SCRAP THE DAP founder Julie Matheson says she’ll run as an independent for Fremantle at next year’s state election.

The Subiaco councillor believes the Barnett government’s controversial development assessment panels will have a devastating impact on the city’s heritage buildings.

“I see tourism, especially from cruise ships, being the the future of Fremantle, not in-fill,” she says.

“People want to visit this city because of its history and heritage: two qualities which are in danger of being eroded.

“DAPs are not the answer for Fremantle; they are trojans horses, hiding a flawed ideology that promotes in-fill at any cost.”

• Julie Matheson

Subiaco is one of a growing number of councils which have passed motions calling for DAPs to be scrapped completely. Fremantle is considering calling for a review, but Ms Matheson says it should rethink that position and go for broke.

“It’s an opportunity missed,” she says.

“This flawed process has already been reviewed and tossed around for months at the expense of the taxpayer. Why waste more time and money doing the same thing again?

“Fremantle should be leading the way, as a so-called progressive council.

Ms Matheson founded Scrap the DAP in 2012 over the approval of a 16-storey tower at the Pavilion Markets site in Subiaco.

She was the first councillor to table an abolish the DAP motion in the metropolitan region.

Born and raised in the Pilbara, she holidayed in Fremantle as a child and attended a Save the Roundhouse rally many moons ago.

“Key to boosting tourism in Fremantle is having a new modern passenger terminal for cruise ships,” she says.

“We need a terminal that will reflect our status as being the number one cruise ship destination in Australia.

“A focus on cruise ships stops the need for the $1.2 billion dollar wastage on Roe 8 and there will be no need for container and sheep ships at Fremantle. These ships will be moved to Kwinana as part of its plans to be an industrial centre and port.”

Ms Matheson says she is in the final stages of registering her political party, Julie Matheson for Western Australia.She unsuccessfully ran as a senate independent in this year’s federal election and for the Greens in the Pilbara in 2013.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK