THE state government is under pressure to “do the right thing” and delay making any decision on power company AGL’s request for a gas import jetty at Crib Point. Environment Victoria and Save Westernport say it would be unfair in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic to give the community just 30 days to respond to the “thousands of pages of documents” prepared by AGL. The adequacy of AGL’s environmental effects statement (EES) for its proposed floating gas terminal and a 56 kilometre pipeline to Pakenham is now being reviewed by the Department for Environment Land Water and Planning (DELWP)…
Author: Keith Platt
ALTHOUGH there is no shortage of days dedicated to particular issues, some frivolous and many that draw attention to worthy causes, World Bee Day is one that lines up with the latter. World Bee Day is on 20 May and Mornington Peninsula Shire councillor David Gill does not want it to go unnoticed. Mornington Peninsula Shire councillor David Gill has become something of an advocate and authority on bees. He says much of the world’s food production depends on the survival of healthy communities of bees and regularly speaks at schools and to community groups and clubs about the insects…
Correction (The News 13/5/2020) THE article “‘Green hydrogen’ nearly affordable” (The News 5/5/20) incorrectly stated that it was South Australia’s Labor government, rather than the Liberal government, that was backing the production of hydrogen from water. South Australia’s Liberal government is led by Premier Steven Marshall who was involved in a “ground breaking ceremony” at Hydrogen Park south of Adelaide on 1 December 2019. The Victorian (Labor) and the federal (Liberal National) governments have together given $100 million towards making hydrogen from brown coal in the Latrobe Valley. A SMALL processing plant nearing completion in Bayview Road, Hastings can be…
ANZAC Day 2020 was like no other. Gone were the mass marches and dawn gatherings at cenotaphs throughout Australia. There were no Anzac breakfasts, two-up or the camaraderie that is always shown at a much-anticipated football game. Instead, family groups, or individuals, stood holding small lights at the end of driveways. Largely silent, the memories of past family members who fought for Australia were no less meaningful than when crowds have gathered in the past. Family members proudly wore medals, their memories stirred by the quiet dignity of the day. The small observances outside innumerable houses throughout the land were…
AN assessment is being made of the financial hardship and wider effects COVID-19 is having on businesses on the Mornington Peninsula. Mornington Peninsula Shire acknowledges many businesses are “doing it tough” and says it will use the data to help with the “recovery process”. The move comes after the shire helped set up a system to deliver “care packages” to households throughout the peninsula. Cr Simon Brooks says statistics for casual workers on the peninsula “linked to hospitality and tourism who may have lost their jobs” could be given to state and federal politicians. “These are typically, but not always,…
MOST of Victoria’s 79 councils want to cancel the elections scheduled to be held in October. Mornington Peninsula Shire, while not having a specific point of view, says “primary considerations” should be the community’s health and safety as well as “upholding the core principles of local democracy”. The Municipal Association of Victoria has told the state government that the council’s favour deferring the elections until next year. The government is expected to decide in the next few weeks to go ahead or abandon the council elections because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “A delay should be considered if over the coming…
AN unknown number of the 1300 colourful beach boxes regarded as attractions on Mornington Peninsula beaches and foreshores could be death traps. Potentially deadly amounts of asbestos has been found in about 120 of the beach boxes on beaches controlled by Mornington Peninsula Shire and Dromana foreshore committee, but details of another 500 boxes is un-known. The owners of the Dromana beach boxes have been asked to remove asbestos from their buildings but no such request has been issued by the shire. The mayor Cr Sam Hearn said none of the asbestos in 89 of the 824 beach boxes on…
THE estimated cost of installing solar panels on the yet to be named Rosebud aquatic centre, above, has more than doubled. The original design called for a 231kW system of solar panels for the centre now being built in Boneo Road, but council last year called for “the maximum number of solar panels possible … whilst maintaining safe roof access and symmetry for aesthetic purposes”. A 375kW system has now been incorporated into the design, adding $321,450 to the $303,000 cost of solar panels. A quotation of $624,400 has now been accepted for the expansion of the rooftop solar panels…
AGILITY and the ability to pivot have become buzzwords to describe the ability of businesses to adapt to the emergency created by the COVID-19 pandemic. The commercial reality is that most commercial enterprises are being forced to close their doors and face major profit losses. However, some businesses have been able to pivot by changing product seeking new ways of distributing their existing product. Jesse Leeworthy and his business partner Jonathon Byrt have been able to swing their trademark business of making plastic water bottles to home deliver bottles of hand sanitiser. The pair entered the commercial world some years…
LIFE in the time of COVID-19 is, for many, a time of prayer. But congregating in a church during the coronavirus pandemic is not possible because of government social distancing rules St Marks Anglican Church, Dromana has had to abandon its regular services because of the dangers of transmitting COVID-19, but the offer to the public for its members to say prayers on request has not been withdrawn. The Rev Paul Woodcock said prayer requests usually “trickle in” at a rate of three or four a month. The requests are left in a small steel letterbox – the prayer box…
HUNDREDS of Aboriginal and Torres Strait islanders and their families have being vaccinated against the flu and tested for COVID-19 at car park clinics in Frankston and Hastings. Those attending the clinics are met by medical staff wearing masks and, in some cases, gowns bought online from food industry suppliers. The clinics are run by First Peoples’ Health and Wellbeing, whose CEO Karinda Taylor says the peninsula needs a health service controlled by the Aboriginal community “if we are ever going to make headway on closing the health gap in the area”. Thomastown-based First Peoples’ Health and Wellbeing was earlier…
THE state government has told Mornington Peninsula Shire it can take an extra two months to adopt its 2020/21 budget. If the shire decides to accept the offer, the budget will now need to be adopted by 31 August instead of 30 June and the annual report by 30 November, instead of 30 September. Last week’s announcement of extended times for adopting budgets by Local Government Minister Adam Somyurek appears to have caught the shire and other municipalities by surprise. The new budget deadline came after the shire had released its draft budget for pubic comment by 23 April, with…
JOHN Zacek admits that he has been a bit short tempered when dealing with staff at the office of Flinders MP Greg Hunt. But he attributes his anger to the “purely political” responses he received from Mr Hunt’s office when expressing frustration at the lack of a testing site for COVID-19 on the Mornington Peninsula. The closest “respiratory clinic” is at Frankston Hospital, a distance Mr Zacek sees as being too far away for the peninsula’s population of more than 167,000, especially the nearly 40,000 aged over 65. When asked by The News for comment on Mr Zacek’s concerns, Mr…
THE day the music died for Erin Moore was also the day that she realised the precarious situation her family was facing. Ms Moore and her partner Nick Martin run the Soundbar in Rosebud which, like other venues, has had to close its doors in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19. The couple live in a residence attached to the venue. Ms Moore is waiting in “the virtual JobSeeker line” for Centrelink payments while Mr Martin, is ineligible for government help because he is a Canadian citizen on a 482 visa. The couple has been “saving every dollar…
IN the past week and a half, a small factory in Somerville has made 10,000 plastic face shields to protect workers during the COVID-19 crisis. Martyn Gittens said that his company, BerleyPro, which normally makes equipment for kayak fishing and visors for fish finders, could easily switch to making the medical shields. “It was really fun to ramp up and now we’re almost out of control,” he said on Monday. “I knew we had to run with it as so many people needed them.” Buying and sourcing materials was easy at first but had become problematic since the federal government…
INTERACTION between crews aboard overseas ships using the Port of Hastings and onshore workers are being kept to a minimum, but there is no physical barrier to crews coming ashore. The Victorian Regional Channels Authority says it has been assessing the potential impacts of COVID-19 since travel restrictions were placed on the movement of people from mainland-China in early February 2020. Hastings and other Australian are subjected to COVID-19 Australian Border Force protocols, but do not have ABF officers on duty at all times. Key trades at the Port of Hastings include the import and export of oil, liquid petroleum…
THE beach at Mount Martha north is quiet, even though there is no shortage of sand. Beach box owners and other users of the leash-free area would normally be rejoicing, but the beach – shown as Hawker Beach on Marine Safety Victoria charts – remains partially closed. The loss of sand of sand at the beach has long been a sore point of contention between beach users, Mornington Peninsula Shire and the Department of Land, Water and Planning. With the shire and the government agreeing to only barricade the base of the cliff to lessen the chance of a major…
Mornington Peninsula Shire CEO John Baker will be given emergency powers to make decisions normally made only by elected councillors. A special meeting on council (Tuesday 7 April) is expected to agree to hand the powers to Mr Baker if councillors are ill or unable to meet because of COVID-19. Under the suggested new rules, Mr Baker will be able to approve items of up to $1 million (if already in an adopted budget); $750,000 for works; $500,000 goods and services; and $200,000 for goods and services and works. While Mr Baker is certain to get some extra powers, some…
ALTHOUGH caught in the midst of unprecedented economic uncertainty, Mornington Peninsula Shire has released its proposed 2020/21 budget for public comment. Property rates will rise by 2 per cent, in line with a cap imposed by the state government, providing the shire with $191.6 million towards an overall predicted income of $244.9m, $8m less than the previous year. Rural living rates will drop by 6 per cent. The budget does not include any of the ongoing and extensive measures being taken by the shire to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 (“Crisis backing for business” The News 31/3/20). The ultimate…
LAKESIDE Villas at Crittenden Estate, Dromana has won the silver award for self-contained accommodation in the 2019 Australian Tourism Awards. The award was presented in Canberra on 6 March and followed Lakeside Villas winning gold at the Victorian Tourism Awards. Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park, Pearcedale won bronze in the ecotourism category at the Australian Tourism Awards. Balingup Heights Hilltop Forest Cottages, Western Australia and Avalon Coastal Retreat, Tasmania won the gold and bronze awards in the self-contained accommodation while Margaret Island Walk, Tasmania won gold and Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort, Queensland silver in the ecotourism category. Lakeside Villas…
EASTER is usually the final fling for seasonal holidaymakers on the Mornington Peninsula – but this year there is no welcome mat out. The healthy injection of income businesses rely on to balance the books over winter has been replaced by closed doors and staff being stood down. Visitors are being asked to stay away. The peninsula was last week identified as having second highest number of recorded COVID-19 cases of any Victorian municipality. The statistics released by the Department of Health and Human Services showed the City of Stonnington had the highest number of cases, 61, with the peninsula…
BEACHES have been closed in Frankston and across the Mornington Peninsula. Mornington Peninsula Shire mayor Cr Sam Hearn said beaches were closed Saturday morning following advice from the Department of Environment Lands Water and Planning and senior police. The advice was issued after crowds gathered at St Kilda beach on Thursday, despite warnings of the need to lessen the spread of COVID-19 through close contact. The shire also received complaints about crowds at The Pillars cliff jumping site at Mount Martha. On Saturday, police were telling people to leave shire-controlled beaches “They [the government] told us they were going to…
BEACHES have been closed across the Mornington Peninsula. Mornington Peninsula Shire mayor Cr Sam Hearn said beaches were closed Saturday morning following requests from the Department of Environment Lands Water and Planning and senior police. The approach was made after news outlets showed pictures of crowded beaches at St Kilda, despite warnings of the need to lessen the spread of COVID-19 through close contact. The shire also received complaints about crowds gathering on Friday at The Pillars cliff jumping site at Mount Martha. “They [the government] told us they were going to close beaches and wanted our help with signs,”…
THE Eagle cable car ride at Arthurs Seat has been placed in the hands of administrators. The estimated $20 million ride that started carrying passengers in December 2016 has now ground to a halt. Lisa Macnamara, senior manager – corporate affairs at Pricewaterhouse Coopers said the closure was due to “the government’s advice on COVID-19, which coincided with the appointment of the voluntary administrators [Craig Crosbie and Robert Ditrich] the following day [23 March]”. “Due to the rapidly changing nature of the COVID-19 situation, a potential reopening date cannot be provided at this stage.” Ms Macnamara said all full time…
FREE parcels of food and personal care items are to be delivered to needy and socially isolated people across the Mornington Peninsula. The food parcel plan is part of the rollout of emergency measures by Mornington Peninsula Shire to help lessen the spread and effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the Caring for our Community program volunteers and staff left without jobs by the closing of shire services due to the coronavirus outbreak will be redeployed to deliver packages being put together with the help of health and welfare agencies, Red Cross, the Department of Health and Human Services and…
LINES of people stretching on to Main Street, Mornington on Monday morning would have been forced to join others queuing at Frankston if the latest COVID-19 emergency measures had come a week later. With phone lines backed up and the MyGov website offline across Australia, there were no answers from the federal government about whether it would proceed with the closure at the end of this month of Mornington Centrelink. A rally protesting about the closure slated for the end of this month was called off last week due the coronavirus. This week’s queues are likely to get longer as…
OPPONENTS of Hillview Quarries’ plan to open a new quarry on the Arthurs Seat escarpment at Dromana want the state government to buy the land and make it part of the state park. Hillview, owned by R E Ross Trust, wants to clear up to 38 hectares (93 acres) of untouched bushland in a block that borders two sides of the old Pioneer quarry. The block of 69 hectares (170 acres) at 115 Boundary Rd, Dromana, is between two sections of Arthurs Seat State Park. The Pioneer quarry at 121 Boundary Rd was closed in 1998 after it had been…
OLD habits die hard, but kissing babies and shaking hands may become a lost art for politicians. The advent of COVID-19 is seeing a rewriting of the rules when it comes to greetings. Bodily contact is out, and keeping a social distance is in. News that Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton tested positive for novel coronavirus three days after attending a Cabinet meeting in Sydney on Tuesday 10 March, turned apprehensive eyes towards his ministerial colleagues. Had they been infected? The Prime Minister Scott Morrison was quick to say he wouldn’t be tested and had every intention of going to…
PUBLIC hearings being undertaken by the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) into allegations of serious corrupt conduct concerning planning decisions at Casey Council, will be closed to the public because of COVID-19. The commissioner for IBAC, The Honourable Robert Redlich QC, has taken the decision to bar the public from tomorrow (Monday 16 March) “as a precautionary measure in consideration of public health”. The public can freely watch the hearings online as they are streamed each day on the IBAC website www.ibac.vic.gov.au. Transcripts will continue to be shared on the website. The hearings are being held at the Fair Work…
Organisers have called off next Wednesday’s rally to stop the closure of the Mornington Centrelink and Medibank offices because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The rally was scheduled to be held outside the Centrelink offices in Main Street but an update issued by Mornington Community Information and Support Centre last Friday (13 March) stated: “Unfortunately, due to concerns about the Coronavirus, we have cancelled the public rally planned for Wednesday”. A petition on change.org to “Stop the closure of Mornington Centrelink Office” was by Saturday morning nearing the required 2500 signatures.