MINISTER WORRIED ABOUT COUNCIL BULLYING

 

Bullying of local Councillors and council staff is so frequent that even Local Government Minister David Templeman is concerned about it.

The minister expressed in a speech that he was disturbed about the abuse and he believed that the mob mentality of some has the potential to hinder councils to function properly.

It is a sad fact that social media is full of often unwarranted attacks, innuendo, name-calling and conspiracy of Elected Members and Council officers. We frequently see the mainly uniformed members of our community making outrageous statements about Fremantle Council on social media.

It is a real shame, because social media such as Freo Massive has so much potential to connect people within seconds, create a support base in our communities, help find lost dogs, inform about upcoming events and newly opened retailers, etc. but social media far too often is antisocial media and has become a platform for haters, trolls and bullies.

Councillors get attacked everywhere, not just in Freo, and that is fine as long as it is fair.  I don’t have an issue with scrutinising our democratically elected members and telling them what we believe they should be doing, or what we believe they have got wrong, but the absolute fact of politics is that no one in any form of government will ever be able to please everyone in the community and 100 per cent of voters.

What is essential though, and far too often overlooked, is that one should at least get one’s facts right before making outrageous and often defamatory claims.

I am not sure that Minister David Templeman will be able to find solutions to protect our officers and Councillors better from attacks on social media, so stricter moderation rules might have to apply.

Roel Loopers

 

FREMANTLE’S SAFETY A WORRY FOR TRADERS AND SHOPPERS

 

FREO NOW-formerly BID-are writing to the Minister for Police and WA Police Commissioner about the escalating safety issues in Fremantle.

Shop owners are fed up with shop lifting, violence, anti-social behaviour and foul language in the CBD and want more police presence on the streets and stronger action taken.

Only a few months ago Fremantle residents and business owners were told that the crime statistics for Fremantle had been going down steadily, but that does not appear to be the case when one hears of a woman being assaulted at Mills Records and an armed robbery at Rip Curl.

Drug dealing and anti-social behaviour are daily occurrences in High Street near the backpackers on the corner of Henry Street, and so is shop-lifting all over the CBD.

When people feel unsafe in the inner city of Fremantle they will not come for shopping or to enjoy the entertainment our city often has on offer, so more needs to be done by WA Police because the City of Fremantle unfairly gets the flack for it.

More police walking the beat is essential to deter and prevent crime, but from my observations fewer officers are on the streets now than six months ago.

Our traders are doing it tough as it is, so they don’t need more stress and worries and getting abused by out of control vagrants.

Roel Loopers

SHEEP SHAME SHIP BACK IN BUSINESS

 

 

The Awassi Express is back at berth at North Quay in Fremantle Port and ready to be loaded with thousands of sheep again, after she made national headlines for the animal cruelty on board the ship, that was leaked by a whistleblower.

I believe that the photos and videos we are confronted with now and then are just the tip of the iceberg and that this happens far more often than the public is aware.

We also need to acknowledge that different cultures have different standards of animal care and if Australians don’t like the conditions the sheep and cattle face when being transported to the Middle East and elsewhere we need to stop the live trade from our country.

We have heard too often that conditions will improve and that animal cruelty will never happen again, until it happened again.

Roel Loopers

Stop Press: Latest news on Friday morning is that the ship will sail out empty from Fremantle but might take cattle on board in Broome, according to media reports.

 

 

LIVE SHEEP SHIP BLOCKED FROM LEAVING FREMANTLE

 

 

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority(AMSA) last night blocked the departure from Fremantle Port of the live sheep carrier Awassi Express after serious concerns were raised on the 60 Minutes TV program about more than 2,000 sheep dying from heat exhaustion on a previous trip of the vessel.

The operators have been forced to reduce the number of sheep by 17.5 per cent to only 57,000 and improve the airflow for the animals. They will also be required to have a government appointed observer on board.

Fremantle federal MP Josh Wilson said that the live export industry is fundamentally rotten and that we have been lied to for 15 years.

Roel Loopers

 

HUGE FREO GARAGE SALE ON SUNDAY

Check out this big GARAGE SALE in Fremantle on Sunday morning! My friends are relocating to France, so there is heaps for sale!

Huge Garage Sale on Sunday 29th November from 6.30 – 2pm at 15 Maxwell Street, Beaconsfield.

Massive clear out of household goods. Items include:- pictures, paintings, new age/self developments books and CD’s, ornaments, clothes, plants, jewellery, glasses, kitchenware, wrought iron balustrade, Iranian Pottery, lead light window, lamps, cushions, Inspirational magnets and photographic prints (great Xmas presents, ladies bike, Playstations and Wii Fit plus singstar etc, blue and white china, collectables…Many upmarket items for sale.