Industry, tourism ‘incompatible’ in ‘pristine’ Western Port
The announcement that the Port of Hastings might go ahead is no surprise to us who have strived to keep Western Port industry-free for decades (“Hastings port seen as ‘key’ link to offshore power” The News 1/11/22).
The economic lie to Western Port residents is always sold by both major parties (do the Greens support this environment-killing industrial port?) and reported in local newspapers that a port would create “jobs”, but the negative economic consequences to thousands of small businesses and their local employees around the bay who benefit from recreational tourism is never mentioned.
Industry and tourism are incompatible.
The choice for our children and grandchildren is an unsightly industrial shipping port which would diminish their prosperity and quality of life, or a pristine bay with abundant wildlife and increasing recreational tourism on land and at sea. This is the cause.
Richard Cuming, Bittern
Policy a dog’s breakfast
Mornington Peninsula Shire’s draft Dogs in Public Places policy is a dog’s breakfast. For starters, it is not about dogs in public places but about dogs in recreational areas; the title is a complete misnomer.
The bulk of the document seems to have coastal areas in mind, although leash-free areas and playgrounds are also mentioned.
Either the policy should be renamed Dogs in Coastal Areas and focus on that exclusively, or it should be broken up into three distinct parts: coastal areas, designated leash-free areas and playgrounds.
(Non-coastal) leash-free areas demand a much more considered and comprehensive policy. The City of Dandenong has excellent dog park facilities, and our council could learn a lot from them.
Dogs and playgrounds again require a dedicated, considered and nuanced policy.
Given the proposed continuation of the current illogical blanket rule (no dogs within 10 metres of a playground) I can only suppose that no-one in this policy area has been a dog-owning parent with young child(ren) whose day has revolved around taking said children and pet dog on a trip to the local park.
Why am I doing the council’s basic work for them?
Bianca Felix, Bittern
Heritage rotting away
Tyabb residents are saddened beyond belief that what is arguably the Mornington Peninsula’s oldest civic building is rotting away and in danger of collapse because an uncaring Mornington Peninsula Shire Council cannot be bothered to look after it.
The Tyabb Youth/Guide Hall (the original Tyabb Hall) was built and paid for by the community in 1899. It was gifted to the shire in the 1950s and the council took over its maintenance.
Sadly, the shire failed to attend to the hall and has allowed it to fall into disrepair.
Repeated requests to save the hall have been made to the now absent ward councillor, the previous mayor and the current CEO. Despite these representations no money can be found, apparently, and the hall has been declared unsafe and is now propped up and surrounded by a security fence. As a result, the Girl Guides have left Tyabb, thereby losing a supportive and caring community group from the heart of our community.
And yet, the same inept and partisan council, after secret meetings with no public consultation or justification, has paid a further $350,000 to a private club against some speculated threat (“‘Secretive’ $350,000 payout to aero club” The News 25/10/22). Even more preposterously, this brings the total money lavished on this wealthy organisation to half a million dollars over recent years. What is wrong with our council?
What is clear is that it thoroughly deserves its all-time low scores in the most recent official Local Government Community Satisfaction Survey and are possibly the most poorly regarded council in Victoria (“Shire hits ‘all time’ low in satisfaction” The News 4/10/22).
Stefan Burson, president Tyabb and District Ratepayers Association
Disenchanted Liberal
I’ve always been a Liberal voter and have supported [Mornington MP] David Morris for all of his tenure. When he didn’t win pre-selection I was unsure of why. He’s well liked locally and although he hasn’t been extremely effective under a state Labor regime, he was a shoo-in for re-election.
David was passed over by the state Liberal party in favour of Chris Crewther. Chris was the former federal member in the seat of Dunkley, which he lost to the well-liked Labor MP, Peta Murphy.
Chris couldn’t keep a federal seat, so he’s having a go at the state election. I don’t believe Chris can win Mornington and the teal party (yes, it’s a party) is sure to guarantee a Labor victory.
Chris is no David Morris, and nobody backs a continuously losing horse.
So, what’s a lifelong Liberal supposed to do? This is a three-way race between Chris and Labor’s Georgia Fowler, a nurse. Not much found about Georgia. There’s also an independent, Dr Kate Lardner, a co-founder of the Voices of Mornington Peninsula and a former Green.
With spin doctor Kate “Holmes à Court” Lardner, the Greens and the Animal Justice Party, I’d say it’s a Labor by preferences victory.
This surely would not be happening had David Morris been pre-selected and re-elected for the fifth time. The times they are a changin’.
Lido Ritchie, Mount Eliza
Promotional ‘survey’
I received a telephone call asking if I would participate in a survey of voter intentions for the coming state election. After I had answered a few questions the “survey” turned in to a promotion of [independent Mornington candidate] Dr Kate Lardner.
I was the asked whether I would vote for Dr Kate now I had heard this. Dr Kate does not need to resort to this, she is being assisted by “paid” volunteers who are door knocking houses in Mount Eliza. I assume this is thanks to her backer, Simon Holmes à Court.
Joe Ziino, Mount Eliza
Environment matters
Campaigning for the November 26 state election is certainly ramping up on the Mornington Peninsula (“Luring votes on the peninsula” The News, 25/10/22). Although there is much rhetoric being bandied about, it is on policy specifics that seats in this election should be won.
One issue folks really care about is the environment. On climate, candidates from both major parties seek to ramp up renewable energy but neither Liberal or Labor opposes new fossil fuel development or seeks to end native forest logging before 2030. Fossil fuel expansion and native forest logging are both deemed to be incompatible with achieving net-zero by 2050.
These are important policy specifics that may well sway voters toward independent or Greens candidates and impact the election outcome.
Amy Hiller, Mount Martha
Optional preferences
Understandably the word is out, I am preferencing the Liberal party in the impending state election. (“Liberal turns independent” The News 12/9/22).
As the election looms closer, I have made the decision, as an independent, I will take the stance to be an independent with my preferences.
I will have Option One (Liberal) and Option Two (Labor) on my how-to-vote cards and leave it to the voters to choose how and where they place their preferences.
Thank you to all who have taken an interest in this matter. I am choosing transparency over ambiguity.
Elizabeth Woolcock, independent candidate for Nepean
Question of issues
It is obvious that Frankston does not need a new hospital or planned big infrastructure builds, as Frankston isn’t on the Liberal or Labor parties list for new hospitals or big infrastructure builds.
What are the issues which the Frankston voters are to vote for at the election where the Liberals and Labor want our votes?
There is very little media attention on the candidates to give us their policies.
Infrastructure builds mean employment opportunities and create business for local traders at a time where shops are closing such as in Young Street.
The only services the local MP is promising is free child minding for kids, which is part of the big picture policies.
There are no development plans or expansion of population which will also gain employment and eventually expand service industries.
Possibly with energy prices and generation also being an issue and alternative power state and federal issues, which Australians are supporting at the moment. Maybe we will see a major infrastructure build part of the resurrected SEC and have offshore wind mills built offshore in Frankston to generate cheap electricity to cut power bills.
Russell Morse, Karingal
Voting for mayor
It’s akin to the Melbourne Cup but without the glitz and glamour. (“Insiders tip historic mayoral return” The News 25/10/22).
The candidates in future council elections should heed what it means to become a councillor. It’s demanding and takes that person away from family for long periods. It requires intense learning about local government systems, which involves learning to read. And I am not being impolite; the way a councillor reads council papers is different from reading The News or a book.
An interest in people is a given with a willingness to invest time and energy in serving the needs and concerns within the local community.
As a candidates’ mantra, why do they forget all this and scramble to garner votes for the yearly mayoral debacle?
In Victoria, it becomes a race to see who can push forward the fastest with the majority of support from other councillors. It’s like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic – who has the councillor’s support? Who is going overboard?
A better solution is for the election of the mayor on a separate ballot paper for the entire term and elected by the voters. Indeed, in this day and age, the local council should consist of four years, one mayor and councillors.
Anne Kruger, Rye
Suffering continues
Mornington Peninsula Shire is inviting people to join a positive ageing summit, despite having effectively reduced any positivity in ageing on the peninsula as it has effectively cut any support for many people.
I continue to receive information that people have still not received, and nor will get any in home support “maybe” until the new year.
Several people I have spoken to are significantly physically and medically impacted. Being of an age, we do not qualify for support via the NDIS.
The CEO, shire and councillors continue to provide no figures as to what has happened to the more than 4000 cast adrift.
Do we not have any councillors or governance left who are not hidebound by party political policies, a desire to maintain their own positions at the cost of the broader population or who have a sense of humanity, ethics or morality or work for the common good?
Barb Rimington, Balnarring
Home care ‘bungle’
So many people are still suffering without home care as a result of bungling COALition and Mornington Peninsula Shire.
Joe Lenzo, Safety Beach
Smile for camera
Hard to fathom people out. There are early morning walkers along the Esplanade, Mornington who will not take their dog droppings home to their own property. I do not need them in my bin and, in future, smile, when you do it as you will be on camera.
William Hines, Mornington
Flooding memories
Floods and droughts are basically caused by nature, not preventable, only minimised (“Floods preventable” Letters 25/10/22). Regardless of world records, history shows a never before experienced flood can result in dam failures with catastrophic results downstream, exacerbated by industry and housing being allowed to develop in the flood plains.
Our dam authorities coordinate through the Australian National Committee on Large Dams (ANCOLD) in conjunction with representation on the International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD). Records of dam failures are reviewed, and dams constantly monitored and reviewed for continuing safety.
The Bureau of Meteorology estimates what are called probable maximum floods for dams and records of droughts are checked (Australia is prone to regular floods, droughts and bushfires).
The size and type of a dam and reservoir capacity relate to the site geology and flow records, with projected supply demands to try and ensure enough storage in droughts for supply and to store and pass floods through spillways without endangering the dam and then in consideration of downstream developments.
Mention of the Murray reminds me of the many droughts with paddle boats stranded before the Hume dam was built, and of being at Red Cliffs when the Murray was in a big flood in the 1950s threatening to burst the levee alongside the irrigation pump station – hectic raising the levee with sandbags just ahead of the rising river. There are many other experiences with floods in the Barwon and in Gippsland, stranded at Heyfield with the Thomson in big flood in the 1970s.
Keith Murley, Blairgowrie
Letters – 300 words maximum and including full name, address and contact number – can be sent to The News, PO Box 588, Hastings 3915 or emailed to: team@mpnews.com.au
First published in the Mornington News – 8 November 2022
