Day: July 31, 2018

BLUESCOPE is exporting tens of thousands of tonnes of steel to the United States from its Western Port base in a growth surge the company says has helped it create 150 jobs over the past year. Last week 10,000 tonnes of steel was shipped from Hastings to the West Coast port of Longbeach – later to be galvanised or pre-painted for various applications, such as building, general manufacturing or car making. BlueScope is able to sell to the US through its Steelscope joint venture because Australia has, so far, escaped tariffs imposed on other countries’ steel exports by US President…

MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire councillors will meet their counterparts from Frankston Council next week at a “working dinner” to chew over their differences in policy over the electrification of the Frankston line to Baxter. The dinner, to be held on Wednesday 8 August at Frankston Football Club, comes after shire councillors in May called on the federal and state governments to recognise the shire “as a major stakeholder”, since talks have mostly been conducted between politicians and Frankston Council. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and state opposition leader Matthew Guy visited Baxter station on 17 July to announce the Liberals, if elected…

AFTER nearly two years of sometimes acrimonious debate, Mornington Peninsula Shire has increased the rent for land leased by the Hastings Cricket and Football Social Club in Marine Parade. However, the increase from $4000 a year to $15,000 initially, could have been $61,000 if the shire had adopted a “commercial” figure. The club, which has 50 gaming machines, will be charged $15,000 (plus GST) a year in the first year of a its new 21-year lease, rising to $25,000 a year in three years and then paying three per cent increases for the following 18 years. The decision by council…

Police responded to an incident at a holiday park in Dromana last night. Emergency services were initially called to the Nepean Highway, near Kangerong Avenue, following reports that a gunshot was heard about 8.10pm. Local police, with the assistance of the Dog Squad and Critical Incident Response Team, set up a cordon at the holiday park about 9.30pm. A 51-year-old man was taken into custody without incident about 11.25pm. It has since been established that an alleged altercation occurred between the man and another male earlier in the night. That male was arrested for being drunk at the same location…