Council crackdown on DV – Ashfield’s piles of poo
• Ashfield is allegedly experiencing a “poo pandemic”, and no, we are not referring to the antics of toddlers here but of apparently fully grown adults. Local real estate agent Tim Simpson has taken his poo-filled plight to the Inner West Courier, saying he’s “sick and tired” of the odorous and onerous task that is cleaning other people’s faeces off the side of the street where he works multiple times a week. Can’t really blame the bloke – the incessant dumping of human waste outside our premises is not something we’d be signing up for either.
• The Inner West Council has announced its intention to hone in on the issue of domestic violence over the next few years. The Speak Out awareness campaign and Inner West Respectful Relationships Project will be hitting our streets, with widely pledged community support and involvement. These initiatives come off the back of striking local statistics: domestic violence is the number one contributing factor to all assaults in Leichhardt, and Marrickville Police have reported that domestic violence is their most resource intensive area of work, forming 40% of all assaults. Ciao keeps a straight face and agrees with Administrator Richard Pearson when he says, “These are dreadful statistics that show no one is immune”.
• WestConnex controversy continues for Sydney Motorway boss, Dennis Cliche, who will be coerced into attending an inquiry into Sydney tolls this month after withdrawing in April. The reason for his absence: his company is a private company, and tolls are a public policy issue. So while the construction of a motorway that affects three public parks, 10 public road reserves, 16 public local heritage list items, 20 businesses open to the public, 203 homes, and billions of publicly-funded dollars does come under Cliche’s jurisdiction, the tolls that pepper this 33km asphalt stairway to heaven have nothing to do with his private company. Sound logic.
• The times, they are a-changin’ for the Inner West’s pub scene: the Marly bar has been handed off to celeb chef Matt Moran for no less than a $35 million price tag, and the Landsdowne in Chippendale is set to open its doors next month with a focus on live music after two years of shut doors. Also prioritising the music scene are our good neighbours at the Bald Faced Stag, who are making the big move to sell off all their pokies to pave more space for their famed heavy metal gigs.
