Credit to the shire and Cr Gill
It is heartening to read in recent issues of The News about Mornington Peninsula Shire Council’s push to protect nature, and Cr David Gill appears to be leading the way.
His earlier call for a Wildlife Master Plan was unanimously supported (Council backs new wildlife protection push for peninsula, The News 12/5/26).
This week he moved a motion for stronger protection of Melbourne’s green wedges, again carried unanimously (Push for stronger green wedge cooperation, The News 26/5/26). This is timely because the Mornington Peninsula Green Wedge covers about 70 per cent of the Shire’s land.
The Shire’s 2018 Green Wedge Management Plan highlights outstanding natural beauty, diverse landscapes and cultural heritage, along with areas of conservation significance and habitat value, and opportunities for informal recreation including bushwalking, riding trails and mountain biking.
However, green wedges across all 17 councils are under continuing development pressure. Hopefully, the new Green Wedge Councils Planning Alliance will have sufficient strength to protect these visionary belts of green space for future generations.
Ray Peck, Hawthorn
Bin issues
The state government and councils have decided to introduce a policy requiring an additional green waste bin for every household and unit across Victoria.
Our temperatures can reach up to 40 degrees during summer. The green biodegradable bags intended for use with this system are extremely thin in practical terms often need changing daily. If left in a green waste bin for even 24 hours food waste can quickly become a smelly watery mess & the bag biodegrade.
Under this system food waste will sit in bins for two weeks before collection and attract flies bluebottles mosquitos mice rates birds ants wasps cockroaches and other pests that are naturally drawn to food even with the bin lid closed.
Many residents should be concerned that this could eventually create health and hygiene issues and hospital visits, if not properly managed the accessible food source may also attract local wildlife.
Bins can and do occasionally fall over which may worsen odours and cleanliness issues in local communities including Frankston and surrounding areas.
Historically food waste has been mixed with general rubbish and placed in stronger non-biodegradable bags within red bin reducing many of these issues.
Until stronger biodegradable bags or an alternative solutions are available there are legitimate concerns about whether the current systems will be practical and effective in extreme weather conditions.
It raises the question of whether sufficient research and testing has been undertaken particularly regarding operations during 40 degree heat conditions before implementing such a significant policy change.
Jane Spier, Seaford
Health rebate debate cont.
Three million pensioners to lose all or part of their private health insurance government rebate, the rebates should be asset tested writes Cameron Brown (Health rebate debate, Letters 26/5/26). The rebates are asset evaluated based on four tiers of a person or couple’s assets.
Cameron thinks removing the government rebate on health insurance will assist the government to build more hospitals and the associated costs of staff and the additional running costs.
The average rebate for three million people over 65 is predicted to be about $600pa should this be the case $18m will be saved per annum, a long way short of a hospital car park let alone a building. Even after ten years without some government department dipping into the pool the total would be well short of the required funds to build a hospital.
A recent article in the Herld Sun (27th May) claims 70% of people over 65 with private health live on $55,000 or less.
Last year waiting lists in public hospitals were more than 900,000 people adding additional numbers and becoming common a sign of poor budgeting creating overspending by governments at all levels.
Bruce White, Safety Beach
Bushfire preparedness
Big thanks to the CFA for preparing early for next summer’s bushfire season (CFA brigades target fuel loads at Arthurs Seat, The News 26/5/26).
Given our hotter, drier climate and the prediction that a strong El Niño is on its way, this work is more important than ever.
At the same time, it’s worth recognising that burning isn’t without consequences. Smoke from burns affects community health, contributes to climate pollution, and can damage ecosystems.
And in severe fire weather – the kind we’re seeing more often – research suggests that broad‑scale burning has limited impact on reducing risk.
A smarter mix of targeted fuel reduction and community‑level resilience, alongside use of drone technology to rapidly detect and contain fires, will give us a better chance as fire seasons continue to intensify.
Amy Hiller, Kew
Enough is enough
It’s hard to imagine a cuter photograph of the chubby endangered swamp skink than the one in your online article (Dromana housing estate approved despite swamp skink concerns, The News 21/5/26).
While there are sightings in several other local government areas, Mornington Peninsula Shire is by far and away the skink’s most important habitat. So, it was disappointing that 75 per cent of the site’s swamp skink habitat on the bush block has been approved for removal for a proposed housing estate.
This is a good but sad example of how, despite a clear warning in the 2021 State of the Environment report, ongoing development for humans is still taking priority over our unique flora and fauna in this country.
Yes, we need more housing, but let’s not build it on rare bushland remnant. Far better on land that is already cleared.
The Victorian Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny and the newly appointed Minister for the Environment Enver Erdogan must together stand up for the endangered skink.
Sue Rechter, Talbot
Dan Andrews fan
I disagree with Bruce White’s sentiments last week (Statue opposition, Letters 26/5/26).
The proposed Daniel Andrews statue should be gold plated. He was a very good Premier. By enforcing a very unpopular lockdown to curtail the Covid pandemic he saved an estimated 5000 lives and probably 120,000 disruptive hospital admissions in Victoria.
Yet some people still whinge that he sent some businesses broke. Coffee shops. Tourism.
He has dragged the old rail and road network, designed for a much smaller population of people and cars last century and before, into the modern era.
It cost an eye watering lot of money and resources but it had to be done sooner or later. Bravo.
Yet some people still whinge, apparently they’d like a return to level crossings. These works had to be financed in the usual way with borrowed money. They provided a tremendous amount of real jobs and economic activity.
Yet people still whinge because costs keep blowing out because of alleged incompetence.
None of these people seem to whinge about “Snowy 2.0”, a $2b project of Liberal Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in 2017 which has blown out to $42b in 2026.
It can produce, when required 2.2 gigawatt of electric power at a huge cost because it pumps used hydro water back uphill to be re-used; for every gigawatt of power generated, it needs 1.6 gigawatt of power to pump it back uphill.
Then there’s the Liberals cancellation costs for the French submarine and the deposits we’ve placed for ghost atomic submarines that we’ll never see.
And illegal, destructive Robodebt.
Incompetence – look no further.
Andrews was a man of vision who got necessary things done. Debt? The whole western world is in shocking debt to prevent total economic collapse. USA $39t, Australia less than two.
Brian A Mitchelson, Mornington
BarleyCharlie@90
Honesty; I’m into baked beans, tinned, and spaghetti, not forgetting the famous meat pie. Same look, cheaper copies; Coles and Woolworths, profits way ahead of taste, our loss? The customer first or profit margin, clearly the latter?
Mostly thinking, writing, before daytime television, including a 60 minute midday nap?
Gardening, as in creativity, sadly no longer possible, perhaps add an emoji tear, (No?) self-pity not recommended?
Up to a point, in favour of personal style. Now at 90 (and two long months) I see it as being ahead of the game.
Philosophies change, near enough to every decade. At 20 surrounded, (including yours truly) by dummies. Melancholy, angst and rage, even a Magpie loss, to the backline, who listens anyway, who cares?
There’s a difference between cunning and intelligent, the perfect example being the USA President, Donald T.
The AFL Sir Doug Nicholls round, some 75 years since he told me, as caretaker of the Northcote Football Ground, where we sneaked in for a slice of “kick to kick” on a pristine empty green grass oval, to “Piss off you little kids” strictly speaking, much stronger language. We scarpered.
Bitter no, pondering most mornings until said midday nap. Wondering, on waking, what to buy with my $600 a week pension, after Telstra, electricity, water, medicines, porridge, illegal cigarettes and fisherman’s friend; Yabba Dabba Doo?
Politics, Albo: Not so long ago – “Delivered a tax cut for every Australian taxpayer, provided energy bill relief for every household, increased paid parental leave, restricted the sale of vapes, secured the freedom of Julian Assange, and continued to stabilise relations with China, while securing partnerships in the Pacific, particularly with Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands.”
More Kevvy Rudd nonsense, now friendship with Donald (Trump), not to mention the uncertainty of AUKUS, long after I’ve reached the long sleep.
I’d like to mention Angus Taylor, sadly, yet again, an empty vessel. And death and destruction in Gaza, suffocation of Palestinian life, the long-lost dream of peace, those democratic Yanks, in support of warlord Benjamin Netanyahu?
Positivity, hope forever, and respectful thanks to the courageous Neale Daniher. Cheers, Ciao, till next time, maybe?
Cliff Ellen, Rye
