Shire should disclose answers to Potter questions
Mornington Peninsula Shire’s transparency surrounding Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience at The Briars has again come under scrutiny, and so it should (Events denied sanctuary at The Briars, The News 16/4/24).
Heavily redacted minutes have been added to the shire’s website. Councillors who vote one way or another should not be redacted from the minutes, and they must have the courage of their convictions made known.
The website also fails to publish the cost to the shire – us the ratepayers – so what is the use of an expensive website that provides no information that is useful, transparency?
I ask two very simple questions: What is the benefit to the shire’s revenue in allowing this show and will the shire’s cost of allowing this show to go on be recovered?
The shire should publish the answers and not hide behind weak, confidential excuses. It is our money that is being spent.
Gerard van de Ven, Mount Martha
Disturbing redactions
Government documents are considered to be in the public domain and accessible to ensure accurate meeting recordings. However, removing information, mainly names, through redaction can raise concerns and may even be illegal (Events denied sanctuary at The Briars, The News 16/4/24).
The names of Mornington Peninsula Shire councillors were removed from council minutes, which is disturbing. Only two councillors refused to sign a non-disclosure agreement, and they deserve praise for their transparency.
The Briars situation can be put to rest until the council elections in six months, when it’s likely to resurface.
And, believe me, it will be raised again.
Anne Kruger, Rye
Poor decision
Thank you for providing informative news to residents on the Mornington Peninsula, of which I am one (Events denied sanctuary at The Briars, The News 16/4/24).
The decision by the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council to allow a large scale sound and light event in the wildlife sanctuary at The Briars, Mount Martha, was one of the very poor decisions made by the council and was made unanimously by all voting councillors, according to an ABC News article.
With council’s election looming and the importance for councillors taking responsibility for their decisions it is important to inform residents about this. While names have been redacted from the minutes a councillor’s statement on the voting to the ABC seems conclusive on who voted in favour of the event.
Two councillors, including David Gill, abstained from signing the NDA, meaning they were unable to vote. the article also states.
Anja Ottensmeyer, Mount Martha
Increase conservation
It is terrific that the special wildlife sanctuary at The Briars is now “out of bounds” for corporate events (Events denied sanctuary at The Briars, The News 16/4/24). The community’s outpouring of love for the nature that resides there was inspiring to witness.
More broadly, destructive native forest logging has supposedly ended in Victoria and we who love the great outdoors now have opportunities to properly conserve wildlife and areas of natural beauty. The Central Highlands, for example, could become a Great Forest National Park that we can all enjoy.
Each of us can have our say on the future of these beautiful places via the Engage Victoria website: engage.vic.gov.au/central-highlands-forests. Let’s extend our efforts to conserve wildlife across our whole state.
Amy Hiller, Kew
Lessons needed
Leave Cerberus Ward name as is. I am sure that most normal thinking people would not want to see a name change (Historic Cerberus, Letters 16/4/24).
These [Mornington Peninsula Shire] councillors need lessons in critical thinking. They have yet again exhibited their lack of knowledge and disdain for the history of this historic name and the total disregard for the will of the people is outrageous. Unfortunately, I also have to agree that democracy is dead on the peninsula. Shame on these councillors.
Maureen Wildes, Bittern
Positive direction
Last week Mornington Peninsula Shire Council unanimously passed a motion about the Beleura cliff path at Mornington, urging its infrastructure department to get on with the job of reopening the path by finding a cheap and practical way to repair the two areas damaged by landslips.
The motion proposed by Cr Despi O’Connor and seconded by Cr Anthony Marsh covered a lot of ground, such as consultation, irrigation, working bees on the path, and options for the repairs needing to be shown to council. The Save Beleura Cliff Path group is very keen to work in collaboration with the shire in promoting to the state government what a valuable public asset this path is. The shire has formed a committee with us to do this. This is great.
One of the things we want to do is put out a more positive view of the path, most of which is safer than it has ever been in its 102 year life. Unfortunately, the shire website has put a very negative view of the path as if it was a dangerous basket case. This is simply not true. Because the path is closed for safety reasons it is impossible for people to see that most of it is in excellent shape. The costs of repairs to the path have been grossly exaggerated. This was discussed at length by the coucillors at their 16 April public meeting. To get funding the shire staff must first hunt down the causes of the landslips, which we believe are drainage issues, not just heavy rain.
It’s not sensible to consider engineering plans for the repair of the path without a clear set of plans to fix the drainage issues.
Peter Nicholson, Mornington
Council limits
The proposal by Mornington Peninsula Shire Council to impose a tax on new housing and spend that money on social housing is another council thought bubble. It is “open to public consultation”, but to consider it we need some more thought bubbles: When and where will the first dwelling be built, how much will it cost, will it be sold at a profit or below cost, will it be affordable to low income people; or will it be rented? If so, how much rent and will it be rented at a loss? When will the second house be built and the 1000th one?
Why not use the money raised to make a direct grant to the state government for these houses? After all, the state has a large amount of expertise in house construction and a housing department is already established and staffed.
Councils should stick to kindergartens. Social housing is a state government responsibility, not a local shire council adventure, even though I can understand local council relevance deprivation.
Brian A Mitchelson, Mornington
Newsworthy
Generally, seeing my doctor for the six-monthly check-up is a pleasant experience. An opinion, based on the doctor’s knowledge, including pills on demand, heart in particular? A feeling of normality, old age aches and pains.
Not so when I enter the public domain, prey to the increased idiots among us and their opinions courtesy of headlines or social media trolls. The disaster at Bondi, the ignorant attack on the police and the Assyrian Christian priest, followed by some knowledgeable person mumbling “structures and processes”. Religious ideology or terrorism? Is there a difference? Fortunately, I do not eat mushrooms. Oh, so difficult to maintain a sense of positivity.
Cliff Ellen, Rye
Dogs on edge
Frankston Council is now enforcing a ban on dogs going into children’s playgrounds and, within 10 metres of the playground dogs should be on leads. But there may be problems with this. At Ballam Park there is a pedestrian footpath which goes to the edge of the newly developed children’s playground where residents walk their dogs.
The 10 metre limit goes beyond the pedestrian walk which would see honest residents walking their dogs not going into the playground being fined for breach of this by-law.
Possibly, there should be an amendment to the bylaw to protect these residents.
Russell Morse, Karingal
Shire’s double standards
In our serene suburbs on the Mornington Peninsula where the embrace of nature intertwines with urban living, we find ourselves embroiled in a contentious disagreement with Mornington Peninsula Shire Council. What was a harmonious relationship between the community and the council has now been marred by accusations of environmental vandalism and hypocrisy.
At the heart of the matter lies a stark contrast in actions versus words when it comes to environmental conservation.
While the council proudly proclaims its commitment to sustainability and aims for a carbon-positive Australia, recent events have revealed a troubling discrepancy between rhetoric and reality.
The council’s purported dedication to environmental stewardship stands in stark contrast to its recent actions, as witnessed by residents who have been left aghast at the sight of contractors mercilessly trimming and cutting down trees that adorn the council verges.
These trees, which have long been cherished for their beauty and ecological significance, now bear the scars of indiscriminate pruning, all in the name of bureaucratic expediency.
The situation is exacerbated by a glaring double standard. Residents are subjected to stringent regulations, mandating permits for any alterations to vegetation on their own properties while the other hand, the council brazenly allows contractors to flout these same regulations, felling trees and mutilating greenery on public land without so much as a nod to consultation or community input.
This flagrant disregard for the very principles the council claims to champion not only undermines trust but also calls into question the sincerity of their environmental agenda. How can an organisation purporting to lead the charge towards a carbon-neutral future turn a blind eye to the importance of preserving and nurturing local ecosystems?
The hypocrisy of preaching conservation while engaging in acts of environmental degradation is a bitter pill for the community to swallow.
Arthur Booth, Mount Marth
