Author: Keith Platt

PUT together two friends, unexpected questions, spare time and what could sound like a recipe for a quiz over a very long afternoon has turned into publishing opportunity for two Mount Martha men. Don Kemp has always written poems, but it was time spent fishing and boating with his two sons that prompted one of them, Rob, to suggest a book based around questions youngsters ask. Rather just asking a straightforward question, the Kemps decided to frame it around “With friends like these, who needs an anemone?” Kemp then approached his friend Perry Fletcher with the idea of producing a…

NEPEAN Ratepayers’ Association has warned that it will not stop criticising the state government until it takes action to restore sand to the Portsea front beach. The association says research proves that the sand loss is the result of the February 2008 to November 2009 dredging and deepening of the shipping channel into Port Phillip. It says the solution – near-shore reconfiguration dredging – was recommended in a consultants’ report commissioned and paid for by the government. That option, one of six outlined in a report by Advisian, would divert the wave swell that had evolved since the dredging away…

LINES are being drawn in the sand, grassy areas, footpaths and even a memorial honouring fallen war dead, over changes to the foreshore at Sorrento. Mornington Peninsula Shire began a “stakeholder consultation” for a foreshore plan in December 2016 and added the final version of the plan to its website in May 2021. But all that could change this week when councillors decide whether to back changes proposed by Cr Susan Bissinger, who calls the council master plans “generic, even a little tacky”. She says Sorrento’s “beauty is classic simplicity and 100-year-old charm”. Water and coast team leader Laura Crilly,…

THE national obsession with trying to pick a winner has again taken hold in the corridors and partitioned offices of power at Mornington Peninsula Shire Council. As with this time last year, bets are again being placed and favourites backed in what’s known as the mayoral dance. Favourite for the top job (which becomes vacant in November) is incumbent mayor Cr Anthony Marsh but, in a twist on previous years, it seems those inside the council headquarters also fancy that his “partner”, or deputy mayor, will also see a return of Cr Lisa Dixon. If the 2:1 favourites are first…

ELIZABETH Woolcock planned to walk 30 kilometres to raise money for her campaign as an independent candidate for the state seat of Nepean. However, she says her initial reasons for the walk “pale into to insignificance” when compared to the anguish and trauma faced by people diagnosed with cancer, particularly women with ovarian cancer. Money raised by Woolcock’s walk from Safety Beach to Sorrento on Sunday 6 November will now be split between her own election campaign needs and research into ovarian cancer. “Critical funding is needed for research to develop a detection test and save hundreds of lives a…

CANDIDATES for the Saturday 26 November state election are steadily tailoring their campaigns to attract Mornington Peninsula voters. Long regarded as a Liberal Party stronghold, Labor gained a foothold with Chris Brayne winning Nepean at the 2018 election, albeit with a majority of less than two per cent. The other two peninsula electorates, Mornington and Hastings were held by the Liberals, but neither of the winning candidates are standing for their party this time around. The picture will become clearer after Friday 11 November, the final day for all candidates to register with the Victorian Electoral Commission. Boundary changes have…

CONSERVATIONISTS and community groups have drawn up a plan to protect Western Port from “inappropriate industrialisation and development, pollution and climate disruption”. Western Port is the state’s second largest bay and an internationally recognised Ramsar wetland. Groups behind the proposal – the Victorian National Parks Association, Western Port Biosphere Foundation, Save Westernport, Phillip Island Conservation Society and Environment Victoria – want all political parties to back their Strategic Framework for the future of Western Port ahead of the Saturday 26 November state election. The groups say the quality of water flowing into Western Port from five of its nine estuaries…

BEACHGOERS have been reminded to look out for hooded plovers nesting along Mornington Peninsula shorelines with the threatened species at risk of being scared off and their nests trampled by people and dogs. The Conservation Regulator, Parks Victoria and Birdlife Australia have again launched Operation Save our Hoodies (SoHo), urging people to take note of rules around hooded plover nests and to give the birds plenty of space. Hooded plovers lay their eggs in shallow sand scrapes from August through to March and where possible nesting sites are fenced for protection. Conservation Regulator and Parks Victoria officers are patrolling nesting…

THE Animal Justice Party has joined other political parties by adopting a colour. Joining Labor’s red, Liberal blue, Greens green and teal will be the AJP’s purple. Described as a “dramatic purple re-branding”, party announced its new colour last week along with its state election candidates for all three the Mornington Peninsula’s lower house seats. Pamela Engelander, who unsuccessfully stood for the federal seat of Flinders in May, will contest Nepean, Leonie Schween Mornington and Tyson Jack Hastings. Engelander gave her priorities, if elected, as “preventing species extinction, the threat of additional pandemics resulting from zoonotic disease and adopting the…

THOUSANDS of signatures have been added to an online petition calling for wastewater now being dumped into the ocean near Gunnamatta to be made suitable for human consumption. The “treated” water being discharged at the south-eastern outfall in 2019-2020 contained 3.5 million kilograms of nutrients, according to the National Outfall Database. Clean Ocean Foundation president Peter Smith said $60 million would enable the Eastern Treatment Plant (ETP) near Bangholme to produce purified recycled water. Smith says treating the water to a higher level would make it more useful and reduce the pollutants that were having a detrimental effect on sea…

LABOR Party candidates for the three state seats on the Mornington Peninsula have made no election promises while their Liberal opponents, by last Wednesday, had pledged $370 million. The ability of the candidates to make their promises come true will depend on the election fortunes of the Matthew Guy-led Liberals forming government after the poll on Saturday 26 November. The numbers in the current state lower house are 55 Labor, 27 Liberal-Nationals coalition, three Greens and three independents. Labor’s Chris Brayne (Nepean) is the only sitting MP seeking re-election. He is being opposed by Liberal Sam Groth, the Greens Esthner…

MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire has stepped up its lobbying efforts to squeeze more money out of the next state government. With nearly seven weeks to go before the 26 November election, the shire is calling on residents and “Victorians” to pressure candidates into committing money for its “most important projects”. Since early September, the shire has been running a Shout Out campaign as part of its “advocacy” to secure promises of money from candidates in the peninsula’s three electorates: Mornington, Hastings and Nepean. The call for residents to join forces with the shire’s “advocacy” efforts comes just weeks after being given…

A “DEFINITIVE solution” to erosion at Portsea front beach will be part of a Liberal state government $10 million investigation to find “erosion solutions right across Port Phillip”. Liberal candidate for Nepean Sam Groth said long term neglect by the state government “could not be more evident than in the current state of Portsea front beach”. He said millions of dollars had been wasted since 2009 building and renewing a sandbag wall. Groth said Nepean Ratepayers Association president Colin Watson had told him that a “nearshore reconfiguration dredging proposal is not shovel ready”. “This was reinforced by advice from Dr…

FORMER Liberal party MP Geoff Shaw, while not accepting full responsibility, does admit to being “probably the straw that broke the camel’s back” when it came to the resignation of then Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu. But, nearly a decade later, Shaw would clearly like to be credited with the downfall of the current Premier Daniel Andrews. The MP for Frankston from 2010 to 2014, Shaw was elected a Liberal but ended his controversial time in parliament sitting on the crossbenches. Now, after years away from the public side of politics, he is about to make a comeback: firstly, as the…

PUBLIC satisfaction with the performance of Mornington Peninsula Shire Council is at an “all time low”, according to a mandatory yearly satisfaction survey. It rated “significantly lower” than the state average in nine out of 28 service areas as well as in customer service, value for money and overall performance, according to J W S Research which surveyed Victorian municipalities for the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions. “Indeed, more than twice as many residents feel that the direction of council’s overall performance has deteriorated than improved in the last 12 months,” the survey company stated. “This is reflected across…

DUNG beetles have busy lives surrounded by, and dependent on, animal poo. After rolling the poo into balls they bury them, feed from them and lay eggs in them. Although their primary occupation does not sound attractive dung beetles play a significant role in agriculture and the ecosystem and are in high demand for farmers. During National Science Week (13-21 August) Melbourne Water revealed details of a project to breed more dung beetles. Regional agriculture facilitator Karen Thomas, Melbourne Water’s dung beetle expert, has set up a dung beetle nursery network to speed up the distribution of new species and…

CONTRACTORS have been hired by the Defence Department to take the former HMAS Otama submarine away from where it languishes in the shallows at Crib Point to be scrapped. A vessel capable of carrying the Otama is expected to arrive in Western Port today (Wednesday) and leave with its cargo on 19 September. Western Port Oberon Association Max Bryant last Friday made a last-minute appeal to Defence Minister Richard Marles to save the Otama. Informed sources say the 140 metre, 12,000 tonne Rolldock Sun semi-submersible is expected to arrive in Western Port this week and depart with the Otama aboard…

ARTISTS from around the Mornington Peninsula will be exhibiting their work later this month at The Studio, in Mornington. Many of the 35 artists also participate in the annual Peninsula Studio Trail to be held later this year. John Trebilco said the number of studio trail artists had doubled “during lockdown and the subsequent year”. The types of art being produced had also diversified, and now included traditional, contemporary and abstract painters, jewellery makers, potters, sculptors in wood, metal, and repurposed, recycled objects, print makers, a book illustrator, shibori dye art, ink and resin art and silk painting. Trebilco said…

GREENS candidates standing for the three state seats on the Mornington Peninsula in the Saturday 26 November election say are united on issues facing the Mornington Peninsula. Making up the peninsula’s Greens team are Esther Gleixner, Nepean; Paul Saunders, Hastings; and, Harry Sinclair, Mornington. They say they are committed to protect the environment and the peninsula’s green wedges and do not want the area changed from being classified metropolitan to regional. They are also campaigning for “more affordable” housing and “integrity” from politicians. “We are all strongly opposed to attempts to change the Mornington Peninsula to regional by dollar driven…

FORMER Liberal Party member Elizabeth Woolcock is standing as an independent for the Nepean in the 26 November state election. In March, Woolcock was the contact for a $250 a head “single table” lunch at Pier 10 in Shoreham with then Flinders MP Greg Hunt. Seven months later she will be standing against sitting Nepean MP, Labor’s Chris Brayne, and the Liberal candidate, sports presenter and former professional tennis player Sam Groth. Woolcock, who let her Liberal Party membership lapse in May, said she had planned to stand for preselection as the Liberal candidate but changed her mind as she…

THE Queen’s 1986 visit to the Mornington Peninsula started on Friday 7 March after being ferried from the Royal Yacht Britannia to Stony Point pier. The Britannia had arrived in Western Port from Port Phillip the previous night. First stop once ashore (after being welcomed ashore by local dignitaries and officials) was a visit to Ballam Park Technical School, Frankston. The royal couple was then driven back to Stony Point for lunch aboard the Britannia before returning to shore and heading off to HMAS Cerberus, at Crib Point. Flag-waving schoolchildren lined the road as the Queen and Prince Phillip headed…

METHODS being used to lobby politicians and would-be politicians by Mornington Peninsula Shire are outlined in a four-year advocacy strategy. Adopted by council at its Tuesday 6 September meeting, the strategy – without mentioning the word lobbying – outlines how it “advocates” and details how this can be reinforced by “community”. “The best advocates for change are people who can tell a personal story that move politicians, political candidates and decision-makers to action,” the strategy states. The shire’s “range of strategies to advocate for outcomes across our community” rely on community engagement; campaigns and “supporting collateral”; “direct advocacy” to MPs…

MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire has stepped up its lobbying for a range of projects and issues as candidates compete for votes in the 26 November state election. A “pledge tracker” added to the shire’s website lists candidates’ pre-election promises as well as outlining priority projects for the electorates of Mornington, Nepean and Hastings. The pledge tracker is a more refined version of one introduced during the May federal election and urges residents to get involved by filling out forms and “shout out” that they agree with the shire’s views. The forms include names and addresses and will be sent to candidates.…

VICTORIA’S Environment Protection Authority has given Esso Australia the go ahead to generate power from ethane gas at its Hastings fractionation plant. The company is now awaiting a decision on two planning permits by the Department for Environment, Land, Water and Planning. Mornington Peninsula Shire which has previously opposed the plan last week decided against objection to the EPA’s issuing of a permit but told CEO John Baker to provide updates on objections it had made to the DELWP planning permits. The planning permits being considered by DELWP are for buildings to house the generators and for land clearing. In…

JUST as ripples radiate from a stone dropped into water, Sorrento-based Polperro Dolphin Swims hopes to spread lessons from its Cool Changes climate action program. Developed by Polperro in conjunction with Mornington Peninsula Shire Council, Cool Changes is a two staged program for community groups and schools. As well as quoting the Dali Lama Polperro’s Judy Muir said Cool Changes was based on “our mantra: education plus inspiration (from nature) equals action (at a community level)”. The Cool Changes program starts with two day-long free workshops, one for schools, another for community groups. The workshops will hear from speakers about…

A STATE election promise by the Liberal Party to spend $10 million on a “a comprehensive erosion plan” for Port Phillip has been compared to “throwing envelopes of cash off Portsea pier”. Futurefish Foundation director David Kramer said the erosion plan – announced in two media events on the Mornington Peninsula by Liberal candidates for the Mornington and Nepean electorates – showed “ignorance” of existing work and studies by experts. “These studies have produced a range of options to restore Portsea beach and prevent the wave action that caused the sand movement in the first place,” Kramer said. He had…

MELBOURNE-based artist Julian Clavijo has been hired to create a “thought-provoking and impactful mural” about climate change on a wall in Hastings shopping centre. Clavijo was chosen by Mornington Peninsula Shire’s public art panel after it called expressions of interest in May. The shire will not say how much he is being paid. Work on the six metre high by 24 metre long mural on the wall of Ritchies IGA in Salmon Street will start next month and is expected to be finished in December. A statement issued by the shire says painter and sculptor Clavijo is renowned nationally and…

BOTH major political parties took to Mornington Peninsula beaches last week in a bid to win hearts, minds and votes. With fewer than 90 days before the Saturday 26 November state election, candidates are beginning to make their presence felt among voters: putting up signs, shaking hands and offering photo opportunities. The Liberal candidate for Mornington Chris Crewther started off the week with Brighton MP James Newbury and meeting supporters at Hawker Beach, Mount Martha. The pair jointly released a statement saying that “a Matt Guy Liberals and Nationals government” would commit $10 million on “a comprehensive erosion plan” for…

WELFARE groups and community houses on the Mornington Peninsula’s are facing unprecedented demand for free meals and food packages, as a result of homelessness and cost of living rises. The lingering impacts of the pandemic have left people struggling to make ends meet and charities are having to fill in the gaps. A growing number of homeless people are also lining up for food as the peninsula faces a shortage of affordable rental properties. It is estimated that 1000 people are homeless every night on the peninsula, being forced to sleep in their cars, tents or couch surfing. Earlier this…

HUNDREDS of millions of litres of treated water are poured daily into Bass Strait from a pipeline near Gunnamatta. The dumping of this potentially useful resource follows a $412 million upgrade to the Eastern Treatment Plant at Bangholme that fell short of producing water suitable for human consumption. Although treated to a much higher quality than the sewage that flowed from the ocean outfall up to 2007, the water contains “forever chemicals” and other pollutants, according to Clean Ocean Foundation CEO John Gemmill. “The use of this water has stalled because of state government policy relating to recycled water, lack…