MPCA WOMENS PROVINCIAL THE Mornington Peninsula Cricket Association’s 2026/27 women’s Provincial Division got their second week of play in on Sunday 11 October. Mt Martha had an easy win over Delacombe Park thanks to a stunning innings by gun Billie Raymond. Raymond retired after notching up 53 runs off 42 balls as she pushed her side to 4/114 in their 20 overs. In response, Delacombe Park struggled with five ducks on the board. Their only shining light was Zara Jolly who managed to get to 17 before being caught by Angela Dunn. Delacombe Park were all out for 34 runs…
Author: Cameron McCullough
MPCA MENS AFTER torrential rain caused the cancellation of all men’s first round games last week, play finally got underway on Saturday (10 October) for the Mornington Peninsula Cricket Association’s 2026/27 mens’ season. PROVINCIAL IN Provincial, Baden Powell, Langwarrin, Pines and Old Peninsula all had wins, putting them at the top of the table. Baden Powell have the top spot after easily accounting for Dromana. Baden Powell batted first and managed to put on an impressive 8/229 in their 40 overs. Opener Luke Long shone for Baden Powell with 67 runs off 87 balls. His innings was only bettered by…
MEMBER for Mornington Chris Crewther has announced an elected Liberal government will fund $5m towards major facility upgrades at the Mornington Baseball Club, delivering better facilities for players, families, volunteers and the club’s growing membership. Crewther said the investment would provide the significant upgrade Mornington Baseball Club has been advocating for for over a decade, and help secure the club’s future as a major local sporting facility. “Mornington Baseball Club is an important part of our local sporting community, providing opportunities for children, young people and adults to participate in baseball,” said Crewther. “I have been listening to the club…
Police have charged a man after a plate of food was thrown at a woman and child at the AFL preliminary final in September. The 34-year-old man has been charged with two counts of aggravated assault and one count of throw missile. The charges follow a report to police that at the conclusion of the Hawthorn versus Brisbane game on Saturday 19 September, a plate of food was allegedly thrown at a 47-year-old woman and eight-year-old child. The pair weren’t physically injured, and the incident was reported to police the following day. The Seaford man has been charged on summons…
Liberal candidate for Hastings in the upcoming state election, Frank Schiefler, has announced a Jess Wilson-led Liberal government will invest $6m to help deliver the full redevelopment of the Somerville Recreation Reserve. The redevelopment will deliver a rebuild of the reserve’s social rooms, grandstand, dedicated female change rooms, public toilets, first aid and administration rooms, additional storage, sealed car parking and the reconfiguration of the netball courts. Somerville Recreation Reserve is the primary community sporting facility for Somerville, supporting 52 teams across five clubs represented in football, netball, cricket, bowls and tennis. Much of the reserve’s core infrastructure dates back…
PAUL Mercurio pulled off an unlikely victory in 2022, swinging the seat of Hastings to Labor for the first time in 16 years. Less than two months out from the next state election, and marked as the underdog, Mercurio plans to prove the doubters wrong once again. On the wrapping up of parliament two weeks ago, Mercurio expressed his gratitude in a social media post, stating: “I never really thought I’d be doing this but thank you very much to everyone who has supported me in being here.” After serving as the Member for Hastings for nearly four years, Mercurio…
MEMBER for Hastings, Paul Mercurio, has announced a re-elected Carroll Labor government will invest $5m to support a new pavilion and redeveloped grounds at Somerville Recreation Reserve. “Currently, the reserve’s pavilion is outdated. Facilities haven’t kept up with demand as participation grows among women and girls,” said a press release sent to The News. “That’s why Labor will back the local council and deliver $5 million towards a brand-new pavilion and upgraded grounds – helping bring to life the new masterplan. “The current facility was built at a time when sport was largely designed around men’s participation. “Labor’s investment will…
IT’s less than eight weeks until the state election on 28 November, and Labor is still to announce candidates for the seats of Mornington and Nepean. A Labor insider told The News an announcement would be made “hopefully next week” after earlier saying “we are quite frustrated”. The delay in pre-selecting a Labor candidate condenses the time available for campaigning and announcements, putting them at a distinct disadvantage against the four other candidates already campaigning. Liberal member Chris Crewther made his first big election commitment on Saturday 3 October with $7m to finish the Emil Madsen Reserve Master Plan. The…
MEMBER for Mornington, Chris Crewther MP, has announced a $7m funding commitment from an elected Liberal government towards the completion of the full Emil Madsen Reserve Master Plan. The commitment was announced at the Mount Eliza Football Netball Club Awards Night on Saturday 3 October. It is the final major funding contribution needed to complete the project, bringing together funding from the federal government, Mornington Peninsula Shire, and the clubs. “This is fantastic news for Mount Eliza and for sporting families across the Mornington Peninsula,” said Crewther. “I have been fighting for this funding because our local sporting clubs deserve…
THE family of 12-year-old Marnie, this year’s school captain from Hastings Primary School, have turned to the community for support as the vibrant student faces a battle against childhood cancer. Marnie’s aunty Jessekah Thompson told The News her “beautiful niece” Marnie was “incredibly proud” to be named school leader for her final year of primary school. “Marnie has always been someone who goes above and beyond to help others,” said Jessekah. “Whether it is helping younger students, getting involved in the school community or simply being there for another child, Marnie has always been the kind of person who puts…
AT just 33-years-old, Liberal candidate for Hastings Frank Schiefler would, if he wins in November, become one of the state’s youngest MPs. Schiefler thinks youth and enthusiasm are exactly what the seat needs to make a difference. Schiefler was born in South Africa, and his family emigrated to Australia when he was young. He graduated from secondary school at just 16, and joined the army at 17. Schiefler worked with the 1st Intelligence Battalion before stepping back into a Reservist role and returning to university where he completed a Bachelor of Economics. More recently, Schiefler had been working for the…
IT is less than two months until the state election on 28 November, and state parliament has wrapped up. The change frees up, to an extent, the incumbents of Hastings, Mornington and Nepean to get back to their electorates and put more time into campaigning. In Hastings, Paul Mercurio faces an up-hill battle against Liberal candidate Frank Schiefler and One Nation’s Peter Angelico. In a social media post on Thursday, Mercurio said: “I’ve got to say it’s been a real privilege and honour to have been a part of the 60th Parliament of Victoria”. “I never really thought I’d be…
Police have arrested a third teenager following a serious stabbing in Langwarrin early this morning. It is alleged a group of boys were trying to break into a vehicle outside a property on Govan Street when a man confronted them about 12.20am. Investigators will allege a confrontation occurred and the 41-year-old Langwarrin man was stabbed before the offenders fled. The victim was taken to hospital with critical injuries. Police arrested two 16-year-old boys, both from the Casey area, about 4am. This evening, officers have arrested a 17-year-old boy from the Frankston area. The trio are in custody and will be…
WITH less than 70 days until the state election, candidates have begun campaigning for the seat of Mornington. There are currently four candidates that have indicated they will contest the poll, with Labor planning to contest, but not having announced a candidate yet. Incumbent Liberal Chris Crewther won the seat in 2022 with only a 0.7% margin, just 590 votes, against independent candidate Kate Lardner in the two-candidate-preferred race. Crewther was well ahead on first preferences in the 2022 poll with 17,910 votes (42.58%) with Lardner coming is second with 9432 votes (22.42%) and Labor’s Georgia Fowler coming in third…
Major Collision Investigation Unit detectives have arrested a 55-year-old man following a fatal hit-run collision in Frankston South this morning. Emergency services were called to reports a vehicle had struck a pedestrian on Frankston-Flinders Road, near Highland Drive, about 5.30am. The pedestrian, an 83-year-old Frankston South woman, died at the scene. A 55-year-old man contacted police and was arrested in Seaford about 10.30am. The Frankston South man will now be interviewed by detectives. The investigation into the exact circumstances surrounding the incident is ongoing. Anyone who witnessed the collision, has dashcam or CCTV, or anyone with information is urged to…
MORE than 100 people gathered at Commonfolk in Mornington on Sunday (13 September) for the campaign launch of independent candidate Melissa Goffin. Goffin is running as a “community independent”, endorsed by the grassroots group Independents for Mornington Peninsula, with a campaign focused on putting the community ahead of party politics. “From Labor’s corruption to the Liberal Party’s in-fighting, Mornington has been left behind by party politics,” said Goffin. “Everyone I talk to tells me they’re either treading water or feeling completely crushed by the rising cost of living – it’s the government’s job to address our material conditions, and they’re…
MORNINGTON Peninsula businessman Adrian Maher has launched his campaign to contest the seat of Mornington as an independent at the upcoming state election. Maher, who grew up and lives on the Mornington Peninsula with his wife and two children, is running a “people powered” campaign where he is calling on voters to submit their priority issues to help shape his “10 Peninsula Promises”. “If elected to the crossbench, I pledge to maximise my vote by refusing to pass any government legislation, supply, or budgets until those 10 community-driven priorities are fully funded,” said Maher. Maher’s business past has spanned film…
THE Greens have launched their campaigns for the 2026 state election, announcing candidates for the seats of Hastings and Nepean. Mornington Peninsula mum Sianan Healy is stepping up to the plate again for the Nepean ward, after contesting the seat in the 2026 Nepean by-election in May. Healy, who works for a non-profit in women’s health, vowed to be a true community representative in parliament if elected, stating that locals deserved “a progressive, fairer alternative to the major parties that are beholden to billionaires, that try to turn people against each other and sell off our precious environment to the…
Frankston Crime Investigation Unit detectives have charged a man after electronic tracking devices were allegedly placed on cars in Frankston. It is alleged the devices were located on several vehicles in the Frankston area between June and September this year. As part of the investigation, police yesterday arrested a 65-year-old Frankston man. Detectives subsequently executed a search warrant at an address on Tantani Street. The Frankston man has been charged with stalking (x4), prohibited person possess firearm and prohibited person possess weapon. He will appear before the Melbourne Bail and Remand Court today. Anyone with information is urged to contact…
CONFIRMED bird flu cases on the Mornington Peninsula have climbed to 24, with the City of Frankston recording three cases. Cases have been recorded in Blairgowrie, Dromana, Capel Sound, McCrae, Mt Eliza, Portsea, Pt Leo, Rosebud, Rye, Safety Beach, Sorrento, and St Andrews Beach. The species where bird flue has been detected widened last week. Previously alldetections had been in either greater crested terns or silver gulls. Last week, there were single recorded events involving Australasian gannet, a black-faced cormorant and a little penguin at St Andrews Beach. The Frankston detections have been in greater crested terns and one silver…
Detectives from Taskforce Hawk executed a warrant at a residential property in Mt Eliza this morning (9 September), and arrested a 46-year-old Mt Eliza man and a 47-year-old Mt Eliza woman. They also seized a number of items including electronic devices and paperwork, which will now be forensically assessed. The Mt Eliza man has been charged with make false document as part of a separate Taskforce Hawk investigation and bailed to appear at Frankston Magistrates’ Court on 1 December. The Mount Eliza woman, who is the director of a labour hire company, was interviewed by police and was released later…
Mornington Peninsula businesswoman Melissa Goffin has been endorsed by Independents for Mornington Peninsula to be their candidate for the seat of Mornington in the upcoming state election. “Melissa was selected following a rigorous application and selection process by a five-member panel appointed by the I4MP committee earlier this year,” said an email to I4MP members this afternoon. “We were looking for someone with the experience, independence, energy and community commitment to represent Mornington at the November state election, someone who lives in the electorate — and we believe we have found exactly that person.” Goffin is the founder and owner…
ONE Nation has announced lawyer Ashli Beards as their Mornington electorate candidate for the November state election. Beards, who has been a member of One Nation since December 2025, was selected from “quite a few” potential candidates according to One Nation’s campaign coordinator for the Eastern Region, Harry Mulry. “For me, becoming involved with One Nation was a very organic experience,” said Beards. “I had become fed up with the majors and the mismanagement of the state. I was sick of seeing what was happening day to day and thought the community needed a real advocate.” Before being pre-selected, Beards…
THE state election race for Nepean has a new entrant, with Safety Beach resident Kim Robbins throwing her hat into the ring as an independent candidate. Robbins decision to run comes despite the organisation she is a member of, Independents for Mornington Peninsula, electing to concentrate their resources in the Mornington electorate, and not run a I4MP endorsed candidate in Nepean and Hastings. “I live in Nepean, I vote in Nepean, and Nepean is my focus. I’m a member of I4MP and strongly support the community independent movement,” said Robbins. “As it stands, I’m not an I4MP-endorsed candidate. With I4MP…
CONFIRMED bird flu cases on the Mornington Peninsula have climbed to 18, with the City of Frankston recording their first case last week. Cases have been recorded in Dromana, Blairgowrie, Capel Sound, McCrae, Mt Eliza, Portsea, Pt Leo, Rosebud, Safety Beach, Sorrento, and St Andrews Beach. All the peninsula detections have been in either greater crested terns or silver gulls. The Frankston detection was in a greater crested tern. There continue to be grave concerns for Western Port Bay’s wetlands that are a critical habitat for wildlife, and home to 65% of threatened bird species in Victoria. Heightening the concern…
ENVIRONMENT group Save Westernport has appeared as the first witness at a Senate Estimates Hearing held at the Queenscliff Town Hall last week (24 August) into the planned disposal of Defence estate assets, including land at HMAS Cerberus. The hearing was held as it emerged a firm currently banned from government contracts is the “Strategic Industry Partner” for the divestment process. The planned “partial divestment” of HMAS Cerberus was announced by Defence Minister Richard Marles on Wednesday 4 February as part of a massive sale of 35,000 hectares of defence real estate – including some of the nation’s most historic…
COOLART Homestead has been closed indefinitely as the Parks Victoria rangers that manage the site take industrial action. The main gates were closed and locked on Friday (28 August), with rangers stating they will remain closed until their dispute is resolved. Across Parks Victoria, rangers and operational staff have been engaged in a long-running industrial dispute concerning pay, classification and recognition of the work they undertake. The Australian Workers’ Union has said the dispute follows more than 12 months of negotiations seeking greater recognition of the skilled and demanding work performed by frontline Parks Victoria staff. Friends of Coolart, the…
IN the wake of revelations developers have been lobbying for the rezoning of green wedge land for housing, both Labor and the Liberal Party have committed to not altering the current Urban Growth Boundary. The commitment would see the green wedge protected into the future, whether Labor or the Liberals win the poll in November. The move comes after The News reported a developer met with Mornington Peninsula Shire CEO Mark Stoermer with a plan to build 2000 houses in green wedge land between Mornington and Mt Martha (MP claims Labor planning to rezone large tract of green wedge, The…
ERAMOSA Rd East in Somerville is set for major rehabilitation after Mornington Peninsula Shire approved the appointment of a contractor for the long-awaited project. The decision was made at the 11 August council meeting following a tender process for the Eramosa Rd East rehabilitation project. The section of road between Lower Somerville Rd and Dandenong-Hastings Rd has been identified as being in poor condition, with investigations finding underlying problems with the road subgrades. The rehabilitation will involve a rebuild of the road pavement and reconstruction of a new road surface as well as drainage upgrades, safety barriers at high-risk areas,…
BIRD flu has continued to spread on the peninsula since the first detection on Wednesday 12 August, with the number of confirmed positive cases now sitting at eight as of last Friday. The spread on the Mornington Peninsula comes as there are reports of mass mortality events attributed to the virus with over 1000 bird deaths in South Australia last week. On Sunday (23 August), wildlife group Vic Wildlife Alliance reported a mass death event at Point Nelson near Portland in Western Victoria, calling for volunteers to help “humanely euthanase thousands of H5N1 infected birds which are being left to…