https://www.facebook.com/Vote1DaveLee

Dave Lee, 1324 Hay Street, West Perth (2026)

05/06/2026

West Perth’s quiet shift nobody’s talking about … where have all the women gone?

Walk through West Perth at lunchtime and something feels a little off, the cafés are open, restaurants are busy, the streets still hum, yet the crowd feels incomplete, where is the other half?

Before Covid, offices drew a diverse mix of people into the city daily, that’s changed. Men still gather for meetings, coffees, beers and food, but many women seem to be elsewhere, working from home, managing family commitments, or choosing suburban hubs closer to where they live.

Getting people back isn’t just about offices, West Perth needs to feel safe, vibrant, and genuinely welcoming, better parking, more safety, some life on weekends and evenings and shops and businesses that actually serve women and families.

A precinct that works for everyone is how we recapture the diversity and energy that once made this neighbourhood worth coming to.

Next time you’re out for lunch or walking past a café in West Perth, have a look. What do you see in your part of the city?

03/06/2026

Ready to contribute to better parking for your business and customers?

The city has a parking survey out to help develop a more integrated parking plan, including better off-street parking solutions

There are opportunities for residents, businesses and visitors to contribute

Check it out here:
https://engage.perth.wa.gov.au/parking-strategic-business-plan

31/05/2026

Activation and vibrancy won’t happen by itself, it's time for the City of Perth to start doing. 💪

What could we do to help:

1. 🤝 Coordinated Rough Sleeper Support A dedicated overnight outreach team visiting West Perth, Crawley-Nedlands, Northbridge, East Perth, Claisebrook & Central Perth, offering real help, not move-on notices. Partner with State Government for a truly shared response to homelessness.

2. 💡 Switch On "Light It Up" The neighbourhood plan already names a dynamic lighting installation for Hay Street & Kings Park Road, let's deliver it. Extend street lighting and CCTV to Thomas Street and piggyback on the approved two-way Hay Street works to run cables now, for current and future needs. Zero additional planning required.

3. 🏪 Activate Vacant Shopfronts on Hay Street A short-term licence scheme giving artists, food vendors or community groups 3–6 months in empty shopfronts costs almost nothing and generates foot traffic fast. Both the Capital City Plan and West Perth Precinct Plan already call for this, the City's streamlined approvals process can make it happen quickly.

4. 🚶 A Walking Trail: West Perth → Kings Park → Nedlands → Claisebrook→ East Perth → CBD Simple wayfinding signage, seating and place-name markers across the city could be delivered within months. Connect it via the CAT bus to Matagarup Bridge and Point Fraser, linking people across our city. 🌿

5. 🎶 A Regular Weekend Market or Evening Event in the West Perth Precinct, a monthly evening market with local food, makers, live music, paddock-to-plate directly delivers on the Capital City Plan's 24/7 city goal. Start slow, start somewhere, why not West Perth?

These are 5 activation ideas for West Perth & City of Perth neighbourhoods; I’d love to hear yours.

31/05/2026

Activation ideas for West Perth and our City of Perth Neighbourhoods

Sometimes it feels so quiet in the evenings, on the weekends and on Saturdays in the City, how can we make it better?

🌟 It's time for West Perth to come alive on weekends and at night and the West Perth Precinct Plan explicitly calls for exactly that: a "weekend and evening economy.

We must start somewhere, why not West Perth?
How could we do it? 👇

🌙 A monthly evening market could help, with local food, makers and creators, artists and live music, starting small, growing into something unique that delivers on the Capital City Plan's 24/7 city vibrancy goals.

🥘 Paddock-to-plate food from WA growers
🎸 Live local music and local acts
🛍️ Local makers and artisan stalls

👨‍👩‍👧 A genuine community gathering place, great for locals and visitors alike

🗓️ The roadmap is simple: a monthly pilot to start, fortnightly by year two, and one day a weekly West Perth institution.

People outside, meeting, eating, having fun, this isn't a new idea, but it's an overdue one.

💬 Community voice turns plans into reality, share this or your own ideas with your neighbours in your area, your network, and your City of Perth councillor, our city isn't going to activate itself.

31/05/2026

City activation can be more about waiting for people to visit and maybe it’s time to find new ways to connect City of Perth's neighbourhoods, one step at a time

Perth has something remarkable hiding in plain sight, tucked between the sweeping green lungs of Kings Park and the buzzing heart of the CBD, West Perth sits at the natural crossroads of our city, while on the outskirts like Royal Street in East Perth or Hampden Road in Nedland, these are perfect starting points for something genuinely transformative.

Across our neighbourhoods, walking groups and coffee catch-ups are already happening every week, locals lace up their shoes, visitors ask where to explore, newcomers look for a way in so what's missing isn't the people, it's the thread that connects them.

A Walking Trail Worth Taking
Imagine a simple, well-marked trail linking West Perth, Kings Park, the CBD and other neighbourhoods on the outskirts, clear wayfinding signage, comfortable seating, public amenities, along with place-name markers around the city that turn a pleasant walk into a genuine experience of place, nothing extravagant, just something the City of Perth could begin delivering within months.

Connecting the whole City
Pair this trail with the CAT bus network and the journey extends further across to the iconic Matagarup Bridge, out to Point Fraser, and deeper into the neighbourhoods that make this city more of what it is or could be, safe, accessible, free, and welcoming to everyone, but our public transport needs to be safe.

For Our Walking and Coffee Communities
A connected trail doesn't just give our groups a new route, it gives them a reason to cross paths, discover a new suburb, and welcome a visitor into the fold, that's how cities come alive.

I’ve experienced this myself over the last few years traveling around to our city neighbourhoods, meeting people for lunch or coffee, then inviting them to meet with me up in West Perth, it’s so nice and many have returned later on their own with family and friends to the same spots that maybe they didn’t know about before.

It's time to start doing
The vision for Perth in 2036 isn't built on reports alone, it's built on moments, the morning walk through Kings Park or along the river front, the coffee with a stranger, the tourist who discovers our city on foot and tells everyone back home.

Activation won’t happen by itself City of Perth, it's time to start doing, West Perth is ready as are our neighbourhoods around the whole city, the trail is obvious and easy, the community is waiting.

31/05/2026

Activate Vacant Shopfronts in our city neighbourhoods.

Just walk down Hay Street in West Perth and count the empty offices, cafes, and shopfronts, it's not just an eyesore, every vacant window signals decline, kills foot traffic for neighbouring businesses, and makes the street feel unsafe.

Perth's retail vacancy rate sits well above the national benchmark of 9.8%, and Hay Street feels it every day, it’s especially noticeable in the evenings and on Saturdays and doing nothing has a real cost to traders, residents, and the city's reputation.

The good news is that a fix isn't all that complicated, while waiting for longer term tenants, short-term licence schemes, offering vacant shopfronts to artists, food vendors, makers, and community groups for 3–6 months cost council almost nothing and generate foot traffic fast.

Many of these properties are privately owned, so a council-backed scheme that makes it easy and low-risk for landlords to say yes is key.

It's already working elsewhere:
🎨 Renew Adelaide activated 120+ spaces, launched 80 enterprises, and converted 40% into permanent tenants, at near-zero cost to council.

🏙️ Melbourne and Sydney have run similar pilots with strong community and economic results.

🤝 These aren't experiments anymore, they are proven models ready for City of Perth.

The City doesn't need new powers either both the Capital City Plan and the West Perth Precinct Plan already call for activating empty commercial spaces, and the streamlined approvals process is already in place.

What's needed is simple:
• A vacant shopfront and vacant land register in our city
• Short-term licences open to artists, food operators, city farms, markets and community groups
• Waived application fees for pop-up uses under six months
• A single council contact point to cut the red tape

The plans are there, the community is here, the evidence is clear, vibrancy and activation won’t happen all by itself, it's time for the City of Perth to start doing.

31/05/2026

It’s not a term that I use, but City of Perth proudly calls itself the "City of Light" and West Perth would love to shine a little brighter.

The neighbourhood plans are there, so let's put some lights in and switch them on.

Our community has been asking for this for some time, in writing, on their own social media, at neighbourhood gatherings, and in formal deputations at Council House and we are genuinely hopeful the City of Perth is ready to take the next step with us.

Residents have consistently asked for better lighting and CCTV on Hay Street, Kings Park Road, and on our quieter side streets as a top priority.

The City's neighbourhood plan already commits to a dynamic lighting installation, and with the Hay Street two-way conversion about to commence from Thomas Street and there is a wonderful opportunity to work with Main Roads to lay cables and electrical assets right now, with no extra planning needed and a lower overall cost, it's the perfect moment to light up our neighbourhood for years to come, while Hay Street is already being worked on.

🌟 Well-lit streets make our suburb more attractive to live in, work in, and visit, adding real vibrancy to our city

🔦 Better lighting deters crime and anti-social behaviour

🚶 Safer streets for women, cyclists, and pedestrians at night

🍽️ Supports our evening or night time and weekend economy and brings more visitors to Hay Street

👀 More people outside = more "eyes on the street"

📍 Bellevue Tce, Cliff St, Mount St West, Colin St, and Outram St through to Ventnor St and Thomas Street all deserve streetlights and CCTV

Streetlighting is one of the most powerful tools we have for neighbourhood activation.

The plans are there, the community is here and we look forward to the City of Perth helping us light up West Perth and keeping it lit. 🙏

31/05/2026

Imagine sleeping rough last night in the cold and rain in the City of Perth, rough sleepers on our streets are more visible than ever and they need our help.

While homelessness is primarily a State Government responsibility, our local government, the Capital City Plan commits to coordinated outreach on homelessness, yet the West Perth precinct plan lists "community safety and support" with little detail on rough sleepers.

Our city needs dedicated overnight outreach teams covering West Perth, Crawley-Nedlands, Northbridge, East Perth, Claisebrook, and Central Perth, offering real help, not just move-on notices.

Real support means:
· Working closely with the Department of Communities and other agencies
· Dedicated outreach teams
· Collection, care, and transport of personal items
· Prepared food and care packs
· Hot showers and clean clothing
· The right medical and wellness support
· Safe overnight accommodation for anyone in need

It’s not about holding the City of Perth responsible, but our council can choose to help and contribute through community programs, partnerships, precinct planning and working with the State Government and neighbouring councils, to build a genuine, shared response to homelessness.

City of Perth has the plans, the people, and the power, it's time to end rough sleeping in the City of Perth for good

28/05/2026

Please sponsor Vicki Raniszewski for the “Leap for Life” skydive fundraiser!

On Friday, 12 June, Vicki will jump from 14,000 feet over Jurien Bay to raise funds for Breast Cancer Care WA

A cause close to her heart, and many of ours. Vicki is jumping with Perth Wildcat Greg Hire

Please donate via the QR code or the link below:

🔗 https://leap-for-life-2026.raiselysite.com/vicki-raniszewski

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Vicki through various city events, and she’s a true community champion, always showing up, always advocating, always helping.

Thank you so much for your support!

28/05/2026

✨ All that glitters isn’t gold.

It’s great to see investing in upgrades across the city centre, but what about the rest of us?

Yagan Square, Northbridge and Elizabeth Quay continue to receive attention, while Royal Street, Hampden Road and Hay Street through West Perth to Outram are still waiting, neighbourhoods like East Perth, Nedlands and West Perth remain consistently overlooked.

Meanwhile, nearby precincts like Subiaco, Leederville, North Perth, Mount Hawthorn and Mount Lawley are thriving with strong Saturday trade and vibrant night-time economies, these are sitting outside the City of Perth boundary and part of other city councils.

Here in West Perth, retailers, residents, cafés, small bars, restaurants, medical services and offices have been carrying the load for years, with no CAT bus extension, limited lighting on side streets and little visible safety presence.

The basics that make a precinct safe, liveable and commercially viable, better street lighting, CCTV, safer footpaths, seating and accessible amenities, are still missing.

The contrast is hard to ignore, here it feels like the City generates significant revenue through parking enforcement and tow-aways on our streets, yet meaningful reinvestment into West Perth’s safety and amenity hasn’t followed.

These aren’t luxury requests, they’re the foundations of a functioning urban precinct.

Businesses are struggling, residents are moving to the suburbs, and West Perth still doesn’t even have a supermarket, with major chains land banking sites and limiting opportunities for others.

We pay our rates, we show up, and we help keep this city alive and sometimes it feels like there is no interest in any of our areas on the outskirts, now it’s time for the City to show up for all precincts, not just the shiny ones.

Every neighbourhood deserves the chance to flourish.
Spread the love .

Dave Lee

05/06/2026

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