News

The Australian Automobile Association (AAA) urges all Australians to have their voices heard this election and demand better funding for roads. The AAA wants a commitment from all major political parties to implement road funding reforms and make road safety a national priority by ensuring our national highways are safe.

The AAA has prepared a list of key land transport infrastructure projects across each state that will contribute to build a better economy, reduce urban congestion and deliver improved road safety.

Priority projects for Western Australia include:

North West Coastal Highway (upgrade narrow 6.2m seal between Minilya to Barradale)
      
Perth to Darwin Highway (integral heavy haulage route to the north-west of Western Australia)

Perth Light Rail (network from Mirrabooka to the CBD; QEII/UWA to the Causeway)

Bunbury Outer Ring Road (complete Northern and Southern stages)

Tonkin and Reid Highway (rolling program of grade separations - Tonkin Hwy and Benara Road; Morley Drive; Collier Road and Reid Hwy and Malaga Drive in year one)

To make your voice heard, sign the petition here or visit the AAA's Facebook page here

Did you know there are more than 2,800 young people who are currently receiving their education here in the Town of Mosman Park?

This Friday 24 May 2013 is Walk Safely to School Day, and the Town is encouraging as many families who live within walking distance of Mosman Park schools to make the effort to walk to school.

Walking to school increases childrens' awareness of pedestrian and road safety, enhances their knowledge of their neighbourhood, and encourages a healthy active lifestyle.

WHAT IS THE RETUNE?
As the final step in Australia’s move to digital-only TV, some channels will change frequencies. After they’ve changed, you‘ll need to retune your digital TV, set-top box or digital TV recorder to find the channels that have moved. These moves will free up broadcasting spectrum so that it can be used for new services such as mobile broadband. Just like the switch to digital-only TV, the retune is being carefully planned to make sure the change is as easy as possible. Different areas will need to retune on different dates, so to find your date visit the website at www.digitalready.gov.au/retune where you can sign up for a reminder SMS or email.

WHOM DOES IT AFFECT?
The retune will affect most TV viewers in Australia. But if you are watching TV via the Viewer Access Satellite Television (VAST) service, the retune won’t affect you. If you watch your free-to-air channels via pay TV, your set-top box may be retuned for you by your provider.  Some viewers may find some of their equipment will automatically detect changes to the channels and retune itself, or it may prompt them to retune. If you are missing a free-to-air digital TV channel or channels you will need to retune.

HOW DO I RETUNE?
If you are missing TV channels, you can start by pressing the “MENU” button on your remote then look for your “set-up” options. Next, try to find words like: “channels” or “auto-tuning”.

WHEN DO I RETUNE?
Your retune date depends on your location and the transmitter from which you are receiving your TV signal. To find your retune date, enter your address into the ‘Get retune info’ box on the website at www.digitalready.gov.au/retune  You’ll need to retune your digital TV, set-top box or digital TV recorder on or after your area’s retune date, not before. Some people within the same town or city will have different retune dates. This is because some areas may be serviced by a number of TV transmitters. The retune will take place across Australia progressively until the end of 2014.

WHY DO I NEED TO RETUNE?
Some TV channels are being moved to free up broadcasting spectrum so that it can be used for new services such as mobile broadband. For viewers living in an apartment, you may be using a shared antenna system. If you are experiencing issues trying to retune your digital TV equipment after your retune date, you should first contact your property manager or body corporate.

SERVICE DISRUPTIONS
There are likely to be some service disruptions around the time of the retune date, due to work being conducted at the transmission site. These temporary outages are unlikely to last longer than a few hours and you aren’t required to do anything during these periods. If you have lost any TV channels before your retune date you may be trying to retune during a scheduled outage.

PARENTAL LOCKS AND FAVOURITES
For viewers who use their favourites or their parental lock settings, you may wish to write these down before you
retune, as retuning might delete these settings.

HELP AND ADVICE
If you are having difficulty retuning your equipment, check your manufacturer’s handbook for instructions on how to retune, ask a friend or family member to help you, visit the retune website at www.digitalready.gov.au/retune or call the Digital Ready Information Line on 1800 20 10 13, 8am to 10pm (AEST), 7 days. There will be advertising in your area in the lead-up to your retune date. Local community organisations will also be informed about the retune in their area so they can help spread the word too.

Make Your Garden Biodiverse and WaterWise With Discounted Native Plants

Starting today, 1 May 2013, the gardens of Perth’s Western suburbs will soon be blooming with new colour and life with a greater diversity of native, water-wise plants through the Local Native Plant Subsidy Scheme.

The initiative is on again this year, run under the auspices of the Western Suburbs Regional Organisation of Councils (WESROC) with the support of the non-for-profit APACE Community Nursery of North Fremantle.

The Scheme is a local greening initiative that began over 10 years ago with the City of Nedlands and APACE and has developed into an important annual WESROC project that enhances biodiversity and helps minimise water use in gardens and nature strips throughout the Western suburbs.

WESROC, consisting of the Towns of Claremont, Cottesloe, Mosman Park and Cambridge, the Shire of Peppermint Grove and the Cities of Nedlands and Subiaco, is proud to continue its support for this initiative and encourages residents to head to APACE over the next four weeks. The only requirement for purchase of the subsidised plants is proof of residency in the Western suburbs.

Residents can purchase up to eighty plants per household at the subsidised price of $1.50 each from APACE Nursery, 1 Johannah Street, North Fremantle between 8am and 3pm weekdays and between 9am and 12pm on Saturdays from 1 to 25 May 2013.

Plants on offer include trees, shrubs, sedges and ground covers. A variety of plants to suit different purposes are available, including those that provide a food source for Carnaby Cockatoos and bush tucker that are drought tolerant and shade tolerant.