Elector selectors can change team in October
Wonderful to recall the halcyon days of the Mornington Peninsula Shire with “Captain Brian” leading the First Eleven and getting the job done in an honourable and non-political way (History repeats, Letters 27/2/24).
It’s more like the Second Eleven with this latest crop of inexperienced batters and under arm bowlers.
One of the current crop has been dropped already for upsetting the leadership team last year over the use of flags beyond the boundaries (Suspended without apology, The News 27/2/24). That poor member has had to sit it out in the pavilion probably having to do the scoring, cutting up the sour lemons sorry oranges and adjusting the score board. Lots of googlies and foot infringements have been the order of the day and so far the openers have avoided any curved balls or body liners. As for the number of byes and wide balls unbelievable! It’s been expensive on Mornington Peninsula Shire Council’s Second Eleven with quite a few early retirements and political interference. Thank goodness the three openers have gone for the big hit and been stumped by quick action behind the stumps. Experience counts every time. Time to lick their wounds and take up another sport perhaps. A change of team manager wouldn’t go astray either. Pre-selection for the First Eleven next October will be a testing time as the selectors, me being one of them, won’t be ticking any of their boxes. After all, they have had enough time to rack up big scores and failed to impress. Time to move on and fresh players given a chance.
Ian Morrison, Mount Eliza
Dutton ‘plain wrong’
Reforms proposed by Minister for Local Government, Melissa Horne, will tackle poor behaviour, incompetent leadership, and abuse of power amongst Councillors. The federal Opposition Leader, Peter Dutton’s comments reported in ‘Dunkley Campaign Heats Up’ (The Times. 27/2/24), highlighted misunderstandings about how local government works.
I was concerned to read Peter Dutton’s comments about Cr Nathan Conroy as the Liberal candidate. They were plain wrong.
“He’s a person who, as mayor, has the confidence of his colleagues”. Not true. Not all councillors are confident in him. I have been an alternate nominee for mayor in 2022 and 2023, with support.
“Over three years, in an unprecedented way, they voted him in”. There was nothing unprecedented about it. Doing deals, (I’ll vote for you if you vote for me), is not an unprecedented means to secure a position of power and privilege. Cathy Wilson was the first mayor elected by her peers in 3 successive years. That was unprecedented then.
“….he’s got the plan and he’s rolling it out for his local community – a 20 year vision that he’s been able to work up”. Does Peter Dutton know how local government works? Developing the 20-year council plan is a whole of council and community process, conducted over several months. As ‘first amongst equals’ the mayor has no additional powers to make his own decisions.
“He’s put money into sporting clubs and into infrastructure to provide for local families, for people as they age in community, those with special needs, because he’s prioritised them above the bureaucracy and above where money could be spent otherwise” …… and now Peter Dutton seemed to be insulting all councillors, council officers, community groups and residents who engage in discussions about where ratepayers’ money goes and advocate to state and federal MPs for grants.
The leadership of Frankston City Council was left wanting on 16 January 2024, when the mayor took leave of absence. It takes skilled leadership, collaboration and inclusion of all, challenging debates, and tough love conversations, with respect and compassion, to be in service to benefit everyone in Frankston.
The Dunkley electorate deserves respect. The community in Frankston has worked hard to build its reputation and develop programs to deliver our 2040 Council Plan. We all own the plan. I suggest Peter Dutton, takes his misinformation back to Canberra and checks in with the Honourable Kristy McBain MP on what local government is all about.
Sue Baker, Frankston councillor
Money not ‘available’
How quickly they forget – or do they? [Flinders MP] Zoe McKenzie in her latest Peninsula Post [newsletter], suggests that the current government has cancelled the Jetty Road flyover funding. No way. Her predecessor several times – more than twice – promised that if he was re-elected, he would ensure that the funding ($150m 10 years ago) was provided. Three elections later, he “implied” that $75m had been approved, saying that the state government could find the extra $75m.
A short lesson in federal government financing is needed here. Funds in a budget are not available until the project has been approved and then committed into a contract. Any time prior to that they can be reallocated. There are many more projects seeking funds than funds available
The $75m was not approved and therefore not committed. It was part of a very large wish list, to be approved or not according to the political will of the government of the day.
Flinders has been a safe seat forever, so the Liberal government had no intention of improving those funds, they were just an election sweetener.
The same would be so of those other items that found themselves cancelled.
Ken Norris, McCrae
Propaganda, not news
I received the latest edition of the Peninsula Post, a “newspaper” produced by Flinders MP Zoe McKenzie, in my post this week.
What a shameful piece of propaganda produced at great cost to the taxpayer. I believe it’s an affront to the Mornington Peninsula News Group’s newspapers.
A vital element of a healthy democracy is a free and independent media and, in an environment where newspapers are shutting every week across the country, we are lucky to still have local newspapers.
A free and independent media is the most effective means, short of an election, of holding those in power accountable for their decision making.
But Zoe McKenzie is going out of her way, at a huge cost to the taxpayer, to not support her local newspaper, but to produce her own filled with her puff pieces, shrouded as objectivity.
If she believes in democracy she should stop wasting taxpayers’ money and support her local newspaper instead. The newspapers work hard to keep those in power accountable.
Oh, wait, I see the problem.
Craig Jenkins. Tyabb
Misleading figures
The Coalition and the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries’ (FCAI) wild claims about car prices have largely gone unchallenged. They claim, rather disingenuously, the sky will fall if the emissions standards are introduced in Australia.
Ludicrous figures are thrown about suggesting that the prices of SUVs will skyrocket. The Coalition/FCAI are not interested in changing the status quo so have produced a set of figures designed to scare people. The FCAI’s figures assume that the only vehicles that a manufacturer would sell would be fuel guzzling SUVs. No manufacturer would do this, they are not that stupid. They will sell fuel efficient vehicles to balance the emissions of the dirty vehicles which, incidentally, will be much more fuel efficient than those sold here currently. Australia is the dumping ground of dirty vehicles.
The FCAI has simply calculated a worst case totally unrealistic scenario. The Coalition/FCAI could simply be asked to indicate the other countries around the world where these dramatic increases have occurred. They would be left dumfounded. Ross Hudson, Mount Martha
Power questioned
I contend that it is not feasible to use any electric vehicle to tow a caravan or boat on a trip. Towing capacity is definitely not the only criteria (Ute powered up, Letters, 27/2/24).
This very expensive vehicle is typical of large one tonne EV utes: a large battery weighing 885kg, of 131kwh capacity. That’s 131 Kilowatts of power for one hour (not exactly correct but near enough for this exercise). The electric motors can deliver a peak power of 433kw. Should you ever be able to use this peak power by towing a 5.5 tonne load or a heavy caravan in hilly country, the battery would be flat in 18 minutes.
Realistically, highway towing of a van at 100 kph would require an average of perhaps 100 Kilowatts of power from the motor, depending on terrain and van size, giving a realistic range of about 1.3 hours (130km). Without the van, double the range. Roughly.
Very fast highway EV charging stations can pour power into this battery, to 80 per cent capacity in under an hour if you can find one throughout Australia.
Ordinary highway chargers might take hours, shopping centre chargers even longer.
Smaller “family” cars with just a 60 kwh battery, under real life loaded up tests, typically have a range of about 160 km highway; 200 km city, using regenerative braking.
Instead of seeking government handouts and infrastructure to enhance their profits, let the EV industry stand or fall on its merit. Large battery, expensive EVs may be a flop.
Brian A Mitchelson, Mornington
Nuclear non-option
Given the Coalition’s recent enthusiasm, it’s surprising that nuclear power was not a significant part of its campaign in the Dunkley by-election. Perhaps it’s because the Coalition knows that the location of nuclear power plants will be contentious, and the estimated cost will be huge.
So far, small modular reactors (SMRs) on the sites of coal fired power stations in the Latrobe Valley and on the Surf Coast at Anglesea have been suggested, but only vaguely.
How many SMRs will be needed for this plan? The capacity of one SMR is less than 300MW, and to replace Victoria’s three remaining coal fired power stations with a total capacity of 4730MW, at least 16 SMRs would be needed.
But where would they be located? Perhaps one at Hastings might be an obvious place. It is at the end of the Mornington Peninsula transmission line and close to the water for cooling the reactor. But it’s likely that drawing water from a Ramsar wetland would not be popular given recent objections to gas and wind projects there. Maybe Sorrento at the other end. Or at Portsea with some additional transmission?
Given SMR’s are not yet commercially available, and therefore can’t be costed, it’s unlikely we’ll get much reliable information from the Opposition for some time, if ever.
Mike McCabe, Cape Woolamai
Turn down heat
The sun is only responsible for part of our climate (A warmer Earth, Letters, 27/2/24).
Atmosphere is also critical. Atmosphere explains why Venus, the second planet from the sun, has an average temperature of 464C, while Mercury, the first, is “only” 167C.
On Earth, the simple oxygen and nitrogen molecules that make up most of our atmosphere cannot absorb and “reflect” tiny heat waves leaving our planet – but the more complex CO2 can. (Even more complex methane, CH4, is, over 20 years, about 85 times as warming as CO2.)
The almost four billion CO2 molecules added to each litre of our atmosphere by human activities since we commenced burning fossil fuels and flattening forests have recently dramatically changed our climate.
We have shot past the Goldilocks amount of atmospheric CO2 and are into Papa Bear territory. It’s already too hot.
We need to start not just reducing emissions but reducing the existing level of greenhouse gases.
Lesley Walker, Northcote
Shooting ban ignored
New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia banned duck hunting decades ago, yet in 2024 Victoria still has a government allowing native waterbirds to be shot (Sadistic amusement, Letters 27/2/24).
Last year, more than 10,000 submissions were incorporated (the most in Victorian parliament’s history) into a public inquiry. The panel recommended an immediate ban on recreational duck hunting. Yet here we are again, on the eve of another hunting season.
Why use public funds and resources to undertake an inquiry if parliamentary decisions are not informed by its findings? Further, the government will use more taxpayer money to facilitate “training” for shooters.
This deeply disappointing outcome on duck hunting highlights that the state government’s allegiances lie with unions over scientific findings, general public sentiment and the conservation of wildlife.
Amy Hiller, Kew
Politics of fear
One cannot deny Affable Albo has a communication problem, despite his best attempts. And yet, similar to the Trump followers, voters appear to accept the fear politics of Peter Dutton, rental costs, negative gearing and untaxed capital gains, all down to Dutton’s Liberals, conveniently ignored?
Reminds me of those lynch mobs in the old cowboy films, headed by a devious crook with a black hat and moustache.
The rich get rich, and the poor get poorer. In the meantime, in between time, don’t we have fun.
Cliff Ellen, Rye
