MacTiernan offside with neighbours

by Heather McNeill

April 21, 2008

NOTED for staring down anti-development protesters, WA planning minister Alannah MacTiernan now finds herself offside with neighbours of her Highgate home for making a pro-development protest of her own.

In recent weeks, placards protesting the Town of Vincent’s proposal to build a clubhouse for soccer enthusiasts, and other sporties, have popped up all ‘round verdant Forrest Park, which lies opposite Ms MacTiernan’s Harold Street bungalow.

Handed out at a recent public meeting, where the mooted clubhouse was downed 110 votes to zip, every of the 20-plus placards in the ‘hood carries such anti-clubhouse sentiments as: “Limit Soccer use on Forrest Park”, “Keep the Park Multi-use” and “No Building on Forrest Park”.

Every placard, that is, except the one in the front bay window of Ms MacTiernan’s red brick cottage, which states: “Junior Soccer Welcome on Forrest Park”.

Lincoln Street resident Sarah Ameling told eMU News many locals had noticed the minister’s sign and they felt “disgusted” Ms MacTiernan was encouraging the building of a clubroom on open space.

“It looks the same,” Ms Ameling said of the MacTiernan sign compared to the other placards, “but is a different message.”

Gerald Street resident, Trish (surname withheld), said the planning minister had a right to her opinion, but regarded her sign as “silly”.

When tackled by eMU News, Ms MacTiernan did not see the sign as silly at all.

“I am not necessarily opposed to relocation of the clubroom [from Forrest Park]”, Ms MacTiernan said. “I just want to send a positive message to the children playing sport who see the signs.”

She said she used to play the roundball game as a child, and could empathise with junior dribblers, because she had no clubroom and was compelled to get changed in the street.

The minister revealed she and her hubby made the sign. She said soccer clubhouses were to be expected when you lived across the street from an oval.

Vincent council approved the clubhouse, in principle on February 26, for beside the existing croquet club at the southeast corner of the park. Submissions on the clubhouse location closed on April 14, and council staffers are now cobbling together a response.