SWAN goes to Spring Street
ON Thursday on 27 August, members of the Southern Women’s Action Network’s Women for Housing Justice group made a trip to Spring Street. They spent the full day in Parliament House meeting with members of the Victorian parliament from both sides of politics, spreading the word about the escalating housing and homelessness crisis on the Mornington Peninsula.
The group met with the minister for local government and consumer affairs, the Hon Nick Staikos and members of his department. They pressed the case for funding for financial counselling services, as more people than ever on the peninsula are seeking help with mortgage, rental and cost of living stress.
Minister for volunteers and carers, the Hon Ros Spence and her staff were also told about the desperate need for food relief funding as our local community support services report record demand for food assistance.
Repeatedly, elected representatives were told that the Mornington Peninsula has the highest rate of rough sleepers out of the eight metro local government areas in Victoria, yet it does not receive its fair share of funding to adequately deal with the housing and homelessness crisis.
The group also met with the shadow minister for housing, Richard Riordan and Mornington MP, Chris Crewther. SWAN filled them in on the latest facts and asked them to raise this issue again in the parliament. Discussion was also had concerning the need to redevelop the public housing site in Main Street Mornington.
While in the parliament, SWAN members spoke to the opposition leader Brad Battin, reminding him of a recent letter we sent to him requesting Liberal Party support for a Treaty.
They also managed an impromptu chat with the minister for housing, the Hon Harriet Shingh, with whom SWAN had met previously and communicated the need for urgent government assistance to fund priority social housing projects that have already been identified.
Tom McIntosh, the Labor upper house MP for our region, made a member’s statement in the Legislative Council about SWAN’s advocacy and action campaigning. The day after our visit, Chris Crewther the shadow assistant minister for housing and rental affordability, raised the matter of the peninsula’s housing crisis in the Legislative Assembly. These speeches, from both sides of politics, are now recorded in Hansard.
“We had a busy day in Spring Street where we told everyone we met very frankly about the housing and homelessness crisis in our community. It’s important that elected representatives hear the facts first-hand and forthrightly from community members,” said Diane McDonald, facilitator, Southern Women’s Action Network.
“We told politicians on both sides that people living on the Mornington Peninsula have been overlooked and that this negligence can’t continue. We want our fair share of funding for local community support services and for social housing to be built.
“It remains a source of great concern for the women of SWAN that there is no housing facility for women fleeing family violence on the peninsula. The MPs heard in no uncertain terms that this glaring problem needs to be fixed now.”
Nature needs our support
The 2021 State of the Environment report described Australia’s environment as “poor and deteriorating,” so it was welcome news that the Peninsula Climate Alliance recently met with Senator Ananda-Rajah and Hastings MP Paul Mercurio to call for stronger national environmental laws (Nature can’t wait, The News 26/8/25).
Existing laws, as noted in Prof Graeme Samuel’s review, are “ineffective” and “not fit to address current or future environmental challenges.” With local and state budgets under pressure, funding to manage and protect biodiversity on peninsula foreshore reserves, highlighted by the Somers Residents Association, remains scarce (Community to take charge of Somers foreshore – but with limited funding, The News 26/8/2025).
Encouragingly, despite a record of voting against climate legislation, local MP Zoe McKenzie may be shifting her stance. In a May Sky News interview, she acknowledged that “everyone understands” Australia must “do our part” to address climate change. This matters because climate change arguably poses the greatest threat to peninsula biodiversity and foreshores.
Let’s hope that in parliament, the Liberal Party supports stronger nature laws, net zero and other emissions targets — and McKenzie backs local groups protecting the peninsula’s precious natural environment.
Ray Peck, Hawthorn
Don’t ignore climate
Like Brian Mitchelson, (Ditched plan, Letters 26/8/25) I am worried about homelessness and the misery it brings. And that is part of why I am concerned about global warming.
As Gunther Thallinger, the Chief of Allianz SE, the world’s largest insurance company and Europe’s largest financial organisation, says, megafires can now threaten cities, and cities built on flood plains “cannot simply pick up and move uphill”.
But to build new homes most of us need finance, and that needs insurance. Unfortunately, Thallinger predicts failure to control rising emissions and temperatures will mean the insurance industry fails. Then, he says, “The financial sector as we know it ceases to function. And with it, capitalism as we know it ceases to be viable”.
Mitchelson, in spite of accepting the scientifically determined facts of different temperatures hundreds of years ago, subscribes to the fantasy that the scientific consensus on today’s global warming is wrong so these predictions are lost on him.
But for the folk who understand the greenhouse pollution threat, these implications for how we will live in decades to come should be galvanising.
Mark Wills, Northcote
No protection for renters
The new system introduced by the Allan government to cut rents will not progress renters to get fairer rents. The landlords are guaranteed a rent increase every twelve months. The renter can ask Consumer Affairs Victoria for an investigation and a report but they make their decision based on the market.
The system entails that first the tenant and the landlord must negotiate a rent increase and if it fails then the renter goes to the Rental Dispute Resolution Victoria who will try and negotiate a rent increase. If that fails then the renter can apply to VCAT to have the matters resolved or the Rental Dispute Resolution Victoria can lodge a application to VCAT.
The new system is supposed to cut the number of cases to go to VCAT and stop the need of legal representatives but it does not. Consumer Affairs bases it decision on the market which landlords create and use to increase their rent. If Consumer Affairs Victoria is serious about protecting renters from excessive rent increases they should make their decision based on increases in inflation.
The system is still the same and the Allan government expects more renters will use the new system because it is free but they won’t because they will be afraid to use the system as they may be evicted and they may also feel that it is a waste of time to oppose rent increases.
Russell Morse, Karingal
Flag’s historical context
With regard to Barry Rumpf’s comments (Flying the flag, Letters 26/8/25) about the imposition of unwanted and unnecessary flags being flown, it is arguable that the “official” Australian, the successor to the original British flag, was an unwanted and unnecessary imposition on a society that had survived very well for some 65,000 years until the invasion.
The last thing First Nations people in remote Communities need is a bunch of white people with saviour complexes coming in and imposing their ignorance on the locals. What they really need is for those same white people to actually listen to, and perhaps learn from, their 65,000 years of wisdom.
Arguing about flags misses the entire point.
Virginia Fricker, Mount Martha
Toilet trouble
On Tuesday, after a lovely lunch at Kirk’s with friends from Melbourne, I went for a walk around Mornington. When I saw the information centre I thought I would find a public toilet there but alas, no, the outside toilets were locked with a sign on them saying they were only for the use of court staff.
Going into the information centre I was told you’re in the wrong place, I replied that it was obvious and where were they?
I was directed to the library. Entering through the shire offices there was no sign of toilets. I was then directed into the library. Again in the library I discovered no toilets but was directed towards a corner passage where I finally found relief!
I’m sure you want tourists to your town so could you please make finding the public toilets easier?
Megan Peniston-Bird, Kew
Here’s to the helpers
When we were young, the term “clubland” means nightclubs, dancing, a few drinks and good times.
Now, later in life, here on the Mornington Peninsula, the term has a completely different meaning. I was reminded of this when admiring the former Shire offices in Dromana, and the number of community organisations they house.
This brings to mind the huge number of “clubs” that exist, all run by generous residents who serve our community. We have service clubs, social clubs, U3A, bowling clubs, charity organisations – all serving a similar purpose with varying agendas. But the over-arching theme is bringing our community together. How fortunate we are! Some are the only social contact for folk that are alone. Some help those less fortunate in so many different ways.
Nevertheless, all have one thing in common – organisers or a management committee. Selfless people who give their time and experience to help people unite and enjoy the activities. So let’s applaud their dedication and efforts – without them “clubland” wouldn’t exist.
Mike Wilton, Safety Beach
Peninsula Wide
The “Sheriff of Safety Beach” has hit upon a topic in the last issue (Cutting Costs, Letters 26/8/25) that exercises my mind every time I get one. Peninsula Wide is a mutual admiration society publication devoted to convivial back-slapping. Every issue, I really try to read something useful or informative in it but fail every time. The aim of most commercial publications is to run at a profit from advertising revenue exceeding publication costs.
The figures quoted in Joe Lenzo’s post and previous correspondents are damning on the financial responsibility of the council as a waste of money. I have no idea if they are correct but take them at face value as being so. If publication ceased it would not be missed and council costs would be relieved.
Local newspapers like The News provide more and better information more frequently at no cost to ratepayers and are reasonably impartial.
Barry Rumpf, McCrae
Israel’s genocide
Zoe McKenzie continues to support the Palestine genocide by Israel, blaming all Palestinians, effectively saying they deserve it, for the October 7 attack by Hamas and ignoring, just for starters, starvation, lack of medical supplies, illegal settler settlers murdering Palestinians with IDF support.
A history lesson in this never-ending conflict: The genocide started in 1948 with The Nakba, a campaign of massacres and violence like what occurred at Lydda, Ramle and the Battle of Haifa, where Hundreds of Palestinians were killed in multiple mass killings. The Lydda massacre, Lydda death march, led to the expulsion and flight of over 700,000 Palestinians, with their urban areas being depopulated and destroyed.
Another history lesson: Jewish terrorist organizations, the Irgun Zvai Leumi and the Lohamei Herut Israel known as “The Stern Gang”, unleashed these terrorist actions and later became the backbone of the IDF.
The benchmark should be 15 May 1948 not October 7, 2023, the genocide has not stopped since then.
Whether Hamas should be understood primarily as a terrorist organization or as a resistance movement reflects deep disagreements about the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Many governments classify it as terrorism, while others argue that it represents armed resistance to occupation.
Joe Lenzo, Safety Beach