Putting the case for hand beach cleaning
I was relieved to read that the council plan to scale back hand beach cleaning has been postponed.
As a coastal ecologist I first observed the impacts of mechanical raking in the 1990’s at Seaford Foreshore when it was introduced in response to syringes, later found to be sourced from a medi-vac company dumping them, washing up on the beach.
At that time I had the job of collecting rubbish along that 3.5km section of foreshore. The benefits of hand collection were many. I was a presence on the beach which made people feel safer; I collected and sorted rubbish from behind the fence and in the vegetation (fresh syringes and disposable nappies) rather than just the strandline; I could check for maintenance issues, collect seeds, map weeds and I could do the job irrespective of weather and tides. I was probably also less costly to maintain, as the salt impact on the expensive machine was brutal. The job was also really satisfying, and I felt I was making a positive contribution to the community.
The introduction of beach raking may have more aesthetic appeal to some beachgoers, but it has eroded most of the foredune by disturbing coastal processes such as sand accretion and vegetation regeneration, which will increase the impacts on coastal infrastructure, cultural sites and cliff faces with climate-induced sea level changes.
It also doesn’t work, with most of the rubbish being buried or chopped up. Out of sight, out of mind! The “waste” which is mainly algae and seagrass, a major source of blue carbon, is then taken to landfill which adds to the methane load at the tip.
Hopefully when the final report is presented to council the many benefits of hand cleaning with the science to back it up will outweigh personal, subjective aesthetics.
Gidja Walker OAM, St Andrews Beach
Rigged system
As your correspondent suggests, legislation to clean up political donations in Australia is well overdue (Dodgy donations, Letters 11/2/25). Donation transparency and capping of election spending should have been the focus. Unfortunately, worried by the ever rising trend of voters supporting alternatives to their duopoly, Labor and the Coalition’s recent new laws capped the spending for individual candidates at $800,000 but still allowed $90 million for party spending. How is that fair for independents? Worse, taxpayers will now fork out an extra $36 million per election, and most of this will go to the Labor and Liberal parties.
Rather than winning back voters with good policy on crucial issues from rising cost of living to environmental decline, it seems Labor and the Coalition have buddied up to charge the public and clip the wings of proactive independent candidates. Therein lies the rotten underbelly of Australia’s political duopoly. May the electorate punish them at the ballot box.
Amy Hiller, Kew
Election time
One might think there is an election on the horizon. I have noticed that all the candidates promise tons of money (bribes for votes) to the peninsula. The thing that is missing for me is their stance on federal issues and what they are, specifically, going to do about it.
Just to name a few: immigration, cost of living, tax reform, housing, crime and public safety, medical care, climate change, economic management, social welfare, political integrity, electoral reform, whistle blower protection, and a Bill of Rights.
And even then it would almost be impossible to sort through the misinformation, outright lies, information distortion, fabrications, etc. I think you get my point.
Joe Lenzo, Safety Beach
Independents
A number of your correspondents (Letters, 11/2) commented on the funding and voting patterns of the independents currently in the federal parliament. Of particular concern was the funding provided to the so called “teal” candidates by Climate 200. As noted by Ray Peck (Dodgy donations, Letters 11/2/25) Climate 200 only provided $4.4 million in funding to independents compared with the $140 million donated by other sources to the Coalition and Labor, and of course there was the $100 million provided by Clive Palmer to elect just one senator of very dubious quality.
It would seem that the independents are not flush with money. Incidentally it is worth reminding voters that there is no “Teal” party, it is simply a fabrication of the two major parties in an attempt to discredited the independents.
As to voting patterns it is worth noting that, as Joe Lenzo (Independent choice, Letters 11/2/25) documents, the independents share their votes between the Labor and the Coalition. In other words they make a considered opinion on each vote as to which way might best represent their supporters concerns.
Surely that is better than electing a Labor or Liberal candidate that is simply a puppet to their party, voting as they are directed to do by the party leadership. They could easily be replaced by robots for all the intellectual independence they are allowed to show. More independents will help represent Australia’s citizens far more than the party hacks like we have at the moment.
Ross Hudson, Mt Martha
Misleading letter
In last weeks Letters there was a piece that was quite misleading (Independent choice, Letters 11/2/25). While Helen Hayes is most certainly an independent, along with Katter, Windsor and a couple of others, to try and group Zoe Daniels from the Climate 200 group into this list is just plainly wrong.
Daniels, (the member for Goldstein) along with Monique Ryan, Kate Chaney, Sophie Scamps, Allegra Spender, Zali Steggall and Kylea Tink make up the so called “Teals” who all have the West Australian billionaire backed Climate 200 group as their major benefactor.
The last sentence of that letter is telling and I quote…. “Their voting behaviour is influenced by a mix of their policy priorities, electoral mandates, and negotiations making their support for any other party—issue specific rather than political”.
Try telling that to the huge Jewish population of the Goldstein electorate when their Climate 200 member voted with the greens against tougher hate speech and terrorism laws. With most Australians now seeing this group for what it is, I doubt they will get the free ride they got at the last election.
M. G. Free, Mt Martha
Independent donations
Some people are upset that Teal candidates are not a registered political party, but instead a loose association of candidates with some common policies, yet seem to have no problem with fringe political parties structured in such a way that ensures the “Führer Principle” prevails.
In my view, all political party donations exceeding $50 should be declared, as should be the person behind the donation. Donations to a political party should be considered as a donation to one entity, not as is currently the case where each subunit of a party is considered a separate entity, even though collectively it is actually a series of donations to that Party.
While I understand that some people will also be upset at taxpayers subsidising registered political parties, the alternative of parties being entirely dependent on donations and fundraising will ensure that only the big donors will have effective influence over the parties they choose to donate to.
And this works both ways, in that a large donation can influence either positive action to favour the donor, or negative action that will not harm the donor. This is evident in the failure of either of the two major parties to seriously address climate change. There is always a reason to “justify” approving land clearing, fracking, or mining, irrespective of environmental damage that will occur. I am not against mining per se, but mining that destroys the water table in a country prone to droughts is nothing short of insane.
Philip Miller, Mornington
Nightly News
To say our Nightly News (all, except the ABC & SBS) is slanted, as in the political (Liberal Australia) POV is an understatement. Brainwashing par excellence! A mix of police incidents, USA whatever, having a shot (as in who to blame, a puncture?) at PM Albanese, and pro Peter Dutton (or his mates) for the good of (don’t laugh) “everyday Australians”.
Everyday my backside, everyday multi-millionaires. For relief I switched to watching Julia Roberts in ‘Pretty Woman’. Thoroughly recommended.
Cliff Ellen, Rye
Laugh and the world…
With so heavily politically biased correspondents such as Joe Lenzo, Ray Peck, Russell Morse and Ross Hudson occurring so frequently in this paper’s “Letters” section one doesn’t really get a balanced opinion does one. Still the letters give a good laugh and laughing at least is supposed to be healthy.
Graham Burrowes, Safety Beach
Zero for 000
Something has to be done about Victoria’s ambulance service, now, not in some future budget; triple zero also. One Friday last October, at 2am, my wife woke me in shocking pain. Completely unknown to us and unsuspected, she had a bad colon cancer which had ruptured the bowel, spilling the contents into the abdomen.
You don’t have long. I rang triple zero and the operator asked a number of questions; where the pain was, how severe, etc., and my wife, now in some agony just said it’s pain all over and getting worse. Astonishingly, the operator, misdiagnosing the situation, said she would not be sending an ambulance and someone would ring later.
I managed to drive my wife 15kms to Frankston hospital, by which time she was in some sort of shock, shivering badly all over and unable to walk. The staff, recognising the severity of the problem, dropped everything, stabilised her, gave pain relief, an x-ray, prepared her for emergency surgery, cautioned me that she may not make it, and performed a five hour emergency surgery. Contrary to the efforts of triple zero, she survived.
Of course I made a blistering complaint to triple zero, in October, and last week I got a reply.
It wasn’t their fault. They did nothing wrong. I can say no more. I am still furious.
Brian A Mitchelson, Mornington
Unsustainable future
In response to Joe Lenzo’s letter (445,600 immigrants?, Letters 4/2/25) I would simply repeat that a net immigration of 445,000 immigrants is ridiculous and irresponsible. I’m sure the Australian Bureau of Statistics figure would include tourists, backpackers with working visas, seasonal workers with visas and foreign students returning home.
I think it a wonderful opportunity and experience for young people to extend their travels in Australia through working visas. From personal observation I know that their services are invaluable to the tourist industry in Australia, especially the ‘outback’ areas.
Likewise, seasonal workers are invaluable to the agricultural industry and to the finances of their own families. However, most do go home to their families and friends. An added bonus of tourists, backpackers, students and seasonal workers visiting our country, is that in these very uncertain and changing times, the more international friends we have the better.
Henry Kelsall, Frankston
The Sustainable Future Association
Beer garden
Last Saturday I discovered a Beer Garden on Frankston Beach, near the pier. Thinking it was part of the Waterfront Festival, I thought it may just be a temporary addition, but it seems it is not only to be a permanent feature but a permanent blot on this attractive, family-oriented beach.
What a shame!
Virginia Barnett, Mt Waverley
Fire-fighting drones
The fast work by local brigades on 2 February stopping fires caused by lightning strikes at Cape Schanck and near the Briars is to be commended (“Water bomber battles Cape Schanck fire” and “Lightning strikes spark fires on the peninsula”, The News 13/2/2025).
In different conditions it could have been a very different story. One finding from the Bushfire Royal Commission was that “Climate change has already increased the frequency and intensity of extreme weather and climate systems that influence natural hazards” and as a result “bushfire behaviour is becoming more extreme and less predictable … rendering traditional bushfire prediction models and firefighting techniques less effective.”
It is clearly time to include large fire-fighting drones into the mix. As ANU’s Fenner School puts it, “Added to Australia’s existing resources, drone technologies have the potential to help safeguard lives, communities and ecosystems.” The new national roadmap, Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems in Bushfire Management, shows the way forward.
While combating climate change by moving to renewables is the optimal strategy, with much of the peninsula’s prime housing surrounded by vegetation, early fire detection and control using drones is an obvious need as lightning, the major cause of fires, becomes more frequent.
Julia Croatto, Kew
Time marches on
At last! After letters to this newspaper re the clocks on Main Street (28 Jan and 4 Feb) I am happy to report that after two visits by two men with a ladder the clocks are, after many months, now working.
Not only are all four clock faces working but they are all showing the same correct time.
Hooray for the power of the press.
Carole Saunders, Mornington
Best sandwich
In my previous letter (Not Unlucky, Letters 11/2/25) I mentioned that I would check out other Barkly Street shops so I could appreciate the area, so I am now doing that.
I’ve not long started and are now at the main intersection and can see that the four clocks on the tower are all at the correct time, and that has completely thrown me. Over a month ago all four clocks showed different times, a fortnight ago they had all stopped at 12 o’clock, and now they are all on the correct time.
That has made me consider something else. We all see Barkly Street, Main Street, the shops, all slowly change for various reasons. Some changes are good, some are not so good, but all are in the eye of the beholder. So maybe I shouldn’t comment on what I like and what I don’t like.
I think I should sit down and put it all into perspective, so turning around I walked back in the other direction. Going back to my car I walked down a side street and saw a shop that I hadn’t noticed before, Barrett Lane Sandwich Bar. It had a small front courtyard with tables and chairs, so I decided that’s where I would sit down and contemplate my decision. But if I sit in their courtyard I had better order a sandwich, so I chose a toasted pastrami with pickles and cheese.
While sitting there I decided that I wouldn’t write any more letters commenting on what I thought were the good or bad things about Barkly Street, or the Mornington shopping centre in general, I would just leave it to each individual to make their own decisions. However, I’d just like to finish off by saying that sandwich was the best that I have ever eaten.
Lance Rickard, Mt Martha
