Alliances form ahead of poll

Hotel project manager Tony Pallotta is the latest nominee planning to contest the forthcoming City of Perth council elections – where residents are likely to outnumber registered business voters for the first time since the original Perth council was split up.

Mr Pallotta adds to the known candidates, including four existing councillors – Bert Tudori, Judy McEvoy, Vincent Tan and Michael Sutherland – who are expected to seek re-election in May.

Ms McEvoy and Mr Sutherland have formed an alliance with new faces James Christou & Partners architect Chris Hardy and television presenter Eleni Evangel.

Former State Government adviser Daniel Smith is another candidate known to WA Business News.

Other names yet to be confirmed by WA Business News are Terry Maller, Scott Fitzsimmons, and failed mayoral candidate John Hammond.

All the new candidates contacted by WA Business News have cited a need to improve the vibrancy of the city.Based in Hay Street, Mr Pallotta said the “evening economy” was important to the city, especially through its role as a drawcard for tourists and metropolitan residents.

He said he would be pushing for more “flagship” events in the central city.

Improving tourism infrastructure and more street life, including cafes, were among Mr Pallotta’s priorities. He believed an arts precinct should be on the foreshore. Mr Hardy echoed earlier sentiments of Mr Smith that the city needed to work more closely with the State Government to improve development and avoid poor compromises.

He pointed at the former government’s decision to site the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre on the foreshore as bad planning that did nothing to improve the city.

“In the City of Perth, the council theoretically runs it but the State Government has vast tracts of land which they can do what they like with, and that is not a good situation,” Mr Hardy, a resident of West Perth, said.

“I personally want to see a better dialogue between the City of Perth and the State Government.”

Mr Hardy is a proponent of sinking the Northbridge rail line, believes the Perth Concert Hall should be developed as a new cultural precinct, and thinks a 10-year-old urban design study of West Perth should be dusted off because the area was overdue for appropriate services and infrastructure.

But he remains concerned with the growing imbalance between residents and business, and believes there needs to be more done to shake the apathy of those who lease or own commercial property in the city and largely fail to vote despite representing the majority of rates.

“I think they have to stand up and be counted,” Mr Hardy said.

On the subject of entertainment amenities, such as encouraging bars to the city, Mr Hardy said he has been disappointed to see the role of big players in blocking liquor licences for new outlets.

He said the council had to realise that residents were coming into the area for inner-city lifestyles that were “TV-created myths” when the amenities, including shopping options, were not in place.

“I think something has to happen; I don’t know what it is. I am new but I intend to do a lot of listening for a while,” Mr Hardy said.

A Northbridge resident, Mr Smith also announced a policy that was markedly different from his rivals, seeking a light rail option to provide a high-speed link between West Perth and the central business district.

“The current CAT bus system is virtually ineffective during peak hour traffic, when demand for public transport is at its highest,” he said.

“With almost 30 per cent of Australia’s publicly listed companies registered in West Perth, there is a strong case to develop a fast and efficient public transport link to businesses in the CBD.”