• Phil Eva wants more focus on Yangebup and Spearwood less on Cockburn Central and the coast.
Phil Eva says Cockburn council must look after its older suburbs better and not pour all its money into Cockburn Central and the coast.
The 50-year-old is contesting central ward at next month’s council elections.
“There isn’t a lot of infrastructure getting built in the central ward, it’s all going to the east,” he says.
“The move of the bowling club to Visko Park doesn’t look like it’s going to go ahead. That would’ve been a great facility for the people of Yangebup.
“Look at the revitalisation of Spearwood—if it’s going to go ahead then council needs to get on with.
“Look at the Joe Cooper centre which is a great facility, it will be closed down in the future. I don’t think it should be as it’s needed in our area.”
The Yangebup local opposes the Roe 8 extension, saying any road through the Beeliar wetlands is a “terrible idea”.
“I mean 98 hectares will be cleared from the jewel in the crown in Cockburn” he says, “but I don’t think it will happen because I don’t think the state government has any money. They have enough problems at the moment.”
Mr Eva is a staffer for Cockburn Labor MP Fran Logan but says he’s running as a local, not a party member.
“It’s not like I’ve just moved into the area and haven’t been part of it for a long time,” he says.
“I’ve been involved with the Yangebup Progress Association, I was involved with Water Corp, I was P&C president of the local school, I was the local tee ball coach and I was the footy coach.
“I’m happily involved—I know the people in the area, I know the issues in the area and If anything it will be a benefit with Fran, because I know the issues with people.”
He’s keen to tackle Cockburn Cement, saying despite bag house filters being placed on kilns five and six, locals are still being smothered in dust and soot.
“Hopefully kilns three and four will be moving to Kwinana because they are past their used-by-date,” he says. “Basically we need to get dates when they will be removed because at the moment ever one in the community wants to know what’s going on.
“And at the moment five and six are not working properly.”
Mr Eva says hooning in the southern suburbs is out of control.
“There was a crash on Barrington Street last night and there was six police cars in attendance. I’m saying Barrington Street as an example because I live on Barrington Street, where people just belt up and down there, but there was a crash on Spearwood Avenue, and I think it was the fourth car to come off the road there in the past two years.”
by BRENDAN FOSTER