there are 200 volunteers right here in Perth that will fight for them!! You guys rock! This wonderful organisation is right on our doorstep. Lets go the extra mile. The money raised will go to the smaller organisations looking after the animals.

01.01.2022 I attended the Community Safety and Crime Prevention Meeting for City businesses and held at the Council Administration building. In attendance were two Senior Constables, Crime Unit Representative, Councillors Pemberton and Mofflin and ten business owners. Chris Scanlan, Team Leader, Community Safety conducted the meeting. Here are some notes: Report all criminal activity to the police... Positive relationship between Police, CCTV and Community Safety good sharing of information Business owners are also required to make changes to make it difficult to be a target 40-50 Move On Notices are issued weekly Move on notices are easier to enforce Police often get tied up with health issues of offenders and end up at Fiona Stanley Hospital for hours Offenders are released because they are assessed and are free to leave City will clean up mess in public areas More lighting is required Both Senior Constables spoke about the difficulties in detaining these offenders. They have human rights and detention is the last resort. There is a WA Police publication "Business Beat" - A Guide to Crime Prevention for Business. You can get a copy from the Cop Shop. I found the meeting interesting and have learned some legal aspects of this problem.

01.01.2022 The arguments for and against the substantive Motion relating to the Fremantle Markets was argued in Council this evening. My argument: Over the past few weeks, we have been engaged in budgetary working groups scrutinising each line item of expenditure and income for the city. It is a positive exercise to scrutinise all council budgets to ensure that we are getting value for our rates, charges and fees. The community and social service budgets I am convinced have already b...Continue reading