Readers Response - Alannah MacTiernan

MARK Beyer’s article on the Perth Parking Levy (BN June 5) has the Government “playing down” suggestions that it was considering extending the levy  to regional shopping centres.

In fact the Government flatly denied the suggestions and went to some trouble to point out to Mr Beyer that as the levy was spent on free public transport in the area in which it was collected the suggestion did not make sense.

While Mr Beyer did mention the free CAT buses and produced a map of the Perth free transit zone, he omitted to mention that all public transport within this area is free.

Each year Perth CBD’s unique free travel system attracts an estimated nine million boardings.

The only evidence Mr Beyer produced for his alarmist nonsense was the assertion of a representative of the Property Council, an organisation with a clear interest in opposing the levy.

The Property Council’s more general claim that the levy was threatening the viability of CBD property is somewhat undermined by an honest admission in a break-out article that the levy did not have much impact on businesses in West Perth as parking fees were so much lower.

Now, as the levy is the same in both West Perth and the CBD, claiming the levy is the problem is a bit rich.

Alannah MacTiernan MLA

Minister for Planning and Infrastructure