The elephant on the stage

I AM briefly visiting from North Queensland.

I’ve taken the time to read cover-to-cover the Fremantle Herald. 

Rowan Keene’s excellent article (“Why Fringe is a farce,” Thinking Allowed, February 1) addresses the “elephant in the room” for many such events throughout our country. 

Thank you. 

Erin Menkens

Toothless?

FREMANTLE council together with the WA government are apparently installing a shark exclusion net at Bathers Beach in Fremantle.

It was originally to be installed in the summer if 2023/24 but was delayed and postponed to be installed in October 2025. Signage was erected in anticipation of installation. 

November 2025 the shark net still had not been installed and signage was removed following enquiries to the City about the absence of the net.

Early December 2025 enquiries to the City resulted in advice saying the net would be installed before the end of the year. Signage again installed saying barrier was in place.

Late January navigation markers installed indicating intended location of the net and some sea bed infrastructure (weights and chains) 

December 31, 2025 – still no barrier installed.

SailGP January 17/18, 2026 – still no barrier in place. 

People have been swimming at Bathers Beach for the past two months thinking there is a shark barrier installed. 

The signage erected by the City says its there but it isn’t.

What if someone was actually bitten by a shark at the beach? 

Or maybe the council doesn’t actually think there is any shark risk at Bathers Beach.

If so why install a barrier at all? Cost? Maintenance? 

Another City of Fremantle fiasco

Steven Atwell

Ed says: Necessary or not, we can report that after delays for various things such as “last-minute design changes”, “weather” and “other unforeseen circumstances”, the net was finally installed this week. Safe swimming, folks.

A Venezuelan perspective

IN reply to Barry Healy’s article Venezuela: of mice, minions and Revolution (Thinking Allowed, January 16): I, as Venezuelan bred, want to point out errors and inconsistencies expressed in the article. 

Venezuelan real democracy started from 1959 and ended after 2000 when Chavez ascended to power, resulting in the long running, indefinite re-election to ensure Chavez could stay in power forever. 

But cancer stopped that. 

Instead, Maduro stayed in power indefinitely up to now. 

Venezuela’s democracy starting 1959 resulted in free schooling, even at University level, which I enjoyed in 1990s and analphabetism being reduced drastically. 

The petrodollars made it happen.

Third, all elections were fair, had secret ballots and were universal (in fact Chavez was elected president and he reigned as a King thereafter), meaning even analphabets could vote before Chávez reigned.

This is true because each political party was assigned a colour allowing analphabets to vote for their party, even though they could not read. 

This is in sharp contradiction with Mr Healy’s assertion that a 70-year analphabet woman could never vote.

And fourth, Chávez’s university system was of low quality because the only requirement to be a teacher was to be loyal to him.

Finally, Simón Bolivar did not die in Caracas. 

He died in what is known now as Santa Marta, Colombia – formerly La Gran Colombia. 

Thinking is allowed; but research is a must before putting pen on paper.

Peter Hille

All about law

I FOUND the article about some Venezuelans’ concerns about the Hands Off Venezuela protest in the city following the outrageous actions of the Trump regime interesting. 

Obviously the people of Venezuela, both there and here in Australia, will have different views about the situation there, and the unprovoked attack and kidnapping of president Madura. 

But the protest wasn’t, as Sophie McNeill points out, about this. 

It was simply drawing attention to and condemning the blatant disregard of Trump for international law and the sovereignty of states. 

This is a very real issue for Australia when we see our government spending $billions on creating military bases for the US on our soil, essentially giving away even more of our sovereignty, and dumping nuclear and its waste on us. 

That’s without any mandate or proper process for considering any of the implications socially, environmentally or politically.

I suspect the AUKUS rort has much to do with the exceedingly limp response by our prime minister to Trump’s outrage. It’s shameful!

Louis de Villiers

Heartbroken

I HAVE resided in this town more than less for almost four decades and am heartbroken at the deterioration of this city by the sea. 

The increasing numbers of homeless people, the noisy vehicles, the filthy streetscape and an increasing neglect of  our heritage buildings. 

I am surely not alone in feeling let down by our community leaders, business people as well as those who shrug their shoulders in disinterest or angry defence at my audacity to open the topic. 

There is no discussion of how ignoring public health issues compromises the community. 

Traversing streets that are used as public conveniences is disgusting and the distress of seeing human beings in desperate mental states increasing is more than devastating. 

Move on notices for bad behaviour is no answer and the emphasis on drug use legal and illegal does not solve anything.

There are other factors which can devastate communities when basic health standards are ignored. 

It’s not that long ago that tuberculosis, scarlet fever, scabies, and other infectious diseases were rampant. I am old enough to speak from first hand experience and not something I want to see return.

Fay Kennedy

Sound idea

IN a recent edition, John wrote about Ringalings, the noise made by cars and motorcycles. 

If the WA government were to introduce mandatory vehicle inspections, as in other states, we wouldn’t have to resort to dangerous methods like recording license plates, the road name, and the time to report problems like noise, smoke, etc. 

Introduce these inspections for cars, buses, and motorcycles in the coming years to create a cleaner and safer environment.

Elly Spillekom

Indi winner

BEING a visitor to Fremantle, I was thrilled to read your excellent community paper. 

I’m a huge fan of community newspapers which aren’t owned by corporations. 

Thanks for the publication.

Simon Alderton
Byron Bay

Ed says: Thanks Simon, we’re pretty big fans of them as well.

Axe the idea

LAST week I witnessed six council workers and one contractor cutting down 20 to 30 ft high healthy green young pines in Robert Smith Park, Winthrop.

When approached by me, a resident of the suburb for 39 years and living five doors up from the park, enquiring as to what they were doing, I was advised they were conducting a tree felling course. 

This is unbelievable, cutting down healthy pines when there are a multitude of dead pines, large logs on the ground and even some dead pines leaning up against others just waiting for strong winds so they can fall on someone going by. 

Who in the council is stupid enough to sanction this?

The City of Melville has not spent money on that park in all the years we have lived here apart from developing the green open space area, which they said they had no plans for at the time so 50 residents and their families were instrumental in clearing that area of car bodies, parts, small logs, dead bushes and general rubbish with our bare hands over a very rainy weekend and bring it all to the verges for council to collect because they said they had no plans!

The council was embarrassed by the success of our efforts and amazed at what we achieved, they couldn’t even do a cleanup and it was left to us as bluff.

We then compelled council to first establish water and after that the green free space that is used and loved by locals and others alike took shape over time.

NOW they are cutting down green pine trees and not replacing them immediately with native trees. 

I say immediately because they are always ‘’gunna’’ do something but it never happens. 

This action should be brought to the public’s attention as its my view the council is incompetent.

The treed areas should be cleared of fallen and falling timber, dead standing timber and some serious planting of native trees NOW. 

Any green tree no matter what the type is better for our environment than none, but cutting down healthy green trees defies logic .

Mark Kendle

Not a rocker

WHILST it’s an age old problem, I would like to support any attempt to clean up the rocks / concrete rubble along the shore line from Port to Leyton Beach. 

I would like the government to consider initiatives similar to Surfers Paradise Beach where daily combing (by tractor) of the beach is conducted. 

I believe a targeted approach would work better; ie focus on the summer and winter shore line and rock grouping. 

The rubble is not breaking down as forecast and is murderous on the feet for all ages for too long.

Simon