97% Said No-
But They approved
McDonald’s Anyway:
The Kwinana McDonald’s Betrayal
How 97% of Local Voices
Were Ignored
The decision to squeeze a new McDonald’s drive-through into the ALDI car park on Meares Avenue has left Kwinana families frustrated. When the local planning system overrides 97% of surveyed residents, cuts down three 50-year-old trees, and leaves ratepayers to foot the bill for traffic-calming measures, the system isn’t “working”—it is broken.
97% of Residents Said NO:
The Real Local Impacts
When the public was asked for feedback, the answer from the community was almost unanimous: 97% of responses opposed the proposal.
- • Vanishing Car Parks: Squeezing a drive-through into an existing retail car park in one of WA’s fastest-growing regions
• Safety & School Zones: Extra traffic spilling across footpaths used daily by local school kids, creating hazards for pedestrians and elderly shoppers.
• Traffic & Bottlenecks: Funneling heavy traffic off Gilmore Avenue onto single-lane Meares Avenue, leading to drive-through queues backing up.
• Destruction of Mature Trees: Cutting down three 50+ year old gum trees and stripping away local green space.
• 24/7 Amenity Loss: Round-the-clock speaker noise and early-morning truck deliveries right next to residential homes.
• Ratepayers Footing the Bill: Locals left paying for future council traffic-calming speed humps around the roundabout to fix problems created by this development.
Spin & Half Truths:
About Council & Planning
When questioned on social media about why community feedback counted for so little, Councillor Matthew Rowse claimed the DAP system was “working as intended” and attempted to separate the Council from the City’s Planning Department.
Here is why those excuses don’t stand up to scrutiny:
1. Councillors Direct the
CEO & Set the Rules
Claims that Councillors have “no influence” over the Planning Department are misleading. Councillors hire the CEO, set performance benchmarks, conduct reviews, and approve pay increases. You set the strategic direction and policies of the City—from indigenous acknowledgements to community art facilities. The CEO and staff execute directions set at the top. Councillors cannot wash their hands of administration officers who write reports completely out of touch with community safety.
2. Kwinana Planning Department
Gave “No Objection”
Before the final vote, the City of Kwinana’s Planning Department submitted an official Responsible Authority Report (RAR) to the State’s Development Assessment Panel (DAP) stating no objection to the McDonald’s development. They did this while ignoring massive resident opposition, dismissing traffic risks, accepting drive-thru queue spaces counted as “permanent parking spots,” and approving the destruction of 50-year-old trees.
3. Silence on Roger Cook’s 2024
Planning Reforms
Cr. Rowse was quick to point fingers at past Liberal planning laws from years ago, yet has stayed dead silent on Premier Roger Cook’s 2024 planning laws—reforms that stripped even more power away from local residents and councils. Instead of calling out state laws that mute local communities, Cr. Rowse defended the process.
4. Deflecting with Allegations
of “Misinformation”
Accusing community groups of spreading “misinformation” or operating behind “fake profiles” is a standard distraction when facts cannot be disproven.
Not a single factual error has been pointed out regarding our published traffic data, survey figures, or council meeting records.
What Ratepayers Expect
While WA planning laws require councillors to remain neutral before a DAP vote, there is no law stopping elected representatives from speaking out, defending their community, or demanding state reform after a decision is made.
Instead of standing up for local families, council leaders defended the outcome, brushed off community anger, and accepted a broken process.
Our Position: Planning decisions in Kwinana must serve the residents who live, work, and raise families here—not protect bureaucracy and state politics while brushing 97% of the community aside.
— Angry Locals with Megaphones (ALWM Group)
Bringing transparency and accountability back to local government.
Facebook reference –
click here to open facebook thread
Unhappy with the Mcdoanlds in
Aldi carpark approval.
– Tell your Councillors