A NEW $30 million mental hospital in Mount Eliza has “salutogenic design principles” that creates “environments to support health and wellbeing rather than simply treating illness”.The design of the 60-bed Avive Clinic Mornington Peninsula in St Johns Lane recognises “the connection between a person’s health and their physical surroundings”, Avive Health co-founder and co-CEO Mark Sweeney said. Avive, which describes itself as a progressive, privately-owned company, was founded by Sweeney and co-CEO, Greg Procter and partnered with Northwest Healthcare Properties (“Northwest”) through its New Zealand stock exchange-listed Vital Healthcare Property Trust as property owner and partner. Kingdom Projects built the…
Author: Keith Platt
THE Committee for Frankston and Mornington Peninsula wants the state and federal governments to “confirm” Hastings as the site for a terminal to assemble offshore wind turbines following the awarding of feasibility licenses to companies involved in the project.“This development means the future of the Victorian Renewable Energy Terminal (VRET) proposed for the Port of Hastings is now crucial to the advancement of Victoria’s offshore wind industry,” committee CEP Josh Sinclair said.He said Hastings was “perfectly poised for the terminal and that the community now wants certainty”.This latest call from the industry lobby group for governments to back Hastings as…
WITH an estimated $1.5 million needed over the next five years to fix “ageing infrastructure” Mornington Peninsula Shire Council is now looking for ways of making money from its golf course at Mount Martha.The expressions of interest (EOI) campaign comes nearly four years after council hired consultants and sought ideas from the community for ways to “develop a vision and long term plan” for the 50 hectare, 18-hole course (Golf course future to the fore, The News 4/11/20).The latest move to find ways of paying for the golf course off Forest Drive was agreed to at council’s 29 April public…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire Council is again calling on the state government to “develop a strategic framework” for Western Port. According to the shire the framework should include the restoration and protection of Western Port’s marine environment and catchment area. It would also establish an “ecologically sustainable and thriving economy”.The shire’s meeting was held later on the same day that the business lobby group Committee for Frankston and Mornington Peninsula held a Future Forum which will also see state and MPs come under pressure over developments in Western Port.The shire’s policy update for the Port of Hastings comes in the wake…
DESPITE having some reservations about the name, Mornington Peninsula Shire councillors have agreed to investigate having a “watchdog” citizens panel to look over their shoulders when considering annual council budgets.It is too late for the panel to be established for the coming year’s budget and, if followed through, the watchdog panel would work with a new council after the October elections.Chief financial officer Bulent Oz said an alternative could be to name a meeting of the existing citizens panel “a Budget Watchdog session”. Discussing budget performance and financial goals with the Citizens Panel “will provide valuable insights”, he said. “It…
RESIDENTS and Mornington Peninsula Shire councillors have agreed to accompany each other in finding a way to reopen the Beleura cliff path at Mornington. The councillors last week agreed to spend money on both lobbying the state government for help and finding a cost effective way of restoring parts of the path, which has been closed since October 2022.Peter Nicholson, of the Save Beleura Cliff Path group, welcomed their decision for the shire’s 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”…
ALLIANCES and joint ward representatives will end at the October elections when voters on the Mornington Peninsula will elect one councillor for each of the shire’s new 11 wards.The single councillor wards replace the existing six wards, which have three councillors in Briars and Seawinds, two in Nepean and one each in Cerberus, Red Hill and Watson. The new single-councillor wards are Brokil, Beek Beek, Benbenjie, Briars, Coolart, Kackeraboite, Moorooduc, Nepean, Tanti, Tootgarook and Warringine. The redrawing of ward boundaries follows an electoral structure review in late 2023 by the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC).The shire was one of 39 municipalities…
WORK is expected to start soon on installing traffic lights and widening roads at the intersection of Forest Drive and Nepean Highway, Mount Martha.Flashing warning signs will warn motorists that they are approaching the pedestrian and traffic operated lights. Plans for the road widening, realigning Forest Drive and installing traffic lights include removing more than 100 trees to improve visibility and safety.VicRoads says it will plant 160 native trees and 9000 shrubs and tussocks when the intersection works are finished in early 2025. Some of the trees to be removed will be mulched and used for landscaping works within the…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire is seeking public reaction to plans that could see a 3.3 per cent levy on new houses.The levy would not apply to renovations to existing home; new houses replacing existing ones; granny flats; or public buildings.Calling the proposed levy an “innovative solution to ease the housing crisis”, the shire last week issued a statement asking if residents would “treat social housing as essential infrastructure, much like public open space, car parking and drainage”. It said the peninsula’s “growing housing crisis” was “devastating families and individuals”.While acknowledging social housing as being “largely” the responsibility of state and federal…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire councillors have been urged to reject the “gloomy” view presented by shire officers and instead find a “sensible cost” way of repairing a now-closed cliff path at Mornington.In a report to council’s Tuesday 16 April meeting water and coasts team leader Laura Crilly recommends $10,000 be spent on an “advocacy campaign” to persuade the state government to pay $10 million on the Beleura cliff path closed by landslides in October 2022.The preferred option to repair and reopen the path is to use gabions – rock-filled cages – to support the path which is on a steep slope…
THE usual sounds of nature and an air of tranquility they help produce at Devilbend Reserve, Moorooduc, are set to be shattered by gunfire at any time from next month, May. But the resident kangaroos should have nothing to fear – except the noise – as Parks Victoria has enlisted the help of deer hunters to “reduce” the number of deer in the reserve.Signs posted by Parks in the reserve say deer will be hunted at Devilbend over 16 weeks. The signs say, “effective control [of deer] requires the implementation of coordinated ground shooting operations”. The signs include the logos…
THE state government’s tightening of land use and development controls within green wedge zones is unlikely to have any immediate effect on the Mornington Peninsula.Mornington Peninsula Shire mayor Cr Simon Brooks welcomed the government’s Green Wedge and Agricultural Land Action Plan as it “reinforces the non-urban purpose and character of the green wedge”. He said the government’s plans did not require any changes to the shire’s green wedge management plan adopted in December 2018 and updated the following year.The peninsula’s 520 square kilometres, or 70 per cent, green wedge is one of 12 that form an irregular ring around the…
NINE golfers lined up for the first all abilities Get Into Golf event at Mount Martha Golf Course last Friday (22 March).Following the One Club program initiated by PGA pro Sandy Jamieson, the all abilities session aims to teach golf fundamentals to participants in a relaxed and fun environment.The program was led by instructors from the club who underwent their own training last month (On course for all abilities at Mt Martha, The News 27/2/24). Accompanied by carers, friends and family, the nine golfers played on two holes which were divided to make four. Organiser John Bowers, of Mount Martha,…
THE Dolphin Research Institute last week celebrated 33 years of its achievements and efforts to “improve outcomes for dolphins, whales, and our precious marine environment”.Executive director Jeff Weir said the picture chosen to mark the institute’s one third of a century “shows something you don’t see every day — a dolphin riding on the head of a humpback whale”. The picture was taken in 2020 when the same humpback had spent a week feeding off Phillip Island, the first time such an event had been recorded.“Our role in capturing knowledge and filling these knowledge gaps is integral to our work…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire Council continues to move towards establishing a “transparency hub” on its website, with councillors last week agreeing to its cost being added to the 2024/25 budget. However, public satisfaction with the hub’s content may depend on its acceptance of a definition adopted by councillors in July 2022.Officially referred to as the Mornington Peninsula Shire Transparency and Integrity Hub, the latest step towards providing online information follows a decision in December to investigate “a low cost alternative” to the estimated $300,000 version recommended by officers.That decision followed on from a July 2022 “policy statement” committing the shire “to…
WORK has started to remove the fisherman’s jetty at Mornington.The demolition of the jetty is expected to take about two to three weeks. A barge is being used for the work and yellow buoys mark an exclusion zone for boats.Closed for safety reasons since November 2020, the wooden jetty will be replaced with a “like-for-like design” as part of a “local area plan” for Mornington harbour, according to Parks Victoria.Parks says the new jetty will preserve “the heritage values of the area” while providing boats with safe access channels. The design of the new jetty will be “shared with the…
A NEW method of assessing the need for making footpaths has seen a reshuffling of paths on Mornington Peninsula Shire’s priority list.The list of 118 footpaths also includes problems that may be faced in constructing each path, such as “constructability implications” and “biodiversity and/or cultural heritage impact”. Footpaths seen as potentially having these problems will require “more detailed investigation” as their construction may be more complicated or costly.Just three of the top 20 footpaths on the list are unaffected by these possible problems.Footpaths at the top of list are Nepean Highway and Boundary Road, Dromana, with Nepean Highway being subject…
MORNINGTON Peninsula beaches will be cleaned by hand instead of a mechanical rake for the next 12 months after July. The hand cleaning of peninsula beaches on Port Phillip will undergo a 12-month trial and cost about $733,000.Beaches will no longer have the groomed look created by a mechanical rake, but they will retain seaweed and other natural organisms that contribute to a healthy environment.Surveys have shown that mechanical cleaning, while being aesthetically pleasing, can leave behind broken bottles, shredded plastic and even hypodermic needles. The practice has also seen tonnes of seaweed taken to landfill instead of being left…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire staff are likely to be exchanged with their counterparts from Roper Gulf Regional Shire in the Northern Territory under a partnership agreement being drawn up by the two municipalities.Arrangements for the Friendly Council Partnership date back to early 2023 and involved a visit to the remote shire by then mayor Cr Anthony Marsh and CEO John Baker.The partnership was formally agreed to by peninsula councillors on 31 October last year, some weeks after plans for a formal announcement were dropped following the “last minute” cancellation of a visit to the peninsula by the mayor and CEO of…
RESIDENTS from the Calvary Bonbeach aged care centre will move to the company’s George Vowell centre, Mount Eliza and other Victorian centres. There are 49 residents at Bonbeach and the Mount Eliza centre has been expanded to include an extra 19 beds. “Clinically suitable” residents from Bonbeach will get priority to live in the new wing at Mount Eliza which has bedrooms with private bathrooms “among contemporary living spaces indoors and outdoors to support ageing in comfort”. The company says the Bonbeach building mostly had shared bathrooms and bedrooms and was “unable to meet the expectations of contemporary age care…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire wants an inquiry into services for ratepayers being “jeopardised” by state and federal governments finance cuts. A lengthy, but unattributed report tabled at the council’s Tuesday 20 February public meeting, says government cost shifting will add $38 million to shire expenses in 2023-24, blowing out to “a staggering” $234 million over the next five years. The increased costs and reduction of government grants is “jeopardising both the provision of essential services and the financial sustainability of local governments”. Shire CEO John Baker said the shire was considering arranging for a meeting of “a range of [Victorian] mayors”…
THE challenge was to play golf with closed eyes and using just one club held in the left hand for a right-handed person or the other way around for a left-hander. A partner or caddie would stand you close to the ball and describe the required putt or drive. The experienced golfers taking part in the game at Mount Martha Golf Course probably set their own personal bests for the most shots ever, both on the green and on the fairway. The idea of the golf session was to train golfers to help with an all abilities program being run…
CR SUSAN Bissinger has been suspended from Mornington Peninsula Shire Council for 31 days after a state government-appointed arbiter found she had “engaged in misconduct”. Bissinger was told of the arbiter’s findings and her suspension 12 hours before it came into effect at midnight last Friday (23 February). However, she remains steadfast in claiming that she did nothing wrong and refuses to apologise, which was a direction made by the arbiter, Joel A Silver. “The apology requirements … make it impossible. I cannot apologise for things I didn’t do, and I find it offensive that I have been asked to…
A SURVEY of 8800 of people aged 15 to 19 has found that those concerned about climate change were more likely to have higher psychological distress and “low wellbeing”. Mission Australia, youth organisation Orygen and academics at the University of Melbourne rated their mental health as “poor or fair”. Youth mental health provider Headspace reported similar results after surveying more than 3000 18 to 25 year olds. The respondents were increasingly worried about their future, concerned that they would not have the same options that their parents had and would like to see more action taken on the challenge of…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire Council is offering a prize for residents’ “ideas and aspirations” for its next budget. The inducement follows the unprecedented backlash the shire faced over its secret decision to allow the wildlife sanctuary at The Briars, Mount Martha, to be used for the sound and light show, Harry Potter: a Forbidden Forest Experience. Despite weeks of saying it was not possible, the shire last week moved the show out of the sanctuary and into the community forest, dog leash-free area (Sanctuary may be forbidden for Harry, The News 13/2/24). Suggestions for items to be included in the 2024-25…
NEW boundaries and nine new names have been announced for 11 single-councillor wards on the Mornington Peninsula. The changes will be used in the October council elections and replace the existing six wards, three of which have more than one councillor. The names of the shire’s 11 wards are Beek Beek, Benbenjie, Briars, Brokil, Coolart, Kackeraboite, Moorooduc, Nepean, Tanti, Tootgarook and Warringine. Briars and Nepean are the only existing wards to retain their names, although each will be reduced in size and represented by one councillor. Briars ward currently has three councillors and Nepean two. The panel rejected changing Briars…
MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire Council is today (Tuesday) expected to back down on its insistence that the Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience event could not be moved from The Briars wildlife sanctuary. The move follows last Thursday’s announcement that Warner Bros and Fever were “re-evaluating the current location” of the event at the shire-owned Mount Martha property. This week’s meeting has one “Community Strengthening” item on its agenda: The Briars – Event Experience Trail Location. An accompanying report prepared by five council officers was not available Monday morning. The shire was continuing to defend the choice of the wildlife sanctuary…
IT IS an unfortunate and increasingly deadly fact that the koala breeding season coincides with the busiest times on Mornington Peninsula roads. Since last August 17 koalas have been killed on peninsula roads – half of those in January – although the number is almost certainly higher as not all such collisions are officially reported. Campaigns to protect koalas by the Mornington Peninsula Koala Conservation (MPKC) group are credited with reducing the number of road kills, although roadside warning signs were not installed until December, three months later than normal. “Our campaign is in its third season, and we have…
TENSIONS are again running high among users of the closed Beleura cliff path at Mornington because of “spy cameras” installed by Mornington Peninsula Shire. The CCTV cameras have been installed to catch anyone cutting or damaging the wire barricades across the path. The path was closed on 1 September 2022 after a “minor rock fall” but Save Our Cliff Path convenor Peter Nicholson said walkers would have noticed water flows that caused a “serious landslip” one month later. The repair bill for that incident has been put at $1.5 million. Nicholson said money spent on installing the “spy cameras” would…
WHILE Mornington Peninsula Shire might make box office money from allowing The Briars wildlife sanctuary to be used as a stage and backdrop for a Harry Potter show, it may cost councillors at the ballot box in October. With the Potter shows running from April to July, opponents of the shows are out for revenge and vowing to make sure the nightly shows remain fresh in voters’ memories. The Mornington Peninsula branch of The Greens is organising for protesters to attend the council’s Tuesday 6 February public meeting at Rosebud. The Greens also wants more information on the deal, reminding…