NEWLY installed signs that have unexpectedly restricted access to previously on-leash dog areas will be debated among Mornington Peninsula Shire councillors following community backlash. The shire has recently put in new signs banning dogs at various locations aiming to protect wildlife. Cr David Gill said the signs had caught dog owners off-guard, creating “public anxiety”.
According to the shire’s website, “there are a number of areas where dogs are prohibited from entering or remaining, even on leash (…) to ensure we offer the greatest amount of protection to these species”. “Some of these species include the threatened Hooded Plover, migratory shorebirds, marsupials including the White-footed Dunnart and the Long-nosed Bandicoot, and reptiles such as the Blue-tongued Lizard,” it said. “Many of these species are susceptible to dog attacks and even the scent or barking of dogs can cause distress.”
But Cr David Gill said people “are very surprised with the new signs and are starting to question why this is happening” without consultation. “From my viewpoint it is an outcome that perhaps should have been better explained to councillors.” Gill is set to move a motion at the council’s 22 July meeting in which he will call for a review of all council-controlled sites with new no dogs signs to “ascertain whether wildlife protection is required”. It will also seek community input on each of these sites and “ensure outcomes of dogs in public places regulations are fully understood by the public”. Furthermore, Gill will ask the council to introduce a new local law, if necessary, “to find a balance” to ensure positive outcomes are achieved regarding dogs in public places.
In a letter published in The News on 1 July, a resident said there were about six “totally unnecessary” signs that had appeared near a Balnarring Beach reserve without the community being involved in the decision. “It looks as if the shire has too much money,” he wrote. “It has become clear to me that such waste of our rate payer money is not appreciated here in Balnarring Beach.” The resident also noted the reserve had been neglected by the shire and “choked with noxious weeds”.
First published in the Mornington News – 15 July 2025