It's PUB TIME people!

In preparation for a David and Goliath showdown at SAT (Appeal Tribunal), where $atterley’s lawyers have dragged North $toneville’s WA Planning Commission’s REJECTION for almost 1½ years, there’s been a heavy-weight recruitment…

$atterley returned to its old recruiting ground the WAPC, WA’s highest planning authority, to appoint Megan Adair to its starring role of Planning Director to lead $atterley’s drawn out mediation into 2022.

Megan replaces Ray Stokes, former 3-times WAPC Secretary who worked on North $toneville around 2002. Ray, too, later became $atterley’s Planning Director leading North $toneville, but exited without so much of a mention, last year… (Ray said he’d wait until WE ran out of steam)… pffft!

But like Ray, Megan knows a thing or two about the WAPC as a ‘WAPC Appointee’ on Govt Planning Committees 2018-2021. Megan was listed on WAPC’s July 2020 Committee to determine $atterley’s North $toneville master disaster plan, Megan became an ‘Apology’ but no reason was given. That Committee REJECTED North $toneville Megan continued on WAPC Committees till March 2021, including 6 months while $atterley’s Appeal against WAPC’s REJECTION was underway.

$atterley’s no doubt hoping for an Oscar Winning Performance from Megan at North $toneville’s Appeal hearings where she’ll sit alongside her partner Paul McQueen, who’s got the lead legal role as $atterley’s North $toneville lawyer…

We know this because Megan diligently declared ‘Disclosures of Interest’ on her Committees. We quote: “Ms Adair declared a PERCEIVED IMPARTIALITY INTEREST on (various dates) due to a personal relationship with Mr Paul McQueen, the Legal Counsel for the proponent.”

Paul and Megan already represented $atterley, together, at last October’s Appeal hearing. Their next scheduled partnered-appearance is March.

What do YOU think? - Should Megan have stepped down from WAPC Committees when $atterley’s WAPC Appeal, led by her partner, began in Sept 2020? (She stayed till March 2021). - Should Govt Appointees serve ‘time’ before taking up commercial roles that might benefit from their related experience? - How confident are you that WA’s Planning Processes are protected against competing private and commercial interests?

We’ve asked Planning Minister Rita Saffioti MLA similar questions, but 5 weeks and 2 letters later have had no reply…

Winter Bushfire

Here in WA we've experienced 4 major bushfires in just 4 weeks... Margaret River x2 Wooroloo Chittering

Close to us here in the Perth Hills, fire crews are continuing the important task of mopping up the burn area at Wooroloo/Chidlow. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Colorado has been enduring the Marshall Fire in the midst of... WINTER...

Firefighters could do nothing to stop the blaze…. 10’s of thousands have been evacuated and entire subdivisions have burned....as has an entire shopping centre. These fires came on the back of a very dry summer and were fanned by extremely strong winds. The only solution? Waiting for the forecast snow to stop the inferno. Over 600 houses are gone...

With fire seasons now overlapping internationally - will we be able to share firefighting resources in years to come as we have done? It seems unlikely... Our hearts go out to everyone impacted by fire across the world right now.

credit: https://www.instagram.com/p/CYKcnObPF_h/

Boxing Day Bushfires

*** Our thoughts are with those throughout our Hills’ Community affected by the Boxing Day Bushfires. And our heartfelt thanks go to all who are helping the ongoing firefighting and recovery efforts***

How was Boxing Day 2021 for you Nigel, and your $atterley team?

Up here more than 200 firefighters, including our own vollies, left their families to battle bushfires in 40+ degree heat around Wooroloo and Chidlow.

Many are still there - more than 24 hours later.

An estate, with just one road in and out, bordered by a Nature Reserve, (sound familiar?), was in big trouble.

One house has burned, some families spent the night in an evacuation centre (amid Covid restrictions), returning home to bushfire ravaged property.

Like the February Wooroloo bushfires, the DFES’ Warning Advice stretched to the borders of your North $toneville Disaster Plan.

A New Year looms, dragging you, your lawyers, WA’s taxpayers, and our Community, into what will be one and a half years of Appeals.

How many more bushfires do you need to prove your North $toneville plan is doomed - in every respect?

Your reputation is riding on this.

Along with people’s homes - and people’s lives.

These bushfires are warning you: Suburban style housing estates for more than 4000 people - such as ‘North $toneville’, are now DANGEROUS up here.

How much longer will you continue to IGNORE all the warnings?

One thing we do know:

Save Perth Hills will continue to fight to protect our Community from dangerous developments, such as North $toneville - for as long as it takes.