IT is less than six weeks until the state election on 28 November, and Labor has joined the contest for the seat of Mornington.
The president of the Labor Party’s Mornington branch, Kerry Macdonald, has stepped and begun campaigning (“Kerry Macdonald announced as Labor’s candidate for Mornington”, The News, 20/10/26).
Another arrival to the contest is Greens candidate Kai Titcher. His candidacy has taken the field to six.
Titcher’s bio on the Greens’ website states “As a community volunteer and advocate born and raised in Mornington, I’ve seen how overwhelmed our services have become and how our community is being left behind”.
“I’m running as your Greens candidate because I believe that meaningful change is possible.
“This means fighting for proper investment in our schools, tackling the cost of living crisis so that we can all afford to live in our own community, and protecting the precious environment that makes Mornington the gorgeous place we call home.”
Liberal member Chris Crewther made two large announcements in the past week.
The first was $8m towards major facility upgrades at Narambi Reserve (“Crewther commits $8m to redevelopment of Narambi Reserve”, The News, 20/10/26).
On Saturday (17 October), Crewther also announced an elected Liberal government would invest $1.2m to upgrade Bay Park Adventure Centre at Mount Martha, “creating greater opportunities for young people and people of all abilities to experience outdoor adventure”.
The funding will support significant accommodation upgrades and the development of an accessible vertical adventure centre at Bay Park, helping make the facility more inclusive and accessible to the broader community.
“Bay Park is a much-loved local facility that gives young people the opportunity to get outdoors, connect with nature, challenge themselves and learn new skills,” said Crewther.
“Everyone should have the opportunity to experience outdoor adventure, and this investment will help make that possible right here on the Mornington Peninsula.”
One Nation’s Ashli Beards told The News, “This week has been big! I had the pleasure of meeting Ben Smith, CEO of the Mornington Community Support Centre”.
“It was heartwarming to see the incredible work they do, and how many locals give their time and passion to support our community’s most vulnerable.
“Our homelessness and housing policy launches in the week ahead – so stay turned.”
Beards said last Friday, in a practical response to the families doing it tough and the declining fertility rate, One Nation launched their “Families Package” with One Nation Victoria deputy leader, Colleen Harkin.
In this package, a One Nation government will provide:
- No out-of-pocket costs for pregnant women in the public system
- A $2,000 contribution toward private maternity care
- $300 a year for every school-age child in Victoria to spend on sports
Last week, Independent candidate Melissa Goffin launched her “Better Schools” Policy at the Village Green in Mt Eliza.
A press release from her campaign stated “Melissa has drawn on her considerable experience and created a detailed policy on how to improve all areas of schooling in the electorate”.
The highlights of her policy include:
- Providing $20m each for Mt Eliza Secondary College and Mornington Secondary College for major upgrades and new facilities.
- Fully funding the kinder rooms needed across the peninsula to deliver the three-year-old kinder and pre-prep reforms.
- Fund more specialist options, and publicise demand for alternate pathways to understand the need.
- Fund a full-time psychologist in every peninsula government secondary school and increase early-intervention staff and therapists in primary schools.
To better understand the local need and pressures, Melissa met with the teams at Mt Eliza Secondary College and Mornington Secondary College.
“This Policy is about making Mornington matter, so that the money flows to where it’s really needed. I’ve drawn on my decade a public secondary school teacher, talking to teachers and principals, to really identify what needs to be done for our community and its families. It is all part of my broader mission to make sure we get our fair share and the policies I’ll be putting forward to ensure this happens.”
During the last week, Independent candidate Adrian Maher has been continuing his focus on improving public transport, speaking of overhauling the train services on the peninsula.
“I’ve promised to fight for better public transport for Mornington Peninsula residents. That means finding smarter, more affordable ways to connect our community,” said Maher.
“With nearly 25 years’ experience delivering state and federal projects, I know how to find innovative solutions to complex challenges.
“That’s why I’m introducing the Mornington Peninsula Tidal Transit Project, a new concept that could finally make extending rail services from Frankston into the Mornington Peninsula affordable.
“By combining battery-powered trains with smarter use of existing rail infrastructure, my preliminary proposal explores how we could reduce the estimated project cost from up to $1.5b to around $215m.
“Rather than duplicating tracks or installing continuous electrification, the concept investigates retrofitting suitable existing trains with rechargeable batteries.
“It also proposes transforming Baxter Station into Mornington Peninsula Station, creating a new public transport gateway for our region.
“With just 3% of our community reportedly using public transport, we need fresh thinking and practical solutions, not more delays.
“Better public transport for peninsula residents is a promise I’m determined to deliver.”
First published in the Mornington News – 20 October 2026
