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INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Review: Food for Thought Review: Perth’s AlumniFeature: Focus on Population GrowthFeature: What We Thought Would Kill UsMembership MattersCEO’s DiaryReview: In TouchReview: EWLF ReviewCultural Compact CommitmentsFeature: Fringe WorldFeature: Stephenson Hepburn OrationThe Western Edge Case StudyGlobal Glimpses

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Across the state we are talking about projects worth billions of dollars as if it is an everyday occurrence and I hear that the CBD alone has $10Bn of private and public sector projects in the pipeline. Yet we are a bit shy about telling others of this extortionate level of investment. Even if we were boasting, the east coast wouldn’t be listening so sure are they about their primacy in this nation. However any cabbie in London can give you a complete

appraisal of the opportunities in WA whilst lamenting that the UK has lost its way.

Each year the Economist Intelligence Unit ranks the liveability of 140 cities around the world and Perth this year ranked equal 8th with Adelaide. I’ll leave you to think about how good that may or may not be. However the sobering point is that we were in the top 5 and have lost ground over the past few years.

This wave of perhaps what is a ‘once this century’ level of investment gives us the foundation to improve our position. Is it possible that we could climb the ladder knocking Sydney, Helsinki, Calgary, Toronto, Vienna, Melbourne and Vancouver out of the way and get to first place?

In order to be the world’s most liveable city we must ensure that major and essential infrastructure keeps pace with population growth. This means that our roads, rail, hospital and education systems, to name but a few, need to meet demand with a degree of future proofing whilst at the same time funding soft infrastructure development such as arts and cultural institutions, sporting facilities and events. A lack of these is what currently pulls us down when measured against other cities that resource both well.

If Perth were a business instead of a city, its board would be making decisions to improve its position in order to receive maximum return to shareholders which in a city’s case is its citizens. But Metropolitan Perth doesn’t have a board because there are 29 local authorities and many state and some federal agencies making well-intentioned decisions that are legitimately theirs to make but which are not aligned to an overall vision – because we don’t yet have one.

Without a shared understanding of where Perth is heading, conversations about growth and therefore change, at the political level boil down to a lack of money to afford the things that growing cities need and at an individual level about how long it takes to get down the Terrace.

Imagine what we could achieve with a shared vision for Perth? A vision that allows us to take into the future the very things that we love about Perth and at the same time leave behind some of things that belong to a city with a chip on its shoulder. An alignment of governments, private and community sectors would harness our money, resources and talent and give us the opportunity to be world’s most liveable city by 2031. Without it we may find ourselves falling further behind cities that understand we are playing a globally competitive game which needs a winning strategy.

Committee for Perth Insighte - n e w s l e t t e r

Issue 26: April 2011

All publications, researchreports and submissions

mentioned in the newsletterare available for reading or download from our website:

www.committeeforperth.com.au

w

From the CEO

t: (08) 9481 5699 | f: (08) 9481 7738 www.committeeforperth.com.auCEO - Marion Fulker | m: 0419 048 665e: marion.fulker@committeeforperth.com.auExecutive Officer - Holly DeVaney | m: 0428 313 227e: holly.devaney@committeeforperth.com.auOffice Administrator - Samara Still e: samara.still@committeeforperth.com.auPO Box 7117, Cloisters Square, Perth 6850Office 7, Ground Floor, 996 Hay Street, Perth 6000

@ Contact Us

From this month I plan to use this column to provide my thoughts about a key issue facing Perth in order to drive debate. My first column looks at the issue of liveability.

Committee for Per th Insight | Issue 26: April 2011 2

Our first Food for Thought event of the year reinforced our position of continuing to provoke debate and discussion on the future of our city by inviting guest speaker, former Minister for Planning Alannah MacTiernan to share with members her views on whether and how we can sustain Australia’s predicted population of 3.5 million in just 40 years from now.

The presentation was certainly challenging and thought provoking and the ensuing discussion around the table demonstrated real engagement with the topic by all present.

Key messages:

Alannah challenged attendees from the outset by opening with the searching questions, ‘can we have a liveable city if we grow to 3.5m by 2050?’ and further to that ‘can we achieve such a huge growth rate without compromising liveability?’

Her answer to these questions is ‘possibly’.

‘It depends how much we are prepared to invest in the public realm,’ she said. ‘It depends on how much we look objectively at optimum densities – and how we take our community with us as we plan.

‘But over and above all of these things, it depends on our capacity to look beyond narrow, selfish, short range interests and make the changes necessary to stop the planet frying.’

Moving on to examine why people live in cities and what they value about them, she revealed that there is often a dichotomy between what citizens value verses what business and commerce might rate highly.

In business terms, big is best. ‘We know cities punch above their weight in producing national income … and recent research is the bigger the city – generally the more this effect is accelerated. The size of the city can amplify and accelerate productivity per capita.’

But there may be an optimum size before the law of diminishing returns kick in. As Alannah highlighted, none of the cities in the top ten of the Economists’ 2011 Liveability Index had more than 6 million people.

Sustaining Western Australia’s population at 3.5 million at 2050 with guest speaker Alannah MacTiernan

‘The report found that relatively low population density was a very significant factor. More modest densities offered a broad range of recreational activity without the flipside of high crime rates or over burdened infrastructure,’ she said.

If this is true then it is no wonder that many citizens of Perth feel so threatened by the notion of such radical growth. They don’t want to lose all that they value about their city as it succumbs to high density housing, transport issues and congestion from the roads to the beaches.

Despite this resistance, Alannah thinks that if we can embrace the notion that moving up to 5 stories might produce better results than 20 stories; if we can get business to help advocate for, rather than campaign against, better public transport and city greening then, all things being equal, Perth can grow to 3.5 million and still be in a good position.

However, Alannah went on to share her views on why all things are not equal and how, without taking action against climate change, the future of our city is by no means guaranteed.

‘Climate change can totally change our capacity to be a city of 3.5 million,’ she stated. ‘People often think that water is the biggest problem but I believe that by combining desalination and recycling, we can deal with this.’

Her belief is that heat is going to be a much bigger problem if Perth is to remain a liveable and desirable city. With the hottest year on record last year and the fact that global temperatures are trending upwards, particularly in our part of the world, this is a real danger area for Perth.

‘Add to this the heat island effect of developing cities just as we normally do and this area becomes one of the biggest challenges to Perth. We need to take a macro approach to climate change and say if we want this growth, we can only sustain this population if we have places where people can thermally live.’

‘We need to operate on a variety of different levels – macro as a civilisation working to reduce climate change and at a micro level as we work to green up our city.’

Believing that the continuation of ‘heat island’ style building and development combined withnatural temperature increases could make Perth too hot to be liveable within just 25 years,

Alannah’s message was that for Perth to be a liveable city of any population by 2050, serious attention needs to be paid now to climate change and its implications.

The event was attended by members from:

Rio TintoMallesons Stephen JaquesCity of South PerthMcKenzie MoncrieffBankwestMinter Ellison LawyersRSM Bird CameronThe Brand AgencyCurtin UniversityAustereo PerthCity of PerthGresham Advisory PartnersWest Coast Eagles Football ClubGerard DanielsCompass Group (Australia) Pty LtdRPSSt John of God Health CareCITIC Pacific Mining Management FreehillsCoventry Group LtdBarrington Consulting GroupPlan B Wealth Management Ltd

Committee for Per th Insight | Issue 26: April 2011 3

At an event entitled Entrepreneurs as the economic creative artists of business, members of the University of Western Australia’s Ambassadorial Council joined with representatives from our Perth’s Alumni to hear from entrepreneur Brad Rosser and his thoughts on the value of entrepreneurship and innovation to decision making and successful corporate practice.

The twenty-six guests representing the two groups gathered in an ideal location for the event – the offices of Allens Arthur Robinsons, a venue with a great vantage point of Perth.

By way of introduction, the Ambassadorial Council’s Chair, Tim Lester explained that, ‘The Council’s objective is to enhance the global reach, relevance and reputation of the Business School. Its members are located across New York, London and Perth and all share a common passion for Perth, its future and its growth.’

Perth’s Alumni Chair, Sam Walsh, added that, ‘It was good for two organisations who are both interested in making Perth more vibrant to get together with a common purpose.’

Brad Rosser is Chairman of the BetterStrongerFaster Group and has worked with two of the world’s most famous entrepreneurs, and colourful characters, Virgin’s Sir Richard Branson and Australia’s Alan Bond. Educated in Perth, he is the former Head of Corporate Development with Virgin and a successful business practitioner.

Rosser believes that people who build businesses are the cornerstone of every prosperous economy, and he is passionate about a working life in start-up businesses and businesses looking to build profits. He is an Enterprise Week ambassador, a member of the UWA Business School Ambassadorial Council UK and a trustee of Friends of UWA (Europe).

Tracy Parker from the UWA Business School commented, ‘We were pleased to welcome back one of our international alumni to share his story and experiences from working with two very influential people.’

Rosser shared with the group his thoughts on the differences between entrepreneurs and established business and their importance in the corporate sector by focusing on 4 key areas:

• the characteristics of an entrepreneur business and what they add to the business scene as a whole. • the characteristics of people and how entrepreneur businesses require different people with different characteristics to mainstream corporations.• how in order to succeed, entrepreneur businesses require a micro focus while commercial businesses maintain more of a macro focus.• the importance of brand identity and the need to develop strong identity.

In responding to Rosser’s presentation, Sam Walsh took those four points and applied them to what the University of Western Australia and the Committee for Perth are doing in terms of making Perth vibrant.

He comments, ‘There was a real synergy between our messages and I believe that in the same way that entrepreneurs add to the corporate sector, we need to look to entrepreneurs and entrepreneursistic ideas to find opportunities to make Perth more vibrant.

‘Similarly, we need to continue to engage the right people with an all encompassing focus to be driving the changes in Perth; we need to be aware of the macro issues but also focus on the micro details while we are on the ground making small steps happen. And finally, it is important that Perth develops a strong brand – there is a need for almost a complete rebranding of Perth.’

There was a sense at the event that harnessing the wealth of local and global expertise and experiences that organisations such as Perth’s Alumni and the Ambassadorial Council share, much could be achieved for Perth. Both organisations are looking forward to opportunities to collaborate together in the future.

The event was attended by members and guests of both Perth’s Alumni and UWA Ambassadors including representatives from Allens Arthur Robinson, Azure Capital, CSL Limited, Department of State Development, FD Third Person, KPMG, Moly Mines, Oakajee Port and Rail, Rio Tinto Iron Ore, RTRfm, Sir Charles Gardiner Hospital, St Georges College, Subiaco Hotel, UWA Business School, Water Corporation, Wesfarmers and West Australian Burns Services.

Global Studies with UWA Business School Ambassadorial Council

Information on Perth’s Alumni and its members can be found at www.committeeforpeth.com.au

Committee for Per th Insight | Issue 26: April 2011

The future density of the city is going to play an important role in retaining and improving Perth’s liveability – critically by making the city not only more sustainable but also more vibrant.

Vibrancy is a core component of liveability – and one in which Perth has potential to improve. The Economist Intelligence Unit’s most recent liveability survey ranks Perth 8th, a good ranking on a world scale, however it scores Perth poorly on vibrancy – lower than any other city in Australia, and a low 63rd on the world ranking.

Density should be part of Perth’s liveability solution – but how can we not only make sure that appropriate density happens, but that vibrancy is achieved as part of density? And how can we ensure that we mitigate against the potential negative effects of compact urban form, particularly in new suburbs where smaller lots have reduced sprawl but have also been accompanied by a trend for bigger and bigger houses? With lot sizes in new suburbs set to be reduced further to meet new Directions 2031 targets, do we risk achieving more compact, but sterile, ‘crammed’ suburban environments?

We asked three practitioners to share their views...

Every month we explore the topic of density as a means of making better use of the land we already have. In the fourth of this series we ask 3 noted consultants about their views on density. The column is developed by Gemma Davis, a contract researcher to the Committee for Perth and a qualified town planner.

This column aims to address some of the issues surrounding Perth’s predicted population growth. Increased population across Perth is going to be challenging as we seek to fit more people into the metropolitan area.

4

Density, Liveability, Vibrancy and the Future of Perth

‘Today Perth is in a privileged position, with a wealthy economy underpinned by the minerals and energy sector. Our quality of life is supported by an environment and natural resources base that is the envy of many across the world.

‘We know that the structure of the economy is likely to change in the future, but the most critical thing for the short term is to not squander the resources we have today, and to invest wisely in creating the means to respond to challenges and opportunities before us. In this way we create a more resilient city and a community willing and able to respond and exploit the many opportunities that will emerge.

‘In this regard, it is critical that Perth becomes a more sustainable city, environmentally, socially and economically. Successful cities are based on an intensity that promotes engagement and interaction. This intensity, or density, can promote productivity if it is designed in a way that maintains a sense of place and beauty at its core, and fosters exchange between people and business.

‘For Perth, it is clear that our sprawling suburbs are not a sustainable form of city, particularly when considering access to employment, the availability of arable land and preservation of points of amenity. The State Government’s Directions 2031 strategy aims to generally increase the density of Perth to 15 dwellings per gross hectare, and with higher densities around centres, infrastructure and areas of amenity. This average density will still see Perth remain one of the least dense cities in the world. Whilst Directions 2031 is a move in the right direction, Perth will need to work harder to achieve an intensity of form that is more sustainable.

‘At HASSELL, our understanding of cities is based on the IDEA principle.That is, Intensity, Diversity, Employment and Access; a principle emanating from work undertaken by Gehl, Jacobs, Whyte and others. Successful places are therefore not one dimensional – a dense place is not necessarily a successful place. However a place that contains a level of intensity mixed with a diversity of functions, equitable access and a range of employment types will garner growth and be sustainable over the long term. These intense places tend also to be where people want to be – they are interesting, lively, attractive and fun. Ideas are exchanged in these places and businesses want to locate in these places.

‘Collaboration will play an essential role in Perth’s critical transformation as will more genuinely integrated urban planning, and a deeper ecological understanding of our landscapes. We need to lift our aspirations above those of a pragmatic development culture in shaping cities, think about sustaining our natural resources, and be intelligent about the environmental systems of our landscapes and buildings.

‘Planners, architects, landscape architects and other disciplines must work together to create Perth’s sustainable future. This will necessarily involve a denser city form, but one that is designed with a sense of place, beauty and the community in mind. ‘

Scott Davies is an Associate with HASSELL, Perth.

Scott provides his opinion on the key to successful density in Perth.

Committee for Per th Insight | Issue 26: April 2011 5

‘On the basis of my experiences of places around the world where density has been successful, I believe the key to vibrancy is diversity of land use and opportunities for varying activities, commercial, recreational, educational, cultural, residential – these factors lead to a diversity within the demographics and cultures of people who participate, and the goods and services which may be obtained, and this combination of conditions becomes self perpetuating in regard to vibrancy.

‘Making sure that density happens in the right

‘Like many urban planners I strongly support the need to increase density and housing choice but in the right locations. In the longer term I believe that increasing densities will actually help increase our quality of life while reducing the impact that urban growth has on our environment.

‘When I refer to density of course I don’t just mean housing, I mean the whole complexity and intensity of human interactions. It is this ingredient that helps make cities vital and liveable.

‘Unlike some in the development industry I believe that the Directions 2031 housing infill targets can be met. The demand for more affordable, well located unit developments to meet changing lifestyle needs will help create the market for density. By 2026 it is estimated that 30% of Australian households will be one person up from 25% in 2006. An increase in housing density and intensity of mixed use activity targeted around activity centres, transport nodes and amenity locations will become attractive places for investment as traffic congestion and fuel costs make long distance commuting very unattractive.

‘A high level of state and local government leadership will still be required to provide the private sector with a level of certainty needed to achieve the desired outcomes. This can only be achieved through community engagement and support.

‘Recent research by the Grattan Institute into the 11 most liveable cities has found:

Martin Bowman is a Technical Director with RPS, Perth.

He shares his experience and views on the importance of the public realm both in successful density and creating vibrancy.

places is also critical and in this regard I think we need to both target specific nodes for higher density development and enable some increased densities within established lower density areas.

‘Whilst it is true in my opinion that the old low density suburbs have positive values which cannot be replicated in high density settings, there is also the concept of local amenity and walkability within a

low density setting which improves liveability through convenience. I believe that there would be merit in getting a handle on what the minimum critical mass is for general retail in low density settings and enabling appropriate densities so that the model requirements are met. While, in regard to locating high density nodes there is particular benefit in locating local smaller scale density developments on public transport routes- e.g. rail or bus routes.

‘However the market response to housing style and size on small lots in new estates to date suggests that, in trying to promote more compact development in a lower density context, we do face a risk of ending up with bigger and bigger houses on smaller and smaller lots. In my experience and observations, with specific reference to the USA, there are a number of general and specific ways this risk can be mitigated.

‘Firstly it is my observation that places which have successfully achieved high density living have not only smaller living spaces, but are accompanied by a high quality, well maintained and diverse public realm – leading to an understanding via observable human behaviour, that a large house is not necessary to enjoy a quality life if the

public realm can provide the recreational amenity which would otherwise be necessary for individual householders to create within the confines of their lot. For example, if there are diverse public theatre opportunities in a walkable distance, why would one spend the money on a home theatre? The same goes for private gardens – if you can walk to a high quality garden, and more, obtain your own small plot, why would one spend the time, space and expense of replicating this within the family lot.

‘A more stringent control on house sizes can be obtained through town planning policy which controls plot ratio, or through planning instruments which apply at the lot scale and require both plot ratio, and design criteria for houses which must be complied with in order for a building approval to be issued by the local authority. I understand that there are few if any legal impediments to this approach, however there may well be unwillingness on the part of developers to place “rules” on how lots may be developed, in the context of buyer/market acceptance of this scenario.

‘Realistically, a combination of both of these approaches is clearly necessary, but the process in Perth will undoubtedly be incremental and evolutionary.’

• Very high levels of public engagement in decision making.

• Consistency of strategy and direction.• High levels of collaboration across sectors. • A strong regional cooperation.• Some form of trigger for action to occur.

‘These factors are critical in achieving more density and intensity in Perth. By public engagement I don’t mean just listening to local community action groups that spring up to oppose change. I mean communities working together to develop vision through dialogue. A great example of this process is the one undertaken by the City of South Perth. It has given Council a mandate for land use change in strategic locations where good public transport exists. An even more recent example of visioning is the one undertaken by the City of Nedlands. Their draft community vision reflects a community desire for housing choice and the creation of a series of vital community hubs.

‘We need to get local governments to lead their communities in the vision making. Informed discussions about future choices for a growing and changing community are needed. These new visions may not start with majority support but they need to achieve it to be effective and sustainable. Once a majority view is achieved through a visioning process the preparation of both centres and local housing strategies are needed to create the framework for achieving density and diversity.’

There are also some real public issues about continuing car-based urban sprawl.

Charles Johnson is a Principal of Planning Context.

He provides an urban planner’s view on planning for density.

Committee for Per th Insight | Issue 26: April 2011 6

Hillarys Boat Harbour is arguably one of the most successful tourism, commercial and recreational developments in Perth. With its protected swimming beach, cafes, restaurants, retail, commercial, tourism, leisure and marine activities, the harbour attracts between four to five million visitors annually, provides the recreational and leisure needs of the wider regional population and directly employs more than 1,200 people. People love it.

However, at the time of its development in the mid 1980s, the boat harbour became one of the most hotly and sometimes violently disputed developments in Perth’s history. Protestors lay down in front of bulldozers demanding that the government stop works on the project.

The Committee for Perth has completed the first in a series of case studies which will examine controversial developments in and around Perth. The focus on the Hillarys case study examines the then community’s concerns and fears about the boat harbour and looks at whether, 25 years later, they have come to fruition, or whether Hillarys Boat Harbour is an example of how development that the community feels threatened by in the short term can, in the long term, become our biggest assets or even be judged as unambitious by future generations.

The main concerns of local residents and wider community members were that the harbour would have a disastrous effect on natural ecological features of the coast and beach and deprive the people of Perth of a safe, naturally beautiful swimming beach.

There was also fundamental concern that the project was not consistent with Perth’s character of the coastline, was elitist and unnecessary.

The case study has found that most of the community’s concerns did not come to fruition. While the boat harbour did have negative impacts, they were effects which were foreseen and have primarily been mitigated. It is also evident that they have been vastly overshadowed by the positive impacts of the proposal, particularly by its enormous popularity and the significant contribution that the harbour makes to the amenity and economic prosperity of the northern corridor.

The case study makes a number of conclusions and recommendations about future developments in Perth – not the least of which is that in order to deliver iconic projects which will have long term gain - we will need to weather some short term pain.

What we thought would kill us -Hillarys Boat Harbour

The full copy of the case study is available on our website - www.committeeforperth.com.au/news-a-media/publications

MembershipMatters

7

New MembersThe Committee for Perth relies on our members who fund our work through their contributions and so it is always a pleasure to welcome new organisations to our membership. This month Plan B has joined us in the Executive category while Navitas and MacroPlan enter the Business category.

Navitas is a Perth-based, global education provider that offers an extensive range of educational services for students and

MacroPlan Australia is a national economic research, land use planning and development advisory consultancy. Our in house economist, planners, spatial analysts, market researchers and community infrastructure specialists have unparalleled

professionals including university programs, English language training and settlement services, creative media education, workforce education and student recruitment. Navitas CEO Rod Jones said ‘As WA’s importance to the national economy continues to grow we need to ensure that our capital city is able to capitalise on this opportunity and that we can meet the educational, health and social needs of our expanding communities. By joining the Committee for Perth Navitas hopes to be able to positively contribute to the ongoing development of our great city.’

understanding macro and micro economic drivers for our clients. MacroPlan has built a strong understanding of the current and future drivers of Western Australia and specifically Perth. MacroPlan is passionate about supporting the Committee for Perth as it is a key thought leader and facilitates action fundamental to the future of Western Australia. MacroPlan’s Managing Director Brian Haratsis is prominent in the debate in regards to Australia’s future as detailed in his recently published book Australia 2050 – Big Australia? This book is not about capturing everybody’s imagination with a breathtaking new infrastructure concept, it is about beginning the discussions, gathering the ideas and working together to meet the goals, aspirations and requirements of a nation with a very big future.

With over 25 years experience, Plan B has become one of Australasia’s largest vertically-integrated wealth management firms. Our fulfilment comes from assisting our clients in achieving their financial objectives.

Since 1995, our Executive Advisory Service has been empowering organisations to provide their senior executives and management with access to strategic financial advice as part of their overall employment benefits. These organisations have benefited from a higher attraction and retention of key individuals this service enables. ‘Western Australia’s growing relevance, both in Australia and internationally, provides exciting opportunities,” says Mike Godrich, Head of Advisory and Business Development at Plan B. “It is important that we effectively capture those opportunities for future generations of Western Australians. We can help ensure Perth becomes the most liveable and desirable city to live in. ‘The Committee for Perth has a critical role in facilitating strategic agreement and clear actions of the key decision makers in politics, government and business, to ensure that we achieve this objective.’

MembershipMatters

8

Reforming Working Group Introducing Jason Ricketts Last month we reported that Jason Ricketts has assumed the role of Chair of the Reforming Working Group following Rob Cole’s appointment to the board.

Upcoming Events

Food for Thought Breakfast - CHOGM in FocusGuest Speakers: Mark Banaba and Richard MuirheadDate: Wednesday, 27 MayInvitees: Key member representatives

Food for Thought Luncheon - Australia 2050 - The Big Australia?Guest Speaker: Brian HaratsisDate: Thursday, 7 AprilInvitees: Key member representatives

Invitations are sent to members close to the event dates.

Executive Women’s Leadership Forum - A Conversation with Ann PickardDate: Tuesday 19 AprilInvitees: Executive Women

Jason is Head of Office and Partner at Freehills. As a senior member of the Freehills Banking & Projects Team he has worked extensively on major infrastructure projects (for private and public sectors in Australia and offshore) in transport, water and waste management, social infrastructure, mining, and power industries and sits on a number of water industry committees. He has lived in Perth almost all of his life.

We asked Jason for his thoughts on his new role within the Reforming Working Group.

The Committee for Perth is an active advocacy body working to influence on many issues facing Perth, how do you believe the Reforming Working Group fits into this?

‘I believe our working group assists the Committee for Perth by bringing focus to specific aspects within the broader vision of the Committee. As the Committee focuses on such a broad range of issues, the Reforming Working Group brings together a group of people that can look at particular issues relating to our part of the agenda – be it local government reform, retail reform or other areas. We gather together people with time and knowledge to work, canvass and advocate for those issues.’

What is your vision / focus for the working group?

‘Two main issues continue to be the focus of the group, namely reform of local government and retail trading hours. Since the working group began focusing on these issues, much has been progressed in both areas - government has a local government reform program that is at a particular place and similarly there has been a lot of activity on retail reform. While there is still some way to go on both issues, they have currently both reached natural points.

‘This allows us the opportunity to focus on some additional topics. We will develop a new scope in consultation with Marion but it may be that we focus on issues such as the new liquor licensing regulations for small bars. For example we might examine how successful it has been, what it’s doing for vitality and how it affects the broader metropolitan area. Other issues might be to consider whether any reform will need to be in place for Northbridge once the sinking of the rail line is complete.’

What do you think you can bring to the role of Chair of the Reforming Working Group? ‘There is no doubt that I have big shoes to fill! Rob Cole did a fantastic job from inception until now in leading this group. He created debate, marshalled resources and was very effective.

‘However, having been a part of the group since it began, I believe I bring valuable continuity. The working groups are effective when you have a relatively small group of people working consistently on a number of focused projects. Without spending time continually recapping progress or status, we are able to work much more effectively.

‘I also believe I bring a sense of commitment in the same way that Rob had to our topics of reform. When you look at the Committee’s overall objectives, these are critical issues to get right and fundamental to the transformation of Perth into a more globally competitive and attractive city.

‘I have a strong knowledge of these issues and both what the Committee calls for and what has been done independently of us and therefore am also able to offer another voice to speak on behalf of the Committee on these topics.’

The CEO’s diary - March 2011Committee for Per th Insight | Issue 26: April 2011 9

The best job in Perth comes with a broad focus and each month I get to meet and work with some of Perth’s most important business and civic leaders to discuss or advance our agenda. As a thought leading advocacy group we are both strategic and collaborative some of which is done in the public domain and some behind the scenes. This snapshot of my March diary aims to provide an insight into what I do during the month to reshape, reform and revitalise Perth.Reshaping• During a briefing on the staging of the waterfront development I reiterated our view that the Indigenous cultural centre is important to the success of the overall project. I also offered our resources to advance this element of the development.

• Attended the Lord Mayor’s Affordable Housing Taskforce meeting to receive a final briefing on the project before it is presented to Council next month.

• Along with Richard Weller and Steve Woodland, I gave the Annual Stephenson Hepburn Oration to a packed house at UWA on our thoughts about Perth moving from a big country town to a thriving metropolis.

• Meetings held to develop a seminar program with IPAA and PCA to further the debate on population growth.

Reforming • Attended a breakfast with guest speaker the Hon. Simon O’Brien, MLC. During question time I asked the Minister for an update on retail trading hours reform. He acknowledged our submission on the durable goods white paper as well as our desire for full reform.

Revitalising• Attended the pre-launch of Sculptures by the Sea as a guest of member Alcoa.

• Met with two talented entrepreneurs to provide advice about who to speak with to advance the development of a technology leading idea to bring Perth alive to new arrivals and visitors.

• A group of passionate Indigenous and non-Indigenous individuals have been meeting to advance reconciliation in WA. Our meeting this month finalised a funding request to governmentin order to formally establish a best practice reconciliation network.

• Attended the preview of Black Swan’s Boundary Street and was delighted to see a reflective piece on Australia’s attitudes to visiting Afro American soldiers during WWII against the treatment of the local Brisbane Aboriginal community.

• Met with Bill Johnson, MLA member for Cannington to discuss issues in his electorate and provided a briefing on our agenda.

• Several meetings held with members and government to discuss the opportunity for economic diversity/leverage for the private sector from major state government projects.

• Held a progress meeting of our RAP sub-committee to further advance actions in our Reconciliation Action Plan.

• Attended a function at Council House to meet the newly appointed British High Commissioner, His Excellency Mr Paul Madden who will be visiting Perth frequently in the lead up to CHOGAM.

• By invitation of the Office of Road Safety, went to the Enjoy the Ride launch.

This is a wonderful

demonstration project

for local government.

We are now awaiting a Ministerial announcement following the submission period, which I expect will give the broadest definition of durable goods to be traded on Sundays.

Again marvelled at the

beauty and elegance of

the new State Theatre

Centre.

We are so lucky to have this

high quality, publicly accessible

cultural event come to Perth

each year.

• Always a treat, Richard Walley, our Noongar consultant, and I caught up to discuss the celebration of Indigenous culture and reconciliation.

• Healing our History is a New Zealand developed reconciliation tool which we successfully trialled in Perth last year. Planning has begun to hold another workshop in September along with a series of meetings to create a sustainable program for the future.

Broad focus• Attended the ceremony where 100 women from our community were inducted into the WA Women’s Hall of Fame.

• Working with directors on the development of the 2011-16 Strategic Plan.

• Inducted new members Australand & Navitas.

• Hosted members of our Executive Women’s Leadership Forum at an International Women’s Day breakfast with guest speaker Manal Omar, Director of Iraq Program at the United States Institute for Peace. She discussed the way of life for Muslim women in Iraq.

A great initiative which I understand is the first of its kind.

Her stories of the issu

es facing these

women had many parallels to the

women in our Indigenous community

and showed their strength and

resilience – a true inspiration to the

more than 900 attendees.

A very clever new campaign to get us to

slow down in life and on the road.

Guests at our March In Touch event not only got to experience the hospitality of Lamont’s Bishops House but also got to hear first hand from Kate Lamont as she shared her story of being In Touch In Business.

Kate shared with the group the five things that she is passionate about as well as the five things that keep her awake at night but what was most revealing to our guests was that the list was actually the same – those things that she is most passionate about are also the things that occupy her thoughts the most.

‘The interesting part of the event was hearing Kate Lamont’s thoughts about what keeps her awake at night,’ commented Georgina Reynolds from ANZ who also took away from the event the message that ‘everyone has the same thoughts / concerns, but just at different levels.’

The In Touch event series has become a very popular and valued networking opportunity for key support staff of our members with one member even attending during her annual leave so as not to miss out on the first event of the year.

Reinforcing the importance of the series, Georgina continued, ‘I would highly recommend [the In Touch series] as it’s a great way of networking amongst your peers. I met with someone at Lamont’s that I have been speaking to for a couple of years.’

Committee for Perth members represented at the event included ANZ, Bankwest, BHP Billiton Iron Ore, City of Perth, Lamont’s, PricewaterhouseCoopers, WA Newspapers Ltd, Wesfarmers Ltd, West Coast Eagles Football Club, WorleyParsons.

10Committee for Per th Insight | Issue 26: April 2011

In Touch with Kate Lamont

To launch the Executive Women’s Leadership Forum for 2011, the Committee for Perth hosted 15 members at the flagship event in a week long celebration for International Women’s Day. The UN Women’s Centenary breakfast gathered 900 women and a few brave men together to celebrate the strength of UN women.

The event put the ‘international’ into the day with guest speaker Manal Omar, Director of Iraq Programs at the United States Institute for Peace. Manal was born in Palestine and raised in the USA. She is a former journalist who has lived throughout the Middle East and works tirelessly in the areas of peace mediation and nation building in this troubled region.

Every dollar raised from the event will go towards UN Women projects that promote female political participation and leadership which undoubtedly added value to attendance at the event.

Representing Committee for Perth member The West Coast Eagles, Megan Williams attested to the value of the event. ‘The key message that I took away is - if we (men and women) wish to truly address equality for women and make positive change, it needs to start at the top with increasing the percentage of women in decision making positions, such as Board and Executive representation. I feel this is especially relevant and topical for the AFL and sporting industry in Australia.’

Committee for Perth members represented at the event included South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council, HASSELL, Compass Group, Gerard Daniels, Rio Tinto, West Coast Eagles Football Club, WorleyParsons, Wesfarmers, Stockland, Minter Ellison Lawyers, Bristow Helicopters, ANZ, CITIC Pacific, St John of God Healthcare, Freehills and Shell.

What do you personally love about Perth? ‘Our optimistic and opportunistic personality.’ What do you believe are some of Perth’s and WA’s strengths?‘We go the extra mile....we love life and we genuinely understand that the lifestyle we so enthusiastically embrace and economic growth and development are not mutually exclusive. I think we also have a sense that our time has come we need to get on with doing rather than talking.’

What opportunities do you think are available to Perth and WA that we should embrace?

‘We must diversify our economy and better understand and then clearly articulate how agriculture and tourism dovetail with resources. It needs to be meaningful not tokenistic because all 3 sectors make the sum of who we are and show a path to what we can grow into. If we get it right then the economic and social benefits will be cemented for our kids and their kids....’

Why do you believe membership of the Committee for Perth is important?

‘ The Committee for Perth is positive, genuine and proactive. In the crazy world of the “ten minute headline” often the negative (and often untruthful) voice gets way more traction than it deserves. We are very caught up in letting a tiny minority spoil. Having a fact based, pragmatic voice is crucial to keeping the broader debate about our town bubbling along and that’s what Committee for Perth does. ‘

We asked Kate for some of her reflections of Perth:

Executive Women’s Leadership Forum – International women’s day

Committee for Per th Insight | Issue 26: April 2011 11

Nomad Two Worlds – Working towards reconciliation through Art and Music New website to

celebrate Noongar cultureWhile the debate continues about the timing of the inclusion of an Indigenous cultural centre in the Perth Waterfront project, the South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council (SWALSC) has not let the absence of a building prevent them from sharing and celebrating Noongar culture with the wider community.

In December, a large number of people attended the launch of the new Kaartdjin Noongar website which contains a wide range of historical materials including photos, maps and stories relating to Noongar culture. The name means ‘Sharing Noongar Culture’ and is the most authoritative site about Noongar culture and history.

The website will provide a wealth of online resources about Noongar history, people, country, arts and culture. Users can search via an interactive map for specific towns and sites, or conduct word searches to find information about significant Noongar people, stories, oral histories, photographs, and more. While the public can access much of the site, there are areas reserved for SWALSC members only which allow for cultural filtering of information as required.

The site was developed by SWALSC with funding and support from Lotterywest and is part of a broader project, supported by the Federal Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, that aims to encourage Noongars to share cultural and historical information with other Noongars.

It can be viewed by visiting www.noongarculture.org.au.

From Perth policeman to a life of high fashion and celebrity in New York, Russell James is one of the world’s most influential fashion photographers.

His work graces the covers of Vogue, Elle, Marie Claire and Sports Illustrated and he counts amongst his friends designer Donna Karan, entrepreneur Richard Branson and former Australian of the Year Professor Fiona Stanley.

But despite fame and the lure of celebrity, Russell James was struggling in his personal life. After a period of anguish and self-reflection, he returned to Australia to work on an art collaboration with Aboriginal artist Clifton Bieundurry.

During a trip to Bieundurry’s home country, Russell James’ personal interpretation of Prime Minister Rudd’s apology to Indigenous Australians led to the creation of a new and heartfelt project and the desire to make a difference where it counts.

Nomad Two Worlds is a collaborative art project with Indigenous artists. In the last decade it has evolved from James’ attempt to understand the troubling cultural divide he witnessed growing up in Australia to what it is today, a powerful expression of partnership and reconciliation in action through art, music and film that has become a global example of true collaboration across deep divides.

Photographs taken by James during travel to remote regions of North Western Australia with senior Indigenous custodians who provided access to sites of great cultural significance to the aboriginal people were reproduced as giant canvases for Indigenous artists such as Bieundurry and others who then painted “story” into the images.

Talking of the experience of such unique collaboration, James says, ‘Spending time primarily with my Walmajarri ‘skin’ brother Clifton Bieundurry, I created a collaboration – “artists as equals.” We have spread that message to other artists and

musicians and now tour the world with our message of “moving forward together.” We can’t take away the past, but we must acknowledge it in order to move forward to a collaborative future.’

The works were exhibited during February at the Nomad Two Worlds exhibition in LA. Reflecting the same interactive nature of James’ print and multimedia work, the exhibition was more than pictures on walls. The Australian Indigenous practice of entwining culture, music and art as a way of celebrating and handing down tradition, history, maps and more is experienced first hand as many of the Nomad Two Worlds artists ‘sang’ the ‘story’ of their paintings to visitors.

The exhibition also included an adult education symposium at which Donna Karan discussed the importance of preserving culture; Professor Jessica Cattelino from UCLA analysed the everyday conditions of Indigenous peoples from an anthropological perspective; and Perth based Noongar elder, Dr. Richard Walley spoke on the challenges faced by Indigenous cultures in the modern world.

The project is supported by international celebrities such as Sir Richard Branson, Hugh Jackman and the Black Eyed Peas and is also endorsed by Dr Fiona Stanley, among others. 10% from all sales from the project are donated to the Telethon Institute for Child Health and, speaking on ABC’s Australian Story, Dr Stanley sees real, concrete value in the project.

She says, ‘People may criticize Russell for coming in and ‘dabbling’ or trying to help Aboriginal people. My sense is that if everybody had this attitude - “I want to help Aboriginal people and I am going to use my skills to do so” – so if you were the local butcher or ran a hardware store or in your local community said “I am going to employ an Aboriginal person. I’m going to use my skills to help aboriginal people” - they would not be marginalized and Australia would not have an ‘aboriginal problem’.

Read more and view art at www.nomadtwoworlds.dipdive.com

February 2011 saw a new kid on Perth’s cultural block and it was one that proved very popular and is set to stick around. Fringe World, publicised as the ‘taster, teaser and tester’ towards the launch of a full Perth Fringe in 2012 exceeded all targets for numbers and expectations for how Perth audiences would respond to it.

12Committee for Per th Insight | Issue 26: April 2011

Fringe World

Also likely to be repeated next year is the Fringe World Summit. Marcus says, ‘A world first, this was highly successful and the visiting international Fringe Directors have asked us to do it every year! They loved Perth, and they loved getting together here to talk the world of Fringe. We are still processing everything that came out of the summit, as there was so much valuable material for us to consider moving forward. The most valuable result was of course connections made - we now have some very close and influential friends and true Perth Fringe advocates out there in the international world of fringe who will be helping us make our Fringe one of the best in the world as it grows.’

The biggest challenge facing the team now will be resourcing Perth Fringe to ensure it delivers on all its promise. While Adelaide Fringe has an annual budget of $3.7 million, receiving over $1.2 million per annum core funding from the state and over $1.5 million in corporate sponsorship, Fringe World had an operating budget of just under $500,000.

It should be noted of course that Adelaide Fringe is over 50 years old. It generates over $1 million through registrations and ticketing fees. They sold over 370,000 tickets in 2011 and the economic impact of the Fringe for Adelaide is now over $35 million per annum with 20% of the entire Adelaide population engaging with it, so the investment by the state and the partners to the Fringe is money well spent.

‘We have large aspirations for Perth’s Fringe, and have focussed on designing ways that we can speed what’s taken Adelaide 50 years to reach in terms of engaging with as many Western Australian’s with our Fringe as possible,’ continues Marcus.

The three weeks of international, national and local fringe acts in the Spiegeltent and in the free outdoor environment of the Urban Orchard at the Perth Cultural Centre featured over 100 performances, with over 150 artists, and over 20,000 members of the public packing in to enjoy the shows. Over 85% of the shows across the season sold out.

Marcus Canning, Director of the producing body, Artrage, was delighted. ‘It was a massive success on all fronts and we couldn’t be happier with the results. The number of times people said, ‘this is exactly what Perth needs’ and ‘I wish it was like this in Perth all the time’ was great to hear. But what surprised us the most was the diversity of the audiences.

‘With our 2011 taster program, we honestly thought that in starting out we’d be reaching quite a niche market of under 35’s living in suburbs clustered around the City. This wasn’t the case. We had people flying down from as far as Carnarvon and driving up from as far as Albany to see Fringe World shows.

‘We had ticket purchasers from almost every postcode from Mandurah to Joondalup. There were all ages getting into the program including groups of Grandmas. There was a real sense of greater Perth being hungry for the kind of energetic, edgy and entertaining shows that Fringe is all about. It was a revelation, and made us even more excited about doing this for Perth.’

Even more revealing was the fact that some of the more risky and risqué works in the season were the best attended. Of this, Marcus says, ‘It made us all the more certain that this idea that Perth people are conservative and boring is a complete fallacy. Fringe World proved that Perth people are ready for their Fringe and we’re looking forward to bringing them more.’

Indeed planning is already well under way for Perth Fringe 2012. The use of the Urban Orchard and the placement of the Spiegeltent in the Cultural Centre was incredibly popular and did much to introduce people to the transformative refurbishment work that EPRA has busy implementing throughout the space. There are plans to expand the hub of the Fringe next year to encompass more of the Perth Cultural Centre including more pop-up venues like the Spiegeltent.

Other Perth venues will be encouraged to get on board and host Perth shows and, in true Fringe style, empty retail spaces and other interesting non-traditional performance spaces will be made available for the Fringe.

The Fringe will start earlier next year, opening the day before Australia Day so that Fringe can be involved in Perth’s biggest party of the year but still with two weekends and a week overlap with PIAF to allow for joint ventures.

‘Between now and January 2012 we’ve got some work to do growing our resources to make sure Perth’s Fringe can be all it should be and we’re hoping that there will be a host of new sponsors who want to come on board for what is set to be a very exciting ride that will mean so much for Perth and WA.

‘We had fantastic backbone support from Lotterywest towards the program this year, and Artrage as the producing body also receives some year round funding through the Department for Culture and the Arts. We had some really generous corporate assistance as well, especially from Little Creatures, who also support the Melbourne Fringe in a big way. It’s a start. We’ve got a long way to go, but we’re dedicated and passionate about this. Perth needs a Fringe, now is the time.’

Committee for Per th Insight | Issue 26: April 2011 13

Marion Fulker - Big Vision – Positioning Perth Globally In thinking about where Perth sits in the world now and where it is likely to be in the future, I believe that we are at one of the most critical times in our development.

Perth can either be a city that leads or a city that follows; a city of sceptics or a city of optimists; we can be a conservative city or we can be avant-garde. We can give ourselves the chance to live up to our potential or we can tether ourselves to the past. Which route we take at this ‘fork in the road’ juncture is all about the choices we make.

How we deal with the change that is upon us will determine whether Perth is a success in the future or not. You could say that Perth is in adolescence – moving from a big country town persona and grappling with the type of city we want to grow up to be.

We need to start thinking about the city from a more strategic perspective. And a good start would be by adopting a vision for the metropolis – one that can be used to help define our niche – to market the city to the world – and set the tone for the future.

A vision can also coordinate future investment, strategies and actions across government, the private and not for profit sectors to ensure that we are all working towards the same economic, social, environmental and cultural goals.

Ultimately it is time for Perth to grow up. We must have confidence in ourselves and look with ambition towards the future. We must think big and strive to be a highly live-able city of international acclaim. We have the talent and resources to do it – all we really need now is the vision and the will to act quickly.

The full transcript of Marion’s presentation is available under media releases at www.commiteeforperth.com.au

Steve Woodland - Big Design - 15 steps x 15 years

This century sees a world grappling with a whole set of new environmental, social and economic issues. Considering the future of cities prompts a return to three core values of Creativity, Culture and Ecology.

WA is fortunate in being rich in each of these areas: we have a global recognition for creativity across all areas music, visual arts, performance, fashion, literary arts and research; we have a great depth of cultural richness most particularly underpinned by our indigenous culture and we are immersed in an ecological system of great wonder and uniqueness, possessing some of the most ancient vistas on the planet.

So we are undoubtedly faced with growth pressures but must shape this growth to suit us and to address core values of creativity culture ecology.

This means we need to think of our city in new terms. We need to free it from the confines of structure that has imprisoned it for some time and re-establish the natural connections on which the city was founded.

A journey through our city needs to connect our landscape - Kings Park - our Water - the Swan – and our cultural / creative quarter. These areas are our potent differentiators and they align perfectly with those core global values creativity, culture, ecology. This can be the memory-making of Perth.

In a relatively short pedestrian cross–section the core of our city’s ingredients are available: our heritage, government services, retail, entertainment, residential uses, culture, education and recreation. These cross town journeys represent a paradigm shift from the east-west vehicular patterns that exist. It is a whole new cognitive reading of our city.

The connectedness between the trilogy offers up a fascinating array of city journeys. Each of the 3 anchors provides a potent storyboard for our city and from that emanates an intricate spider-web of connections from grand boulevards to mysterious laneways. The story of our city must be meaningful and ‘owned’ by a broader constituency than just its commercial and retail users. Perth particularly must re-fulfil its welcome to families and groups seeking a more casual/spontaneous engagement. As we continue to grow as a state this becomes an imperative for Perth and surrounds otherwise we will deteriorate into an office and retail enclave.

Stephenson Hepburn Oration

Richard Weller - Big Perth – Landscape of the Urban Metropolis

Perth’s growth is an exciting opportunity for the city if the growth can be creatively and intelligently directed. There is plenty of land to spread further out into but old style greenfield suburbia is unlikely to meet the environmental challenges we now face.

Infill development is also necessary and despite community resistance it will occur as the market reacts to demands of a more diverse society and people begin to recognize its benefits in certain areas.

Perth’s growth shouldn’t however be seen in isolation. The whole Swan coastal plain is a potential growth area. But its also one of the world’s Biological Hotspots - meaning it has unique and threatened biodiversity. With good design and planning we can spread out into the Swan coastal plain and offer people a spacious way of life but do so without ruining habitat and agricultural land.

Liveability and sustainability are one and the same thing.

The whole of Australia is growing and the eastern states cities are struggling to cope. WA has an opportunity in the first to half of the 21st century to absorb much of Australia’s growth and in so doing supply its burgeoning labour market, diversify its economy and culture, and consolidate an international reorientation from the pacific to the Indian ocean rim.

With the subject of Big country town to urban metropolis: future visions and realities for a big Perth, the 2011 Stephenson Hepburn Oration at the University of Western Australia event sought to examine how Perth is still preoccupied with more or less the same three fundamental challenges of transport, urban design and public health that were the major focus of W.E. Bolds’ report on early planning scheme concepts exactly one hundred years ago.

In a bid to demonstrate how some of Perth’s leaders are thinking ‘big’ about the planning challenges that lie ahead of us and the policy responses to deal with these challenges, the University invited Marion to speak alongside Professor Richard Weller and government architect Steve Woodland.

Their combined presentations made compelling listening and added significance not just to the debate about the shape of future Perth but about the need to do something about it now, before it’s too late. Each of the three speakers summed up their key messages as follows:

Committee for Per th Insight | Issue 26: April 2011 14

The Western Edge case studies are extracted from information provided by creative workers in Perth, Vancouver and Glasgow who are participating in the Understanding the Creative Workforce survey. The case studies aim to highlight the integral role of creative workers within cities and the value that their work contributes to their local communities.

VJzoo and the serious business of creative practiceKat Black and Jasper Cook are Video Jockeys (VJs), which Kat describes as being ‘like a DJ but with video.’ Under the business name VJzoo, Kat and Jasper set music to film and make the impossible possible: for instance, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dancing to Lady GaGa. Their work is shown at nightclubs, public events and private viewings. They also specialise in projections onto buildings and they have undertaken work for organisations as diverse as the West Coast Eagles, Western Australian Museum and West Australian Ballet.

Kat describes the establishment of VJzoo as ‘a long, hard slog’ over a period of several years. A firm believer that ‘if you don’t value your own work, nobody else will’, she reinforces that ‘if you want art to be your profession, you have to charge a professional rate and act like a professional.’ One of the first challenges was to establish a local market.

‘We toured quite a lot overseas at that time, put our material on YouTube, and developed an international following – all before we were able to get venues/clients to book us as artists locally. The support of our peers and venues in Europe, the US and Asia helped us to gain the confidence that we were worth paying at a professional rate.’

A residency at the Llama Bar in Subiaco enabled Kat and Jasper to give up their day jobs and commit fully to their business.

‘Once we took that plunge and set our rate at a professional level, it started to snowball. We now have as much work as we can handle, and we regularly have to turn work away.’

Living in Perth has been both helpful and problematic for VJzoo. In particular, the physical isolation meant having to teach themselves about VJ work long before the days of YouTube. However, the isolation also resulted in a very distinctive style that is in contrast to VJs working in Europe.

Kat notes that ‘Perth people are a bit more conventional too, which helps once you have established your niche. I don’t think a venue in Melbourne or Sydney would host the same act every week for years on end – but that’s what works in Perth.’

The benefits of regular clients are somewhat countered by the expense of reaching interstate and overseas markets: ‘we have quite a strong international following online, but we can’t really make use of that. What we do needs to be done live, and physically getting us to an event in New York or wherever is expensive.’

The difficulty of accessing timely information and training has led VJzoo to develop resources for people who are starting out in the VJ business. Hosted on the website, one of the most rewarding experiences for Kat is ‘hearing from VJs around the world who learned with our resources’.

VJzoo are passionate about the importance of the arts to Western Australia, and they strongly believe that we would be a poorer society without them. ‘Imagine what rednecks we’d seem to the world if we didn’t have PIAF or the West Australian Ballet or the Art Gallery or WASO. If we didn’t produce world-class actors, dancers, bands, models, singers. Creative individuals contribute far more profile for the state internationally than all the iron ore we can dig out of the ground. The trick is getting them to stick around, because the loss of them is a real threat to the coolness of the culture here.’

The hard work required to earn their reputation and become well known has paid off, but for Kat and Jasper the most rewarding aspect of their work is making a living doing something they ‘absolutely love’.

Every single gig, we look at each other and say, ‘I can’t believe we get paid to do this’. Looking out at a crowd who are having a great time, and knowing that we’re helping to make that happen - that’s pretty damned awesome.

Tim Monaghan, owner of the Llama Bar, feels that engaging with artists such as VJZoo contributes to the entertainment mix at his venue; however, his rationale also relates to the much broader issue of fostering creativity in Perth. Strongly influenced by his time in Paris, which he refers to as a ‘cultural melting pot’, Tim comments on Perth’s cultural identity and creativity, and on the challenges faced by people seeking to foster them:

‘If you’re running a venue like this you’ve got a responsibility to facilitate different art forms, and VJZoo were the right people at the right time. Adding visual arts just adds that extra layer. Some of the people will just have the visuals in their peripheral vision and not pay much attention, while other people will really relate to it.

‘The biggest challenge as a venue owner is financial. If you didn’t have a pretty strong personal love of art, you probably wouldn’t bother. Putting on something new (new concept, new art form) takes a lot of time and energy to organise and promote, and help from passionate folks like VJzoo make this possible because they are willing to donate their time and creativity to develop local art in general, not just their own art. Inevitably the whole exercise runs at a loss for quite a while, and the level of pain while waiting for momentum to grow depends on how much you believe in the concept and how deep your pockets are. Often it never reaches that tipping point where it is financially sustainable, but I’m always happy we gave it a crack. Generally I find myself acting partly as a small business owner. ‘

15Committee for Per th Insight | Issue 26 April 2011

Museum of Old and New Art

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Continuing the idea of celebrating revitalisation and capturing the spirit of a place, don’t forget that our Passion for Perth photographic competition is open again for 2011.

The competition aims to depict year on year what residents and visitors to the city think represents the quintessential Perth lifestyle.

Full details of the competition are available at www.committeeforperth.com.au

Passion for Perth Photographic Competition

Cash prizes of up to $1500 will be awarded and the only restriction is that images must be taken in 2011.

2010 winning photoPerth’s Summer All Summed UpPhotographer: Elizabeth Reeves

The new and extravagant Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) carved into the limestone cliff face at Berriedale near Hobart lived up to its expectations with an equally extravagant opening in January this year.

$75 million dollars in the making, MONA is the home to a collection worth over $100 million, all of which belongs to David Walsh, making it Australia’s largest private museum.

Like the collector himself, the museum almost sets out to affront its visitors. Walsh has described it as a subversive adult Disneyland while MONA director Mark Fraser sees it as a place of discovery.

‘We aren’t telling people what to think,’ he says, ‘we don’t necessarily have a viewpoint ourselves, we just want to engage and have a bit of fun.’

‘There are a few more contentious pieces, some might even say shocking pieces but overall I think people are thinking, that’s what it’s about. If people think and talk and question each other, then we have succeeded.’

Mr Fraser said the collection combined fun pieces with others that dealt with topical issues such as sexuality and religion to a certain extent MONA dealt with taboos.

‘There are only two ways that human beings deal with awkward issues, we tell jokes and they can often manage rather risqué issues. And we allow artists to make art,’ he said.

Before visitors even get to confront the potentially controversial nature of some of the art, which includes ancient mummies and artefacts alongside magnificent contemporary works such as Sidney Nolan’s snake, they cannot help but be struck by the physical nature of the building in which it is housed.

Planted into the edge of a cliff, the building goes down seventeen metres underground with all the art housed in the cave-like atmosphere below. A mixture of high tech effects and installations, combined with an apparently haphazard layout that might see an ancient artefacts housed beside a multimedia presentation, ensures that guests are totally enthralled and immersed in the experience.

To further enhance their visit and to encourage and allow absolute honesty of feedback, guests move around the museum with the assistance of an ‘O’ – a touch screen mp3 player that provides all information about the art and allows immediate comment by the visitor. And all of this is for free as the museum has no admission charges.

Like most museums and galleries, you are invited to think as you view the exhibits, eat at either the restaurant or wine bar and drink by visiting the cellar door offering boutique wine and beer. What is slightly less common is the invitation to sleep there. MONA has eight super flash pavilions perched on the bank of the Derwent River named after Australian architects and artists. With exquisite details and facilities, they compliment perfectly all that the museum represents. The presence of the heated infinity pool, sauna and gym are sure to turn MONA into an entire destination.

MONA is very much a product of Walsh’s personality and passion and Fraser also hopes MONA will encourage similar projects inspired by a person’s passion. He said Australia could do with a little more private art patronage.

‘The United States and Europe have had a lot of this happening over 100 years ago,’ he said. ‘Australia is now a very wealthy country and has many people who can afford to do something on a MONA scale.’