City of Gosnells Mayor Olwen Searle JP has called on both major political parties to pledge a boost to infrastructure funding in key growth areas after figures released today show Perth is growing faster than any other capital city in Australia.
“As a member council of the National Growth Areas Alliance, the City of Gosnells is urging the major political parties to focus on local infrastructure needs in the lead-up to this month’s Federal Election.
“Perth is experiencing near record rates of population growth and the City of Gosnells is no exception as the third fastest growth council in the outer metropolitan area.
“The level of unfunded major infrastructure projects has never been greater and without support now, high growth areas like the City of Gosnells will fall behind,” the Mayor said.
Despite the City’s strong rate of growth, it has remained in the State’s top quartile of financially viable local governments through careful economic management.
“We are proven to be sound financial managers but not even good budgeting will see us through the next 20 years, with an estimated population increase of 40,000,” Mayor Searle added.
“Already, the City’s growth has sparked a project backlog worth millions of dollars and the gap continues to widen between what we can fund and what our community needs.
“We have been well supported by the Federal Government in the past and we want to ensure that relationship continues as future funding assistance is vital to the City’s sustainability,” the Mayor said.
“New suburbs like Southern River and Canning Vale have had phenomenal growth in recent years and there are no signs of this slowing down with the City issuing more 3200 building licence approvals a year.
“With these new residential areas comes a need for the City to provide new roads, parks, footpaths, community centres and family services. At the same time, there is still a need to maintain infrastructure in established communities.
“Federal support is vital if we are to meet the demand for road projects in particular, the $4 million widening of Garden Street, between Nicholson Road and Warton Road – a major traffic link for big growth suburbs.
Mayor Searle said the National Growth Areas Alliance was about getting financial support for well run, high growth councils.
“Given the City’s financial track record and strong partnership the Federal Government, I am confident that whoever wins the Federal Election will understand the benefit of providing additional funding so that the City may continue to build strong, vibrant communities.”
Key unfunded projects in the City of Gosnells:
$2.5 million – widening of Corfield Street, Gosnells (Verna Street to Eileen Street)
$2.5 million – bridge duplication (Burslem Drive, Maddington)
$250,000 – traffic signals (Albany Highway-Gosnells Road West intersection)
$1.25 million – widening of Burslem Drive (Olga Road to Albany Highway)
$125,000 – roundabout at Gosnells Road West-Alcock Street intersection
$95,000 – roundabout at Alcock Street-Flax Street-Harmony Fields access
$636,000 – to begin Walter Padbury Reseve redevelopment
as posted on COGsite
Friday, 16 November 2007
Thursday, 15 November 2007
for the record ...
Gosnells City Council uses FTR Gold® to improve the efficiency of
fortnightly meetings
Organisation Overview
The City of Gosnells, Western Australia is located 17 kilometres southeast of Perth, the state capital. It encompasses 127 square kilometres, an area about the same size as Paris, and continues to grow rapidly. About 40% of the city area remains undeveloped, but officials anticipate that over AU$1.8 billion commercial and residential development will take place during the next ten years.
Organisational Challenge
As the decision-making body of such a fast-growing city, it falls to the mayor and councillors to manage and facilitate the bidding and funds allocation for projects such as the revitalization of the downtown business district, the renovation of the civic centre and public buildings, and redevelopment of older suburbs to encourage new growth.
Council officers identified the need for recording meetings following several challenges by Councillors as to the accuracy of the minutes. On several occasions, it was alleged that what had been stated at a meeting and what was actually printed in the minutes was completely different, with the recording of comment being open to the interpretation of the minute taker. Consequently, in order to overcome unnecessary dispute, Council officers decided to record proceedings, and began to evaluate appropriate products.
Technology Solution
After considering several solutions, the council decided FTR Gold would best suit its needs. The product was far superior to any other assessed and was chosen for its: ease of use, excellent clarity of recordings, immediate playback facility, compatibility with existing software, instant access to previous recordings, ability to copy part or whole recordings with ease, and its capability of hyperlinking recording times into Microsoft Word™ documents.
The councillors were also impressed by FTR Log Notes,™ a component of the FTR Gold suite, because it’d enable them to take notes during proceedings or while listening to previously recorded audio, and use the notes to refer back to the record.
The Gosnells City Council installed FTR Gold on a standard PC along with Microsoft Office™. They linked the PC to a conference recording microphone system, plugged the microphones into an audio mixer, and configured the sound card in the PC to work with the microphones and audio mixer. The agenda for every city council meeting is created in Microsoft Word™ with hyperlinks alongside the topics for discussion. When activated, each hyperlink refers the listener to the location in the record where that topic was discussed so the listener can hear the corresponding audio. According to Pamela Campbell,
Manager Information Services for the City of Gosnells, there are no more arguments about what was actually said at meetings. “All we have to do is use the FTR Gold system to find and play exactly what was said,” she says.”
Operational Results
The Gosnells City Council has been using the FTR Gold system since August 2001 and has seen a marked improvement in the efficiency of its meetings. Besides solving the problem about “who actually said what at meetings,” FTR Gold has helped make council meetings more orderly.
as posted on ForTheRecord
fortnightly meetings
Organisation Overview
The City of Gosnells, Western Australia is located 17 kilometres southeast of Perth, the state capital. It encompasses 127 square kilometres, an area about the same size as Paris, and continues to grow rapidly. About 40% of the city area remains undeveloped, but officials anticipate that over AU$1.8 billion commercial and residential development will take place during the next ten years.
Organisational Challenge
As the decision-making body of such a fast-growing city, it falls to the mayor and councillors to manage and facilitate the bidding and funds allocation for projects such as the revitalization of the downtown business district, the renovation of the civic centre and public buildings, and redevelopment of older suburbs to encourage new growth.
Council officers identified the need for recording meetings following several challenges by Councillors as to the accuracy of the minutes. On several occasions, it was alleged that what had been stated at a meeting and what was actually printed in the minutes was completely different, with the recording of comment being open to the interpretation of the minute taker. Consequently, in order to overcome unnecessary dispute, Council officers decided to record proceedings, and began to evaluate appropriate products.
Technology Solution
After considering several solutions, the council decided FTR Gold would best suit its needs. The product was far superior to any other assessed and was chosen for its: ease of use, excellent clarity of recordings, immediate playback facility, compatibility with existing software, instant access to previous recordings, ability to copy part or whole recordings with ease, and its capability of hyperlinking recording times into Microsoft Word™ documents.
The councillors were also impressed by FTR Log Notes,™ a component of the FTR Gold suite, because it’d enable them to take notes during proceedings or while listening to previously recorded audio, and use the notes to refer back to the record.
The Gosnells City Council installed FTR Gold on a standard PC along with Microsoft Office™. They linked the PC to a conference recording microphone system, plugged the microphones into an audio mixer, and configured the sound card in the PC to work with the microphones and audio mixer. The agenda for every city council meeting is created in Microsoft Word™ with hyperlinks alongside the topics for discussion. When activated, each hyperlink refers the listener to the location in the record where that topic was discussed so the listener can hear the corresponding audio. According to Pamela Campbell,
Manager Information Services for the City of Gosnells, there are no more arguments about what was actually said at meetings. “All we have to do is use the FTR Gold system to find and play exactly what was said,” she says.”
Operational Results
The Gosnells City Council has been using the FTR Gold system since August 2001 and has seen a marked improvement in the efficiency of its meetings. Besides solving the problem about “who actually said what at meetings,” FTR Gold has helped make council meetings more orderly.
as posted on ForTheRecord
Wednesday, 14 November 2007
Gosnells man missing for eight days
POLICE are seeking the whereabouts of a 38-year-old Gosnells man who was last seen on the afternoon of Tuesday, November 6.
Noel James Acton is described as being 174cm tall, of slim build with long black hair and brown eyes.
Mr Acton was last seen when he attended an appointment at 4.30pm on the afternoon of Tuesday, November 6.
He failed to turn up for work at a Maddington engineering business the next day.
Mr Acton’s car was later located unlocked at his Gosnells residence, and his belongings remain untouched.
Family and friends are concerned for Mr Acton’s welfare, as they consider his disappearance unusual and out of character.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Mr Acton is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
as posted on PerthNow
Monday, 12 November 2007
Police searching for missing man
POLICE are seeking information about the whereabouts of a man, missing from his Gosnells home since Tuesday.
Noel Acton was last seen at 10am on Tuesday, November 6 when he drove his nephew to Rockingham.
Police believe he returned home to his Rudall Place property, where he left his car but has not been seen since.
Mr Acton did not attend work at a Maddington engineering company on Tuesday.
"He hasn't touched his car and he hasn't touched his belongings since,'' police spokeswoman Ros Weatherall said.
"It is totally out of character and his family are very concerned for his welfare,'' she said.
Mr Acton is described as being 174cm tall, of slim build with long black hair and brown eyes.
Anyone with information about his whereabouts is urged to call CrimeStoppers on 1800 333 000.
as posted on news.com.au
Noel Acton was last seen at 10am on Tuesday, November 6 when he drove his nephew to Rockingham.
Police believe he returned home to his Rudall Place property, where he left his car but has not been seen since.
Mr Acton did not attend work at a Maddington engineering company on Tuesday.
"He hasn't touched his car and he hasn't touched his belongings since,'' police spokeswoman Ros Weatherall said.
"It is totally out of character and his family are very concerned for his welfare,'' she said.
Mr Acton is described as being 174cm tall, of slim build with long black hair and brown eyes.
Anyone with information about his whereabouts is urged to call CrimeStoppers on 1800 333 000.
as posted on news.com.au
Sunday, 11 November 2007
Child killer Dante Arthurs stalked up to 12 girls
CHILD killer Dante Arthurs was stalking up to a dozen girls shortly before he murdered eight-year-old Sofia Rodriguez-Urrutia Shu in Canning Vale last year.
Only now can it be revealed that just days after Sophia's murder on June 26, 2006, The Sunday Times interviewed the parents of sisters - then aged 11 and 13 - whose names were on a hit list compiled by Arthurs.
Two days after the then 21-year-old Arthur's arrest on June 27, police visited a Huntingdale family with the chilling news that their daughters' names and other details were on the list.
The police visit led to the frightening revelation that Arthurs had already phoned the girls' grand-uncle, asking if he knew where the girls lived.
"The police showed us a bit of paper with all the addresses on and everything,'' the girls' mother, who wished to remain anonymous, said.
"He (Arthurs) had both of our girls' names, (their) uncles and cousins' names, phone numbers and addresses where he'd tried hunting them down.
"My husband went around to his uncle's house and saw him and he told him he'd had a call for the girls there. The uncle had spoken to (Arthurs), but had no idea (who he was).
"He got pretty close. We're in Huntingdale and they're in Gosnells _ one suburb away.
"It's bad enough trying to take one child away from any family: what were his plans _ trying to take two away from one family? That's just sick.''
During Arthurs' sentencing on Wednesday, prosecutor Sam Vandongen told the WA Supreme Court police had found photographs and details of potential child victims during a raid on his home.
"There was a bag with documents containing photographs and details of a number of young girls and female clothing in small sizes,'' Mr Vandongen said.
Arthurs had collected ages, addresses and directions to their homes. The bag also contained gloves, handcuffs, packing tape, a rope and a small knife.
Judge John McKechnie sentenced Arthurs to life in prison with a minimum of 13 years.
But it also emerged during sentencing that he had been let off another child sex assault in 2003 by a bungled police investigation.
On Thursday, Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan admitted police "may have blood on their hands'' after Arthurs went on to kill Sofia.
"If the cops had done their job properly, that little girl would probably still be alive,'' the Huntingdale mother said of Arthurs' first arrest.
"A friend of ours, her friend's daughter, was also on the list _ that's three girls we know of.
"It's taken all this time for them to let the public know about these other girls' names.
"They showed us a pile of girls' names. We saw photos.
"They were all under 15 and each girl had their own file.
"He had all the girls' details. Some were in his own handwriting.''
The mother said both her daughters had been models, so she suspected that was how Arthurs had found them.
"They've both done modelling and their photos were plastered everywhere,'' she said.
"They won't even do any of that now _ they won't do anything. They don't go out hardly any more and if they do, they go out with a big group.
"Just three weeks ago, my youngest burst into tears on her way to school and wouldn't go. She goes, `I can't walk to school, I'm scared _ it feels like someone's watching me'.
"They're petrified. They're still doing it really hard. In the past few months they've even dreamed of him.
"My oldest ... saw (Arthurs) on the news the other night and goes, `I don't want to know about it _ leave me alone!', and shut herself in her room, bawled her eyes out and didn't talk to anyone all night.''
Though both girls received psychological counselling after being told they were targets, they still suffer nightmares 18 months on.
The mother said it had torn the family apart. ``When the police spoke to my (eldest) daughter she just cracked. She lost it. She broke down and cried,'' she said.
The father said: ``It felt like someone had ripped my heart straight out of me.
"When they showed me those names on that piece of paper I couldn't talk to them _ every time I spoke, I cried. My daughters could have been raped or killed.''
as posted on PerthNow
Only now can it be revealed that just days after Sophia's murder on June 26, 2006, The Sunday Times interviewed the parents of sisters - then aged 11 and 13 - whose names were on a hit list compiled by Arthurs.
Two days after the then 21-year-old Arthur's arrest on June 27, police visited a Huntingdale family with the chilling news that their daughters' names and other details were on the list.
The police visit led to the frightening revelation that Arthurs had already phoned the girls' grand-uncle, asking if he knew where the girls lived.
"The police showed us a bit of paper with all the addresses on and everything,'' the girls' mother, who wished to remain anonymous, said.
"He (Arthurs) had both of our girls' names, (their) uncles and cousins' names, phone numbers and addresses where he'd tried hunting them down.
"My husband went around to his uncle's house and saw him and he told him he'd had a call for the girls there. The uncle had spoken to (Arthurs), but had no idea (who he was).
"He got pretty close. We're in Huntingdale and they're in Gosnells _ one suburb away.
"It's bad enough trying to take one child away from any family: what were his plans _ trying to take two away from one family? That's just sick.''
During Arthurs' sentencing on Wednesday, prosecutor Sam Vandongen told the WA Supreme Court police had found photographs and details of potential child victims during a raid on his home.
"There was a bag with documents containing photographs and details of a number of young girls and female clothing in small sizes,'' Mr Vandongen said.
Arthurs had collected ages, addresses and directions to their homes. The bag also contained gloves, handcuffs, packing tape, a rope and a small knife.
Judge John McKechnie sentenced Arthurs to life in prison with a minimum of 13 years.
But it also emerged during sentencing that he had been let off another child sex assault in 2003 by a bungled police investigation.
On Thursday, Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan admitted police "may have blood on their hands'' after Arthurs went on to kill Sofia.
"If the cops had done their job properly, that little girl would probably still be alive,'' the Huntingdale mother said of Arthurs' first arrest.
"A friend of ours, her friend's daughter, was also on the list _ that's three girls we know of.
"It's taken all this time for them to let the public know about these other girls' names.
"They showed us a pile of girls' names. We saw photos.
"They were all under 15 and each girl had their own file.
"He had all the girls' details. Some were in his own handwriting.''
The mother said both her daughters had been models, so she suspected that was how Arthurs had found them.
"They've both done modelling and their photos were plastered everywhere,'' she said.
"They won't even do any of that now _ they won't do anything. They don't go out hardly any more and if they do, they go out with a big group.
"Just three weeks ago, my youngest burst into tears on her way to school and wouldn't go. She goes, `I can't walk to school, I'm scared _ it feels like someone's watching me'.
"They're petrified. They're still doing it really hard. In the past few months they've even dreamed of him.
"My oldest ... saw (Arthurs) on the news the other night and goes, `I don't want to know about it _ leave me alone!', and shut herself in her room, bawled her eyes out and didn't talk to anyone all night.''
Though both girls received psychological counselling after being told they were targets, they still suffer nightmares 18 months on.
The mother said it had torn the family apart. ``When the police spoke to my (eldest) daughter she just cracked. She lost it. She broke down and cried,'' she said.
The father said: ``It felt like someone had ripped my heart straight out of me.
"When they showed me those names on that piece of paper I couldn't talk to them _ every time I spoke, I cried. My daughters could have been raped or killed.''
as posted on PerthNow
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